In history, it's often the case that even great brands don't do very well, which was the case with the brand of the most famous basketball player of all time, Jordan Brand.

#ShowMore#

After the launch of Michael Jordan's first two signature shoes, the brand experienced a minor creative crisis. The designer of the first two silhouettes, along with Rob Strasser, decided to leave the American brand and try to create products on his own. Peter Moore was trying to use his influence to lure Michael Jordan himself away from Jordan brand.

Fortunately, he was not successful in the end. In addition to retaining basketball's biggest name, the brand also managed another success. It brought in young designer Tinker Hatfield, who was an architecture student at the time. He was first involved in the design of the Air Max 1 or Air Trainer 1, but it was clear that sooner or later he would have a say in designing silhouettes for the court.

This happened with the arrival of the Air Jordan 3, which was introduced in 1988 in four OG colorways. The Air Jordan 3 Black Cement, White Cement, Fire Red and True Blue.

The price tag settled at $100, which was quite a lot in the context of the late 1980s. But the manufacturer was able to justify it. The Nike Air Jordan 3 boasted very high quality craftsmanship, and the mid-height of the shoe was very helpful for players to deliver solid performances. In fact, it combined the looseness of the low-top design and the ankle support of the high-top one. We can credit the sneaker for its look as well, as the chunkier silhouette combined with Elephant print and a careful color choice is a great look that, to a certain extent, was not surpassed to this day.

Michael Jordan was very aware of all the benefits of these sneakers and wore them whenever he could. I can point out the 1988 NBA All-Star Game in which MJ put on an incredible performance wearing the Nike Air Jordan 3 Black Cement.

Let's sum it up simply. This is the story of how one silhouette saved a brand from extinction. After all, Jordan Brand would most likely not exist today without the Air Jordan 3.