Air Jordan Retro 7: The Gold Standard
Midsole
The midsoles of the shoes are like the human body in that they carry the weight of the shoes and enclose the important organs of the shoes. The Air Jordan 7 was created with a light yet versatile Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam midsole. This material gives both cushioning and support. It’s like having a spring mattress with a pillow top in the middle of your shoe. Only it gets better. Like I said the midsole holds the essential organs of the shoe. This is relevant because found inside the midsole unseen from the outside of
the shoe is a full encapsulated air unit©. Your body can’t live without air right? Well neither can these shoes. The air unit is made up of a polyurethane film bag with spot welds to give form and shape. This bag is then inflated with a dense super gas sulfur hexafluoride. This air unit adds cushioning and responsiveness to the shoes. Back to our mattress analogy it would be like putting a soft air in the middle of your mattress instead of hard mattress springs. However keeping those springs around the edges of the shoe for support similar to that of pillars in the Parthenon. These major advancements in the midsole allowed Michael Jordan the stability and protection he needed for his feet to perform at a high level for a prolonged period of time. For this very reason Jordan was able to play for a total of 15 seasons. The air sole unit provided cushion as stated before but this softening of impact from high jumps that Michael was accustomed to slowed the deterioration of cartilage in Jordan's knees. Allowing him the opportunity to play into his forties. Also the support and stability of the EVA foam was a wonder as well seeing how it help prevent injuries, keeping Jordan on the court. That is very important because who knows if Jordan's career would have been as promising had he been prone to injury.
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Upper
The upper is of great importance it is the skin of the shoe. It’s what everyone sees. It’s what holds you down. And as is most often stated whatever goes up must come down. Hatfield definitely wanted Jordan to stay in his shoes when he came down from his flight. To accomplish this use of full grain leather was employed to wrap the shoe in a sleek and sexy silhouette. First a single piece of leather was used to wrap the majority of the shoe as to have uniformity fit to it. To build upon the single piece of leather it was layered with 5 other pieces in a design pattern that resembles modern day suspension bridges. Two pieces where layered along the sides of the shoes. Connecting to the midsole at the front of the shoes and at the mid foot. Another piece of leather was then
wrapped around the heel. The last two pieces of leather where layered directly above the heel piece on each side of the shoe. In this area is where all the leather accents come together. This layering gave the shoe the ability to firmly grip the shoe from the heel through the mid foot. However the breakthrough in fit, comfort and stability in this shoe did not come from the leather layering. Rather it came from a new technology Hatfield had introduced called Huarache. This technology is built upon an inner sock bootie constructed of neoprene. This bootie secures the heel seeing how it is attached directly to the midsole. This technology was incorporated into the Air Jordan 7. The signs are minimal but if we look closely we can see key features of the technology. These features include the windows on the side of the shoes that allow us to see the collar of the inner bootie. Another feature is the tongue of the shoe upon touching it one can realize that it is manufactured of neoprene due to the fact it is part of that inner bootie. The last way to tell of course is by trying the shoe on. Once on the foot the wearer can notice immediately the “Hugging” sensation the shoes give. |
Evolution
The Air Jordan 7 was a glimpse into the future of high performance basketball shoes. It was no wonder that Michael Jordan performed so superbly in the seasons he wore them. Winning his third MVP award, second NBA championship, and the NBA scoring title. On top of that, Jordan took home his second Olympic Gold Medal with the Dream Team of ’92. In order to accomplish all this, his shoes needed to be at the champions’ level. he needed the gold standard. This new established standard was what allowed the Jordan brand to truly take off as in independent leader in sports equipment and apparel. This evolution led to a revolution in the recognition of Jordan brand products not just in sports but in pop/urban culture. This recognition was due in large part to marketing efforts on Nike's part. However the high end performance nature of the shoes and of Micheal's performance just fueled the flames( though Jordan became an independent subsidiary it has always remained part off Nike)The Air Jordan 7 appeared on commercials with bugs bunny giving the shoes a nickname "Hair Jordans". This is where we see the youth really being targeted and drawn into the Jordan brand.
From that simple commercial a full length film was created years later called "Space Jam". The cultural impact does not stop there during the same era Michael Jordan appeared with another equally famous Michael Jackson on a poster where he is wearing none other than the Jordan 7.
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Conclusion
All these little things lead to something monumental as the steam train got rolling with the Jordan 7 there was no stopping it from there. The Jordan brand rolled out a new shoe for the next 16 years. Sometimes when Jordan wasn't even playing. The shoes became so iconic children where literally getting killed for them in some cases. The admiration for the greatest player has created almost a addiction based relationship where admires of the shoes go to extensive lengths to lace up a pair of Jordans. Some of the people who love Jordan shoes today did not even have the opportunity to see him play! Yet they are still captivated by his products. That's because the influence of Jordan shoes is still felt today as it was in 1992. Jordans are still in videos, commercials, and even quoted and talked about in songs. In this "23" video many Jordans are featured but of course which ones come out? none other than the Air Jordan retro 7 "Olympic" @ minute 3:56. Also take a look at the total views for this video over 55 million! That's Jordan love.
This commercial released 2 months ago. It is a new commercial fused with things Jordan has done in the past. For example Blake griffin(player dunking) is a relatively new Jordan athlete. Dr. Drain looks much like a character Jordan used to promote the Air Jordan 3 in 1988 called Mars Blackmon. Also when he says his name Dr. Drain it sounds a lot like Dr. Dre a famous music producer who not to mention has ties to Dr. pepper. It shows how much Jordans influence culture. They shape it they evolve around it. we can find Jordans in a lot of places. such as celebrities feet. Oh and of course Dr. Drain had on Air Jordan 8's.
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Like they say good things stick around for a long time. Jordan shoes where designed just for that. That's why Jordan isn't just great. It's Legendary.
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