I like it his first Air Jordans collaboration, reggaeton superstar J Balvin’s latest special edition sneaker design is radiant. His Air Jordan 2, finally launching next week after months of teasing, features an illuminated Wings logo on the tongue that lights up when pressed. More than a bell or a whistle, this detail has an important meaning for the message of the J Balvin x Air Jordan 2.
“Everything I do has to tell a story,” Balvin tells Complex. “I spoke with Nike about how I wanted to reflect my mental health journey in a creative way. We discussed how I had to overcome walking through dark times to find the light. That’s where we came up with the concept of this shoe. I wanted it to reflect how you jump into the light and your dreams and how you rise to overcome the dark situations in life.”
The J Balvin x Air Jordan 2, priced at $300, launches on September 15 via the snkrs app and select Jordan Brand retailers. The project aims to invoke serenity through the colors and materials used in the collection. In addition to channeling mindfulness through the product, J Balvin is also using this collaboration as a catalyst for conversations around mental health awareness, specifically in the African American and Latino communities.
The J Balvin x Air Jordan 2 utilizes an energetic blue color scheme and is paired with cloud graphics on the heel and sock liner. There is rainbow stitching throughout the shoe, while J Balvin’s smiley face branding appears on the heel.
The shoe will be available in full family size, but only the adult version of the shoe has the illuminated logo on the tongue. That detail of the collaboration was pulled from a very specific pair of shoes from the artist’s childhood.
“I had on the Buzz Lightyear sneakers and I remember them sparkling with every step I took,” says Balvin. “And that inspired the idea of literally showing people that even when you walk in the dark, the light is what guides you and helps you find your way. I wanted to take that excitement from my youth and combine it with my favorite brand, which is Jordan. He blew their heads off.”
Apart from the retro 2, the collection has a more casual option in the Jordan Super Play Slide. The Jordan Brand team that put the shoe together sees two purposes with the glitter. In addition to connecting with conversations about mental health, the shoes are practical for those attending Balvin’s concerts.
“On the footwear side, we were able to design the Play Slide sockliner to glow, like the Air Jordan 2, so whether you’re at a concert or out and about at night, your shoes will light up,” says Kim Jabbie, the Former Jordan Brand Women’s Footwear Senior PLM.
In addition to launching the Air Jordan 2 and Slide collaboration, the upcoming J Balvin and Jordan Brand capsule includes matching hoodies, a crew neck sweater, t-shirts, fleece pants, shorts, a hat, socks and a soccer ball. basketball. The most notable detail that appears on some of the pieces is the brain logo, which is a nod to mental health awareness and the importance of emotional fitness.
“When we were designing with José, he was talking about how much yoga and being outside gave him a sense of calm, so we wanted to make sure there were products that encouraged movement, like basketball,” says Matticen Cox, Jordan developer. Brand. garments for special projects. “Almost all graphics on clothing, such as screen printing and embroidered graphics, are activated by UV rays. The graphics change color when you go out in the sun, which refers to being outside, in the sunlight and following your light.”
There are handwritten messages in English and Spanish on the pieces, referencing J Balvin’s bicultural identity. In this sense, he feels that he is related to Jordan Brand’s namesake.
“Michael Jordan has always been very kind to me,” he says. “I had the opportunity to speak with him in person and he was amazing. His family is very welcoming… his wife is a queen. She is Latina and understands the culture and expectations of traditional careers within the Latino culture.”
Jordan himself cannot be an official member of latin gangbut Balvin believes that his proximity to the culture gives him and his family a unique understanding of what his work with the brand means.
“I know they love what we’re trying to achieve with the concept of this collection,” says Balvin. “This is a great achievement for Latino culture.”
