NIKE AIR IS BACK!
Was this the shoe of the year for you? The highly anticipated Jordan Cement 3 is finally here and here is my take on it...
Michael Jordan, the 1988 MVP of the NBA All Star Game approved of this shoe and so do I. The last release of these shoes was in 2011. Finally, it is 2018 and they are back with that Nike Air! Before we get into the details of this beautiful shoe lens get into my favorite part of the review. The history behind the sole….
1987-1988 was an amazing year for Michael Jordan. Jordan won the dunk contest, All Star MVP, All-Defensive First TeaM, and Defensive player of the year. All throughout all these magical moments he was wearing the Air Jordan 3. Peter Moore, who designed the Air Jordan 1 and helped with the Jordan 2, was let go from Nike, along with Bruce Kilgore. In place, Peter and Bruce were trying to convince Michael Jordan to leave Nike with them. As it turns out Jordan was not feeling it. Since the two designers left Nike brand, Nike needed a new designer to make the Air Jordan 3. Who did they choose? Tinker Hatfield… We all know Tinker for designing the Air Jordan 3 and 4 and also making a return on the Jordan 20.
It is very interesting how Hatfield had never even worked on an Air Jordan, let alone designed one. He was a so called rookie in the sneaker game. Tinker barely worked on sneakers for two years. But now, with Nike reeling from the loss of its design and marketing leadership and with its relationship with Jordan on the line, Tinker had a lot riding on this one shoe and knew that his creativity and strategic design, would only lead him to success Tinker and Jordan worked hard and communicated to each other on what were good ideas, and what could “work.” Jordan wanted a lightweight shoe, with a lot of durability. So with the Air Jordan 3 they both agreed to make them a Mid top. This was the first mid top to be seen in the Air Jordan line. On the Air Jordan 3 model Tinker placed the famous “Jumpman” logo on the back of the shoe, and adding in a “elephant print” on the toe box.
The inspirations for the Air Jordan 3 are Air Jordan 1 and 2, the free throw dunk, an elephant, and last, but not least Michael Jordan. Nike’s selling strategy was simple, and great, they had Michael Jordan and Mars Blackmo.. If you are unsure who that is, Spike Lee. Nike integrated some entertaining commercials that had you wanting to go go out and get a pair for yourself and also your whole family. Fun fact for you guys, this is the first Jordan 3 that featured a visible air bubble that was never seen on a Jordan. However, it looked more than exotic. It was on Air Jordan 3 that that the series introduced the famous Jumpman logo. For the first time, the Nike Air Unit became prominent on the shoes.
In 1987-1988 when the Air Jordan 3s first released they sold for $100.00. In 1994 Nike re-released the Air Jordan 3 and they retailed at 105.00, but just like the Air Jordan 1 and 2 models, they killed it in sales. In 2001 and 2003 when the Air Jordan 3 released one more time, the price tag was back $100.00. Now the release for $140 GS or $200 Mens. Its crazy to think about how back in the game the prices for a pair of kicks was so low.. We look at today and the retail tags are almost double and I am not even going to go into detail on some of the RESELL prices…
“THIS IS THE MOMENT. THE MOMENT WE KNEW THAT MAN COULD FLY. THIS IS WHEN AN ICON TOOK OFF, AND NEVER CAME DOWN. AND THIS SHOE, IT WAS MADE BY THE GREATEST, FOR THE GREATEST, AND THE LOUDEST. MADE FOR THE BRASHEST. THE BOLDEST. AND THE BRODIEST. YEAH, THE BRODIEST. THIS SHOE WASN’T MADE FOR A MUSEUM. NOT FOR CLOSETS. NOT FOR RESELLERS. NOT FOR HYPE. THIS SHOE WAS MADE TO BE ROCKED. IT WAS MADE FOR THOSE WHO REFUSED TO BE AVERAGE. SO, IF YOU THINK YOU BELONG WITH US, PROVE IT. YEAH, LIKE THAT.”
Lets get into the review of this 2018 model of the Air Jordan 3 Black Cement! The official color way of this shoe is black/fire red, cement gray and white. This was considered a general release. Many and various retailers had this shoe available. If they sold out at any of your local retailers the resell on these is not high by all means. The box is simple, we have a Jumpman Air with full black and elephant print. The majority of the upper of the shoe has a tumble black leather. From what I have read in other reviews comparing to the previous generation is that this model has a better leather with a nice matte finish. On the toe box we have these red eyelids with a gray leather that sits above. The tongue of the shoe is done in a cement color and accented with a red Jumpman logo. The laces are standard, flat, and black. Wrapping around the toe box we get hit with that beautiful elephant print. The back of the shoe is beautiful! Many of you since 2001 have been waiting for this beautiful Nike Air branding on the back. The midsole is black and the insole is red.
In terms of sizing for these, I went with a GS size 7. I am usually a size 7 in Nike or grade school when it comes to Nike or Jordan brand. A lot of people who can fit a size 7 are always hesitant with the quality of the GS sizing but I will def say, lately Nike has not been disappointing with the quality condition.. These are top notch and are definitely exactly like the mens sizing in my opinion.. I will say that these are a little snug compared to other grade school sizes I have purchased in the past. If you have to go up half a size I would not loose sleep over it. Overall, these are beautiful and truly a shoe you can rock with anything. Sweatpants, Nike tech fleece, joggers, or some denim.. You are gonna be rocking that Nike Air Heat for sure… For me, the reason why I love Jordan releases especially the OG and the iconic ones, is because their is always a history behind the shoe. To have such an achievement pair of kicks that one of my idols wore in his greatest moments of his career means more then you know to this sneaker head… Overall, I hoped you guys copped a pair or even two…
Brookeydoo Out.