Jordan 4 Retro

This warm, fuzzy version of the Jordan 4 Retro was made in honor of the 1963 children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. As such, its nickname is Wild Things, and its appearance is based on the monsters depicted in the book. Like other Jordan 4 designs, it rests upon a sturdy rubber outsole with herringbone grip lines oriented in a variety of directions to provide all-round traction underfoot. A gum brown tone highlights the heel and toe cap, which deviates from the rest of the outsole to exhibit embossed stars as its grip pattern. The rest of the feature is pure white, aside from the vivid University Red Jumpman that resides in the center of the smooth portion below the arch of the foot.

Meanwhile, the midsole is formed of two different layers: a lower one in white and with visible Nike Air in the heel, and a higher one made of Dark Driftwood polyurethane that is interrupted on the lateral flank by a piece of white rubber that loops up from the outsole and also encompasses the toe. More layering then occurs on the upper, where panels of smooth leather in a light tan hue called Hemp appear. There is one around the toe atop another that stretches the length of the shoe and even loops low around the heel. A third underpins this to cover the quarter and form the eyestay, while the collar has a thick coat of soft faux fur blanketing it. The same cozy material returns on the tongue, which has a Dark Driftwood patch sewn into it with Hemp-colored Jumpman Flight branding in the center. This lighter tone also fills out the plastic mesh on the lower part of the tongue, as well as the two similar panels on each flank. Together, these pieces of over-moulded mesh bring breathability to the foot, thus adding to the wearer’s significant comfort.

Internally, the shoe maintains its snug construction with a padded lining of soft fabric whose coloration matches that of the outer. The tones used on the insole, though, are vastly different, with vibrant University Red on the left foot and bold blue on the right. Each has a Hemp Jumpman printed onto it, before more blazing tones appear on the outer. The red of the left insole is repeated on the lateral triangular wings, while those on the medial flank are blue. These structural appendages attach to similarly colored lace cages, before those at the bottom end of the laces deliver even more colors to the design as the lateral ones are Barely Volt and the medial ones pink. At the back, the shoe has a Dark Driftwood heel panel with a fan-shaped top part that can be held tightly via its embossed cubes when pulling the shoe on. Its bottom part, meanwhile, contains a Hemp Jumpman silhouette that finishes off this cushy sneaker in style.