Rundown on the Air Jordan 2 Retro QF Candy Red
Living up to the success of the Air Jordan 1 was no small task, so Nike enlisted two of its most accomplished designers, Bruce Kilgore and Peter Moore, to collaborate on the newest Air Jordan design.
Kilgore, who created the Air Force 1 in 1982, and Moore, who designed the Air Jordan 1, decided to develop a shoe that could perform on the court and still look great with a suit.
Nike was able to achieve the elegance of the Air Jordan 2 by producing them in Italy using premium Italian leather and faux iguana skin. They also eliminated the large Swoosh logo for a cleaner look. Although the Nike signature appears on the heel and the outsole, this was the first sneaker to feature Air Jordan as the primary branding with the iconic Wings logo on the tongue.
The new Air Jordan design also underwent performance upgrades, including a speed lacing system, foam midsoles, larger air units in the heel for more support and a large heel cup wrapping the rear of the shoe for stability.
History of Air Jordan 2
Originally released in 1986, the Air Jordan 2 is an often-overlooked silhouette in the Air Jordan lineage, but it’s a worthy shoe, nonetheless. While it wasn't as monumental as the Air Jordan 1 that preceded it or as culture-shifting as the Air Jordan 3 that followed, the Air Jordan 2 was undoubtedly ahead of its time.
The silhouette embodied luxury decades before there was a steady demand for designer-quality shoes from sportswear brands or full-on collaborations like the recently released Dior x Air Jordan 1.
Jordan 2 Retro QF Candy Red 2010
AJ2 fans received a major treat in 2010 with the release of the Candy Pack, a trio of retroed AJ2s. This iteration is OG varsity red with white stitching and black in the laces, heel counter, midsole, and outsole. Reminiscent of the OG Bruce Kilgore silhouette and design, the leather upper boasts a reinforced overlay enhanced through pebbling, a lizard-like effect resembling details of luxury Italian dress shoes. "Jordan: in caps is printed on the counter and the outsole, and "23: appears on the underside of the tongue. Classic Air Jordan branding stands out on the tongue’s exterior side.