About

Air Jordan 11

There is patent leather on a basketball shoe, and in 1995 that was no mistake. Tinker Hatfield wanted a shoe that could sit as well under a tuxedo as on the court, and wrapped a high-gloss patent leather band around the lower part of the upper. Players took that more literally than intended: the 11 became the shoe worn to proms and weddings, and that double role has never gone away.

De lakband doet ook gewoon werk

The gloss is the look, but the band has a job: it reinforces precisely the area where the foot gives way during push-off, and it doesn’t need to be thick to do so. Above it sits ballistic mesh — the tight, technical fabric that in 1995 came from a very different industry — with webbing lace loops instead of eyelets. That combination of patent leather and mesh makes the 11 recognizable at a glance, in any color.

Onder de voet: ijs en koolstof

The outsole is translucent, and through it you can see a woven plate under the midfoot: the carbon-fiber spring that gave the shoe its push. Both were rarities in 1995. The ice sole has the same property as any clear rubber — it yellows with age, and that is visible on older pairs. It says nothing about condition; it’s the passing years that change color.

De beroemdste uitvoeringen zijn wit-zwart

The Concord — white mesh over black patent leather — is the version the model debuted in and the one that draws the longest queues with each reissue. The Space Jam pair, worn in the film of the same name, is the second pillar. Both return in cycles, and demand outstrips supply every time.

De plek in de reeks

Within the numbering the 11 is the gala high point between the utilitarian years: after the 6 with its functional strap and before the 12 that became stiff and sturdy again. There is also an Air Jordan 11 Low with a lower cut and a thinner patent leather band; it has its own page. The starting point of the whole series is the Air Jordan 1.

On this page you can see which versions of the Air Jordan 11 are hottest now according to the Hypescore, from what price they’re available and in how many shops they are in stock.