The Air Jordan 3 hit the streets in 1988. To follow up an incredible year the year before, a great pair of Jordan shoes was needed and fulfilled.
Hatfield takes command
The Air Jordan 3 was the first of 14 Air Jordans designed by Tinker Hatfield. The Jordan 3 also carried more of Jordan’s name on the shoe since the man himself was an active part of the design of the shoe. The shoe was the perfect example of Tinker’s skill to blend fashion with function.
A first of many
The Jordan 3 broke ground for many different aspects of the Nike Air Jordan shoe line. First, the Air Jordan 3 featured the “Jumpman†on the tongue of the shoe. This silhouette of Jordan was to celebrate and commemorate his Slam Dunk Contest victory the year before. Every Jordan after the Air Jordan 3 features this Jumpman as a focal point of the shoe as well as became the new logo for the Air Jordan line. The Jordan 3 was also the first to feature a visible air unit. Lastly, the Jordan 3 featured elephant print on the upper. Though this material was only used again on 1 other model, it set a standard that the Jordan shoes are as much fashionable as functional. The Jordan III also is one of the most famous shoes in the Air Jordan lineup. On many polls, the Jordan III finishes as the greatest sneaker of all time.
