Uh they did this already (with slight redesign) and it failed miserably... Retros are lifestyle shoes, not performance shoes.
That's not what I am talking about. Those are horrible. I am saying they should find a way to maintain the aesthetic look of the model and simultaneously upgrade the technology in a way that is inconspicuous to the user.
Good idea, however maintaining aesthetics while improving the tech in an old shoe, cant really happen. The older jordans didn't really have any technology. Look at the air jordan III. The only technology in that shoe was visible air. The IV had an anti-ankle-roll strap. The V got rid of the strap and kept the idea of the mesh for ventilation but fleshed that idea out more into the plastic mesh on the sides and tongue. So ventilation was the main tech in the V. The AJ VI main tech was the way to put the shoe on with the tongue and back tab and also the beginning of huarache technology that was fully reached in the VII. What was an complete innovation back then as a new technology in a new shoe today, is hugely insignificant and really offers nothing. What Air Jordan's did was in effect invent the idea and standard of improving technology in a basketball shoe.
I agree with airdhazzal that whats happening with Jordan's is akin to what happened with star wars. Although my opinion is that it specifically has to do with technology and how products are made and also at points money.
The og Star wars was made using imagination. They had to literally invent CGI to make the movie. They also had to make all the sets and costumes by hand. Any of the settings were shot on location: ROTJ desert scens were shot on location in an actual desert. They weren't shot in/on a green screen. So star Wars invented cgi to help make the unbelievable and the almost unimaginable believable. Because of the fact that they had to use their imagination and actually create by hand most of what you see, there is a magic that the makers of SW captured that will almost never happen again. And with that, those movies will forever have a huge presence in pop culture, American culture, and the cinematic universe.
What the SW sequels did was rely almost completely on CGI for everything visual. There's a sterility, or lack of human touch that is certainly missing from the prequels that the OG's captured. That humanistic quality is where the magic lies! Also, horribly written scripts made and wrote for a huge cash payout. If your main goal is to make money, whatever product is being made will no doubt be unsuccessful. It will be infinitely soulless!!
With all the new and advanced technology that goes into making a new Jordan sig. shoe, that magic, that humanistic quality, that use of the imagination goes away. Most of the focus goes into making the technology that makes the shoe. Then whatever designs they come up with are made on a computer. Even Tinker now bases the new Jordan on sketches on an ipad!! All that's left is the sterility and cash grab of a soulless product.
Look at the XX9!!! THE WORST DESIGNS almost ever!! What did they really do? JB slapped a big jumpman on the side! They even had such lack of imagination with no creative ideas that they based some of the designs on elephant print! Designs that were created over 20 YEARS AGO! The shoe might be awesome to play in but design wise, its certainly rating at about a 0!
PLUS the real equalizer, the real intangible where a lot of that magic the retros had/have is that Michael himself played in them. Now he's retired and can't be seen wearing his new shoes!!!
JB really needs to find a way to capture the synergystic qualities of technology and creativity or else their new shoes will never be as popular as the retros!
