Arguably one of the greatest clorways of all time, at least in the eyes of this writer, is the “True Blue” colorway of the Air Jordan 3. Before you get all up in arms about it, it’s important to remember the context in which Air Jordan colorways were originally introduced. In 1985, the Air Jordan line began with countless colorways compared to most sneakers you would find at your local sporting goods store. Much like the Nike Dunk today, there were so many to choose from, and it helped make the line massively popular. 

By the time the Air Jordan 3 came out in 1988, the colorways had been reduced to primarily Chicago Bulls-inspired colorways. Rightfully so, MJ was taking over the NBA and the TVs around the world, so everyone wanted the Bulls black and red colorways. That’s where the “True Blue” colorway stood out from the rest of the releases. You never really saw Michael Jordan wear it, and at the time, most people weren’t as interested in it because of that. Not to sound overly nostalgic, but back then sneaker enthusiasts didn’t want to be wearing the same shoes that others were wearing, and that made the “True Blue” colorway even more special to those in the know.

Nearly 35 years later, the “True Blue” colorway is moving from the AJ3 onto the iconic Air Jordan 1. With “True Blue” wrapping the toebox, lace hole panels, and inner lining, “Cement Grey” lands on the heel, while white fills in the rest of the upper. A “True Blue” Swoosh logo gives this Air Jordan 1 a traditional color blocking that is all but guaranteed to be an easy sellout when this one lands on the Nike SNKRS app next spring. Thanks to Knowing Kicks for the photos.