Air Jordan 7 "China" Pays Homage to Beijing's Forbidden City
With details and colors inspired by the palace’s maps, architecture and stone carvings.
Beijing is a basketball-crazed city full of heritage and tradition, so Jordan Brand has brought the Celestial City’s love of the game and rich history together on a new Air Jordan 7 “China.” Directly inspired by Beijing’s Forbidden City — an imperial palace turned museum that’s stood since 1420 — the special shoes are rife with special, meaningful details from head to toe.
Uppers are a true tale of two halves. The medial side is swathed in traditional Chinese artwork with flowing patterns and a multitude of colors that draw directly from the Forbidden City. Lateral sides are relatively calm by comparison, mixing a white base with black, red and gold accents. This outer half isn’t without its own touches of flair, however: the black panels on the forefoot and quarter offer a slithering tonal dragon graphic.
On the black neoprene tongue, Michael Jordan‘s #23 is designed in Chinese Yuxi style and embroidered in red. Heels offer a Chinese #9 character that’s a dual-pronged nod to the jersey number Jordan wore with USA Basketball‘s “Dream Team” at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 and an ancient Chinese symbol of greatness. Last but not least, the midsole offers jagged red and gold detailing, while outsoles add a rich, semi-translucent jade into the mix to complete the look. The shoes also come packaged in a special red and gold box, and will be accompanied by a matching apparel collection.
The Air Jordan 7 “China” will release via Nike SNKRS China come August 7 with an MSRP of ¥1,599 CNY (approximately $230 USD). A worldwide release is unlikely, but may follow in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere in the world of footwear, Sean Wotherspoon and atmos‘s ASICS GEL-LYTE III collaboration has received a global release date.
