Jordan Brand: The Next Generation of Shoes & Stars

For example, Chris Paul and his upcoming CP3.V (release date scheduled for early January 2012) sneaker represents the “Fly Around” silo because of the New Orleans Hornets point guard’s penchant for leaving opposing defenders in the dust. Designed by Jordan Design Director of Footwear, Andre Doxey, the shoe is billed as the lightest CP3 ever at 12.5 ounces. With a Flywire upper and Podulon technology in the heel area, Paul’s sneaker is all about speed. The shoe also carries personal meaning for Paul, courtesy of the 61 triangles on the shoe, which represent the number of points he scored in high school as a dedication to his dearly departed grandfather.

Technology and fit get the attention of the diehard athletes all day but Doxey, who is a 16-year veteran in the footwear industry, understands that it will take a bit more to convince the pedestrian hoops fan to spend $100+ on Jordan sneakers in this economy. “Part of our history has always been making great product first, and

making it beautiful,” he says. “When you do that people adopt it. They’re going to play in it and they are going to wear it. So that’s our goal–period. Whether there is a season or not a season, we want people wearing the product.”

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Like Anthony’s shoe takes cues from the Jordan XI via the patent leather, Dwayne Wade’s Fly Wade 2 also borrows from Jordan’s of the past. Representing the “Fly Over” silo, Wade’s second signature sneaker is reminiscent of a few different Jordan shoes, mostly because the legendary Mark Smith

designed it. Smith, who is the Global Design Director for Jordan Brand, has had his hand in the design of several MJ classics since he started working on footwear for the company in 1993.

With the Fly Wade 2, Smith used Hyperfuse upper with a full Lunarlon midsole–a technology normally exclusive to running shoes–to enhance Wade’s fast-paced, above the rim game. He, along with Wade, also designed the Miami Heat guard’s new logo,

which will appear for the first time on the shoe, which drops in December. Wade is a stickler for making sure his shoe feels good and that emphasis on comfort is apparent in his second signature Jordan shoe (Wade was previously signed to Converse). “Fit and comfort are two of the things we really emphasized with the shoe,” says Smith. “If it’s comfortable, you play well, if you play well then you look really good.”