Jordan 4 Retro NRG

This Jordan 4 Retro NRG has a suave color scheme modeled on the Toronto-based basketball team, the Raptors, which is also the shoe’s nickname. As such, it combines three of their well-known tones, beginning on its grippy rubber outsole. The front half of this feature is largely black, apart from a section of Court Purple below the forefoot and the University Red toe cap. This vivid shade of red also covers most of the heel, which is filled with herringbone tread patterns just like many of the aforementioned areas. These grip lines are all arranged in different directions to give comprehensive traction underfoot, and star-shaped nodes add an alternative aesthetic to the toe. The final piece of the outsole is a smooth section of Court Purple stretching below the middle of the heel and the arch of the foot, with a University Red Jumpman standing out boldly in its center. Parts of the black rubber from the outsole extend up into the toe and lateral side of the midsole, which is otherwise made of Court Purple polyurethane and spotted with black flecks. Visible Air cushioning then appears in its heel, giving the wearer high levels of comfort to go with the grip provided by the outsole.

The majority of the upper is also black, its plush nubuck material lending the sneaker a luxurious feel. This goes for the forefoot mudguard and the overlay that reaches from toe to heel through the middle of the foot, as well as the quarter panels. These last features have a black over-moulded mesh set into them, with another at the bottom of the tongue, thus delivering breathability across the top and sides of the foot. Just behind the mesh on the flanks, the AJ4’s characteristic structural wings can be found, here in black. At the top, they are attached to University Red lace cages on each side which, together with the second pair of TPU structures at the bottom of the tongue, hold the black laces firmly in place. The tongue beneath the laces is made of fine black nubuck to match the rest of the upper, and a large square patch with a Jumpman in its center sits at its peak, all in the same shade of black for a subtle touch.

Meanwhile, the shoe’s interior combines black on the padded lining with University Red on the insole and the back of the tongue. A black Jumpman is silhouetted against the much brighter tone of the former, with a similar effect produced on the latter via its black patch, which has Air Jordan lettering woven through it in University Red. Back on the outer, the heel is adorned with an exaggerated panel whose upper part mirrors the fan shape of the lace cages, only this time it has embossed squares for the wearer to hold onto when pulling the shoe on rather than eyelets. In the center of this panel’s lower part is a Court Purple Jumpman, which rises powerfully from the black surface behind it to complete the compelling look of this Air Jordan 4.