Getting Down With the Jordan 13 OG Flint 1998
Few shoes in the history of sneakers are as iconic as Air Jordans, and few Jordans are as iconic as the 13, which released in 1997. Like all but two of the Air Jordan models worn on court by MJ himself, the 13 was designed by Tinker Hatfield. The AJ 13 represents a close collaboration between the designer and the athlete: Hatfield came to Jordan with an idea, but Jordan offered feedback that would shape the final result.
Jordan 13 History and Design: The Black Cat
After designing ten other iterations of the Air Jordan—one each year starting with the 3—Hatfield needed fresh inspiration for the new model. He found that one day while he watched Michael play—suddenly, it all clicked. Jordan’s grace, power, the audacity of his offense, the way he conserved his energy only to spring at the perfect moment: he looked like a panther. Hatfield got to work right away. When he showed the design to Jordan, the story goes, Hatfield referred to his concept as the “Black Cat” and Jordan was floored – Black Cat was his nickname among his closest friends. And so, the 13 was born.
The Black Cat or panther concept was worked into nearly every aspect of the final product by the time of release. It represented not only a big step forward for the brand aesthetically, but technologically as well. The first Nike shoe ever designed on a computer, it includes a number of high-tech features such as a carbon fiber footplate, a holographic logo, and reflective mesh side panels.
Early sketches called for a strap so that Michael could easily adjust the tightness of the shoe on the fly during a game, but after trying on different prototypes, Jordan nixed the idea. He said that the shoe shouldn’t have anything on it that wasn’t necessary. He wanted simplicity and performance—the result was a streamlined, stylish sneaker that was also the lightest Air Jordan Nike had ever produced.
Jordan 13 OG Flint 1998
A blue textile overlay stitch makes up the side upper on the Air Jordan 13 Flint kicks. The blue theme follows through on the collar with a stuffed finish that matches the one on the inner collar. The final feel of blue is on the middle of the sole with the blue rubber treads next to the Jumpman emblem. On the toe side of the upper, a white synthetic finish transitions from the tongue and through the toes with the white theme continuing to the front of the outsole. The outsole theme is largely white, only broken by grey overlays on the side. The grey overlays of the outsole start from the heel side of the upper with a grey leather section.
