Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 - 6:45 PM

The Top 15 Design Finalists in the Project Bluefoot / Air Jordan XXV Design Competition are…

- Alvin Huang
- Austin Jermacans
- Ben Adams-Keane
- Brian Moughty
- Doug VanderValk
- Frederic Roy
- Joe Sattler
- John Lee
- Karabo Anoh
- Sindri P. Sigurdsson
- Titus Ares
- Tom Matic
- Weixian Wang
- Yuan Jiang
- Yurri Mial

Continue reading for Air Jordan Design Concept image boards and descriptions…

–Top 15 Air Jordan XXV Design Finalist Concepts–

(in random order, click image to view full size)

Titus Ares:

My design is based on the sophisticated nature of Michael Jordan after his legendary career. He hasn’t suited up in years, but his memory is still fresh in my mind. The way he played was similar to the way he dressed. He was cool, calculating and sophisticated. Both talent-wise and aesthetically, he was a joy to behold. He was the player you would notice in a room full of players. This was due partly to his charisma, but also to the way he carried himself. He was a man who wore three-piece suits in the heyday of throwbacks and fitted pinwheel hats. He always retained a sophisticated demeanor and was never a victim to fads. He was in a class of his own, and it’s evident in the way the next generation of young players is dressing, that he was ahead of his time.

-The AJXXV upper is made of tumbled leather to be comfortable right out of the box.
-It is accented by a suede toe cap and heel, a material in which creasing is less noticeable.
-Patent leather runs along the sides of the shoe, giving it more support on the lateral movements and quick cuts.
-In keeping with the three-piece suit motif, a neoprene sock and breathable mesh tongue work with the upper and the foot is locked into place via speed lacing system.
-Full-length zoom air is enclosed within the midsole, where parts are PU and other parts are lunar foam.
-A clear sole wraps up the lateral side of the AJXXV, thus giving the rest of the form the silhouette of a formal dress shoe. -Titus Ares
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Yurri Mial:

My concept for the Jordan XXV is all about elevation. The only true way to defeat your opponent is through elevating your abilities mentally, and physically. Jordan Brand embodies the notion of advancement and soaring over its competition, and it was important that my Jordan concept followed suit. The design needed to be aggressive, yet elegant and be able to provide all the necessary components needed to elevate your game.

The shoe features an overlaid stitched leather upper that allows foot ventilation through the mesh wing patterned openings. There is a full-length neoprene bootie that also keeps the foot immobilized inside the shoe. The bootie also offers good ankle support and cushioning around the padded collar. There is a hidden webbed loop lacing system featured along the vamp. Doubled stack zoom is offered in the shoe to provide good cushioning, yet allowing the user to feel the court. The lightweight TPU chassis wraps around the entire shoe doubling as a heel counter that cinches the heel to ensure heel lockdown, and full lateral foot reinforcement. The segmented sole offers flexibility and supreme traction with its wrap-around rubber herringbone pattern tread. Each segment of the sole is reinforced with a layer of Phylon cushioning, and the full-length carbon fiber plate that runs along the underside of the shoe. The rounded heel of the shoe also allows a better transition from heel to toe during heel strike. -Yurri Mial
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Yuan Jiang:

We all agree customization and “just do it!” will continue to be the trend for the next few years. This Air Jordan XXV was inspired by modular design concept that was widely used in modern Architecture and industrial design. This shoe is using a standard base structure, with separate upper/bottom components which can be re-assembled by consumers with their choice.

It’s like LEGO, consumers are able to purchase the base frame with separate components to transform the shoe into an unique, customized look with different functionality. The parts are inserted into one another without cement, you can disassembled it into pieces and re-organized it based on your needs.
For example, you play basketball with higher top collar and shox inserted in the midsole,, switch it to Air Max, lower the top line, you are ready for a run.

This concept will be a challenge for current industrial technique/material, which bring us to the “The Transforme”, the final product led by above inspiration.

Upper- light weight, low cut upper with mesh and “flywire” technique, separate component parts to transform it into high cut with better ankle support and different look.
Bottom – switching combos under sockliner and midsole in forefoot and heel, the parts are fixed/stabilized by steps/inserts on the part itself. The combos will be visible through the crystal rubbers in forefoot and heel, the crystal outsole texture will be repetitive “XXV”. -Yuan Jiang
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Alvin Huang:

One shoe, two people and three colours.

Together with the philosophy of Michael Jordan, I envisioned a Jordan 25 shoe inspired by the spirit of basketball, the agility of a stingray and the modern design language of the Mazda Taiki concept car.

The end product is a mix of colours, materials and surface treatment of the inspirations but not forgetting the proportions and technical aspects of a basketball shoe. The mix of patent and matte materials give a aggressive outlook reminiscence of the first impressions on court when Jordan wore the Air Jordan 1 in red, black and white colour way in a 1985 game. The surface strips on the polyurethane material which criss-cross to form “XXV” also allow the material to bend and stretch for flexibility.

Being inspired by the sting ray, the red rubber “wings” on both sides of the shoes give support and comfort upon impact to the feet. Another interesting design feature is the back which is the start point of the lines that make up the waves and energy of the shoe. In addition, the back also holds a chrome support plate that bears the Jordan 25 (XXV) logo.

Lastly, what makes Jordan shoes special and exquisite are the attention to details. Therefore, small details like the bubbled sting ray encasing the Jordan logo on the sides and tongue are also key features which make the shoe “Jordanised”. -Alvin Huang
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Karabo Anoh:

Designing the new Air Jordan signature shoe has been for the past years one of the most challenging task for a footwear designer to do.

For this project, I considered my self as the designer who was chosen by the Jordan Brand and given the task to design the new upcoming 25th Air Jordan signature shoe. My inspirations when designing this shoe were all linked to Michael Jordan, looking at his personality, his style and the way he approached the game of basketball and became the greatest player ever.

Michael Jordan dominated his sport in a way no one else has done it before. His approach when playing or going for the championship was similar to many super-heroes we know. I called this “The Super-Hero Attitude” and that was something I could link easily to Michael Jordan and use this as an inspiration to drive the design.
I looked at the way Super-heroes dress and the boots they wear. Their boots are very tight and snug, which allow them to be fast and to have controlled and responsive movements. Also their boots are lightweight and very flexible due to the way they are constructed, they wear a one-piece boot construction. I used this info and designed the shoe around these characteristics.

The second inspiration behind the design came from an analysis I made on the Jordan Brand and each signature shoes that has been designed in the past. Starting from the Air Jordan 3 designed by Tinker Hatfield that was released in 1988, every model that came after could be without doubt related to their predecessors. I called this “The Air Jordan DNA.” It is like if each Air Jordan shoe is carrying the same DNA from the previous one. Similarly, I looked at the Air Jordan 2009 (2k9) designed by Jason Mayden and use it as a base for the design. I looked and I analyzed the design language to get the shoe DNA out and carry it over to the new Air Jordan 25th model.

The Air Jordan brand has been dedicated to bring out quality products that are innovative in performance and materials usage. The brand since the beginning established a standard for luxury that set them apart from the other companies in the footwear industry. This luxury aspect was inspired by Michael Jordan lifestyle and his love for buying quality products, and this is the reason the shoe features some exotic materials to provide some comfort and durability.

The upper is made out of a flexible and soft exotic Velour fabric. The six laser engraved lines represent Michael Jordan championship accomplishments during his career as a bulls. The logo comes from the DNA story and represent Michael Jordan number “23” and the number XXV (25) in roman combined together.

The shoe features an innovative inner bootie that snugs the foot naturally for support and at the same time allows the freedom of movements. This is the first No-Lace Air Jordan signature shoe. Reducing the weight of the shoe was a must, and that’s was done by slicing the rubber sole to remove some materials as much as possible. The outsole has an untraditional tread pattern that improves natural motions and good traction due to the orientation and the location of each individual tread. -Karabo Anoh
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Ben Adams-Keane:

The name Michael Jordan is synonymous with greatness, innovation and global-stardom.

With this in mind, I thought it fit to take inspiration from the greatest pop artist of all time, Michael Jackson, for the 25th incarnation of Michael Jordan’s signature shoe.

Jackson was an international icon with unparalleled talent who dominated his field. Like Jordan, Jackson gained recognition for his gravity-defying performances, utilizing the moonwalk and anti-gravity lean on stage.In fact, Michael Jackson patented an anti-gravity shoe for performing these dance moves. With this in mind, I set out to design the Air Jordan XXV from the ground up, with particular emphasis on the shoe’s energy-return and flexibility.

The midsole is comprised of lunarlite foam (think “moon”walk) with a full length injection molded TPU shank plate for energy return. Keeping flexibility in mind, the shank plate and outsole both use deep grooves inspired by the jacket worn by Michael Jackson in Thriller.

Moving to the upper, I looked at the flexible, quilted shoulders of Jackson’s Thriller jacket for inspiration. The entire quarter, heel, and toe are constructed with molded flex channels and debosses, designed to make the upper more flexible. The upper also sports several aesthetic details taken from Jackson- the eyelet on the medial side is taken from another of Jackson’s jackets, and the screen mesh tongue is designed to shine the way Jackson’s signature sequin glove did.

The molding on the midsole of the shoe is taken directly from the shape of the first few notes on the Thriller sheet music. The inner of the shoe utilizes an asymmetrical full-length inner bootie with wristband inspired ankle padding on the medial side. Lastly, I thought a gold and silver colorway would be fit for the king of pop. -Ben Adams-Keane
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Tom Matic:

Air & wind have taken centre stage in the inspiration of this Jordan XXV.

By using this and the combination of Michael Jordan’s hang time in the air
creates a design that is in harmony to produce a fitting shoe. Using the flowing lines of wind in conjunction with other attributes to air & wind,creates a story carried around the entire shoe. Having researched the Greek gods of Wind, I have designed a pair of shoes with each one taking on their mythical backgrounds fighting their powers against each other on either shoe.

This is synonymous with the 2 teams that fight against each other on the court. The inspiration of wind as a natural element is a abstract use of Nike’s push for a greener future.

Peformance detials & Technologies include:
To combat the force when landing, The concept takes inspiration from tennis
racket shock absorbers. The main fabric used is leather with ribs of advanced rubber in between as shown. This allows the force of landing to be absorb around the shell of the shoe rather then straight through to the foot.

Inspiration is taken from an animal paw, This allows for independent use of the toes to give a firmer push & allows the user to direct their movement more accurately. To remove further cumbersome material & weight. The use of mesh covered advanced rubber  ‘ribs’ help offer foot support instead of foam. This gives and offers return energy to the user to switch direction in a faster time.

‘Pivot system’ allows user to move freely from left to right, allowing the shoe to move separate from the sole allowing for quicker movement on the court. In making the access easier, the tongue is split into two sections. This enables the top part to pull down on elastic ‘pylons’ that give greater space for the foot. when the foot is in place the user pulls on the laces to pull the top section into place where a mechanism clicks it into the correct position

To keep inline with the inspiration, the rear removes any heavy waste. This allows for a lighter shoe & allows users to look at the detailed performance parts. This pays homage to Nike’s Ethics to performance. -Tom Matic
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Frederic Roy:

Inspirations: My inspiration behind the Jordan 25 or Jordan 2010 is that I asked myself, where was Michael Jordan at 25 and what Air Jordan did he wear at that time? Of course, he played with the Chicago Bulls, but what was his exploits at 25 years? The answer, MJ was 25 years old in 1988, during the 87-88 season he was named MVP, Defensive player of the year and won the Slam Dunk contest in the Jordan 3.

So, because of his domination at both end of the court, a perfect balance between defense and offence I thought about the symbolic of the Yin Yang (opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn).

Design: I wanted that the 2 side of the shoe was not totally symmetric, but I did not want a 2 color design like the AND1 Tai Chi.I rather be inspired by the curve of the Yin Yang symbol and the circles of it. I put the lace on the medial side, like the Jordan TGIM, (I read that this is one of the most comfortable shoe that Ray Allen wore). To refer to Jordan 3, which he wore in 88, I used of course the elephant print for the toe box, but not gray, rather red, a little bit surreal like his season anyway!

Technology and materials: I have also used the Yin Yang symbol on the insole, the round that appear, it’s the I.P.S. technology (Independent Suspension Podular use on model XX1, XX2 and XX3). I didn’t have the chance to try Air Jordan 2009 with the APT Technology so I came back with this cushioning that I know and really like). The upper is a combination of synthetic leather and nubuck, the heel in synthetic leather and the collar is a plush form-fitting. -Frederic Roy
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Brian Moughty:

The Air Jordan XX5 is a “Tribute to Genius.” In this case, three people.

When thinking of a genius, an athlete usually never comes to mind, but Jordan in fact was so. He not only mastered the game, but was able to evolve. He evolved his own game, the game around him, and also able to adapt and grow as a player, person and business man.

The evolution is where the second genius, Darwin comes in. A man who changed people’s beliefs and thinking, and challenged what was thought to be established.

The final person to the trinity is Tinker Hatfield, since he not only played a huge role in MJ’s line, but the entire shoe industry. Tinker is another person who was able to challenge and evolve from what has never been seen before.

To go along with innovation and adaption/evolution, the XX5 features “FlexForm”, which is a rubber coated wire that is able to bend and move with the foot. The athlete is able to press the FlexForm area against their own foot to get the right custom fit. The wire is placed over mesh so the upper can breath and flex more easily.

The lines of the FlexForm are inspired by the evolution lines of the Galapagos Island (Darwin). The shoe also has a carbon fiber plate that wraps up the side of the foot for support and sits on full-length zoom air. The sole of the shoe is inspired by the land Jordan has covered in his year. The tar heel inspired shape is at the heel, while bull ring inspired crescents are used for the traction. Also at the toe are lines inspired by the Wizard’s Arena. The XX5 is a clean, sophisticated shoe which is ready for any athlete ready to evolve their game, and challenge. -Brian Moughty
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Austin Jermacans:

Taking cues from the architecture in Chicago, as well as motorcycle apparel, the Air Jordan XXV delivers a unique appearance complemented by a performance driven design. -Austin Jermacans
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Doug VanderValk:

My design started with a variety of inspiration, but the two main ideas were individuality and elegance. Early on, I decided I wanted to have a piece that could be added or subtracted – and eventually decided on an ankle piece that would be put on prior to putting on the shoe. I also decided to use small iridescent details, so colors would constantly be changing.

Functionally, the upper is all leather with a mesh bootie to try to bring more of a dress shoe feel to them. The heel uses APT technology (like the Air Jordan 2009), and there is full length Zoom air.

The overall goal was to create something elegant but futuristic, and creating a design that would be distinct. -Doug VanderValk
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Joe Sattler:

Modern mythology tells of a man who played for the Bulls known as Michael Jordan. Ancient mythology tells of a half man, half bull creature known as the Minotaur. This story represents the many aspects of man’s character including both human virtuosity and animal viciousness. Lines, forms, and details of the Air Jordan XXV were inspired by the Greek myth resulting in a performance shoe with a sculpted outsole and molded leather upper. The struggle to become the best is symbolized by the labyrinth, where the Minotaur was trapped and as Michael once said “There are no shortcuts”. -Joe Sattler
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Sindri P. Sigurdsson:

My design is inspired by the Air Jordan V, the first shoe of the Jordan line to sport those ground breaking performance and styling features we’ve come to know and love, namely the lace lock, clear outsole, the asymmetrical and molded collar design, mesh panels and the reflective tongue. My goal was to use these elements as a starting point for my design, bringing them 20 years forward. Hence the working title [V]2.

My intent was also to bring back fluidity and design evolution to the flagship line, taking cues from most recent Air Jordan models, with the split rear outsole (XX4) and the Considered approach (XX3).

The shoe features a large volume molded chassis/outsole hybrid, reaching from the toe to the achilles, also wrapping up the quarter, anchoring the lacing system in the midfoot. The chassis is dropped in a molded 360° rand, and vacuum pressed together on the mild. The rand stabilizes the base of the foot and wraps up the heel.

The shoe features a new lacing concept, a single string which snakes it’s way trough ghillies and is wrapped around an anchor piece sitting at the top of the tongue, reminiscing of the Jordan V lace lock. The lace strig is a so called bubble lace, allowing the string to grab the loops, allowing the user to get a really tight and consistent fit. The lace ghillies take form from the flames of the Jordan V, they feature a reflective “25″ pattern, which makes the flames burn every time someone snaps a photo.

The Jordan V made room for the malleollus by molding, I took it one step further by completely removing all material from the ankle bone, solely relying on the overlaying straps to provide support. -Sindri P. Sigurdsson
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Weixian Wang:

Design inspiration:
The peak (Rise and fall and the point of view) Michael Jordan (Black Lightning) Technology (A variety of texture and features)

Designs:
1. Air Jordan 25’s exclusive logo is made up of “23″, “25″, and “MJ”, it’s lightning-like.
2. The upper of the shoes has a lasered-on Jumpman logo, medial has the imprinted Air Jordan 25’s exclusive logo, and the forefoot of the shoes have a printed on Jumpman logo.
3. The “TPU Support Bracket” which is electroplated as a plating mirror effect is carved with a handwritten “Jordan” logo.
4. There are 4 air intake grille mouth like a racing car at the top of the instep.
5. A fast tether system is utilized.
6. The graphic at the tongue of the shoe is made up of “Jordan” “２０１０” and the “Jumpman logo”.
7. The outer side of the shoelace holes are shown as “2” and the inner side are shown as”3”
8. The ankle protruding parts of the design
9. The 2 line stitching on the shoe upper are similar with the Air Jordan 25’s exclusive logo, it’s shown as lightning-like.

Outsole: Nike Grind

Midsole:
1. APT
2. Zoom Air
3. TPU Support Bracket
4. Carbon Fiber Shank Plate

Upper:
Is made from the full grain leather, synthetic leather, light metal mesh, NU-Foam and the Gore-Tex fabric. -Weixian Wang
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John Lee:

Year 2010 is the retirement year of the NASA’s space shuttle called S.T.S Space Transportation System. S.T.S is the current space transportation that are used for U.S human space flight. The STS has made a huge mark in our history in similar fashion to M.J himself.

STS was chosen as an inspiration, not only to celebrate its retirement next year, but because of its similarities in characteristics with M.J. They are both built to perform in its peak with perfection and applying most innovative technologies and materials. M.J’s ability to perform day in day out on the court leading his troops and making mark in the history of basketball, is almost identical of performance seen in STS. If STS or M.J fails on a mission, it can lead to failure of a team. Also interestingly the both of them work with gravity to perform.

Another key element of STS space shuttles are its design to be sustainable and reuse parts from the previous space shuttles when building or altering the shuttles. With Air Jordan’s new approach to designing shoes with concept of ‘considered’ it is a great match.

The design of the shoes has captured the essence and characteristics of the space shuttle. The mid-sole has been inspired by the details seen three main nozzles of rocket boosters. The lace access has been inspired by the opening doors seen on the space shuttle while on the mission in gravity (I did not have the time to show this detail unfortunately). It also utilised the reused materials from previous jordan series to be aligned with considered concept. -John Lee
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