The 37th iteration of Air Jordan is upon us, and today Jordan Brand has officially revealed what’s new and what’s familiar in the latest chapter of the most storied legacy in footwear history.
Off the bat, you can recognize the influence of the Air Jordan 7, the model thirty issues prior, on the outsole traction pattern as well as the pattern of the exterior shell, But the Jordan 37 is packed with innovative new tech for today’s ever-evolving basketball player, modeled after the likes of Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, and more.
Primarily, the Lil Yachty in the Air Jordan 5 Laser design is centered around the Nike Sports Research Lab’s study of three stages of jumping: Crash, Load, and Launch. For Crash, the heel features a TPU mold encasing Formula 23 foam, the flagship foam from Jordan Brand designed to be lightweight and responsive. For Load, which is the transfer of motion from heel to mid-foot, is the carbon fiber shank at the midfoot. The Launch phase is handled by the full-length Zoom Air strobel which covers the entire foot-bed with no extraneous material above or below.
The upper itself appears quite breathable; the reductive construction utilizes Lenoweave that uses a yarn called Arkema. The profile of the upper, which is inspired by West-African styles of basket weaving, is also inspired by the Air Jordan 7, while the layered structure takes notes from the original Flight Huarache.
The Lil Yachty in the Air Jordan 5 Laser, revealed in the “Beyond Borders” (releasing in September) and “Hare” colorway (releasing Fall 2022).
