Tinker Hatfield:Air Jordan 3, 4, 11 And Air Mag

The world is constantly changing, and our design of shoes has changed the concept of "what kind of dress is suitable for wear" in the past. We used to think that too shiny material could not be used on the surface of the shoes, but now there is no problem. It can be used in both skirt and suit.

Q: now, many people regard Air Jordan series sneakers as fashion. When you design, do you want them to look fashionable? How do you balance shapes and functionality?

A: the most important thing to design Air Jordan is to ensure that the shoes always have better performance. Sometimes, a fashionable design is just because it is different, or an important person wears it, such as Michael Jordan wearing it. Air Jordan 11 is a good example. When it was launched, it was a new type of basketball shoe, unlike any basketball shoes on the market. And I didn't deliberately make it look fashionable, and the intention is really zero.

We only hope to have new properties, add carbon fiber to it, have more durable soles, carefully select materials to make shoes lighter. In short, there are many better design elements that make it the best basketball shoe. To design such a pair of shoes, I really look for inspiration from many things, but in any case, the whole process is not fashion design. It is new material and new design language that makes it a fashion.

Q: music combination Boyz II Men has appeared in the awards ceremony at Air Jordan 11 and white suit. Now children like to wear Air Jordan shoes in the non basketball court, and even some formal occasions. How do you view such a phenomenon?

A: when I just finished Air Jordan 11, I showed the final version to Michael. The first thing he said after he saw it was, "this is so beautiful that people can wear it at their wedding weddings." I was really unbelievable at the time, "are you serious?" and after that, Boyz II Men wore these shoes for the prize giving ceremony in a few months. The next day Michael called me and said, "look, I said it all." He is right.

I think these shoes are both fashionable and formal at the same time, because people are more open, and they tolerate more about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. When I went to Paris many years ago, no one in the street wore sneakers, because wearing relatively professional sneakers on the streets was inappropriate in Paris's traditional culture. But now everyone is wearing it, and the most fashionable women in Paris are wearing Nike and Air Jordan.