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AIR JORDAN II DECON

BEHIND THE DESIGN

In 1986, the Air Jordan II brought luxury to the hardwood. It was built for MJ, the league’s rising star at the time, with the intention of being a more of an upscale choice for customers. In the years since its on-court arrival, the Bruce Kilgore-designed icon has followed its intended purpose as a luxurious footwear option with the arrival of the JUST DON x Air Jordan II, and now, the Air Jordan II Deconstructed.

“It originally started as we were looking at the whole wave of canvas shoes and how people were just beating the crap out of them,” explained Senior Product Line Manager, Jeff Atienza. This insight led the team to the idea of “everyday Js,” and ultimately birthed a lifestyle friendly, everyday fashion version of the Air Jordan I in 2016.

The process behind the Air Jordan II began with learnings from the Air Jordan I. “The Air Jordan I was perfect for the time but then we thought, ‘how do we reinvent the two? So we're just not using canvas again,’” said Atienza. Reinventing the two gave birth to the Air Jordan II Decon in a premium suede and flooded hues.

Through the entire decon project, several prototypes were created. Early on it began with a very military-esque Air Jordan I, and other prototypes, included versions with unfinished, frayed edges and others in a low-cut fashion.

In the end, the 1986 icon comes full-circle with this versatile take on what some would call the first-ever luxury basketball shoe. Deconstructed and built for everyday, the Air Jordan II Decon is simply just the next chapter in this pursuit of modernization and “everyday Js.”