Tagged “design”
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Shroud, Gaiter, Cover: The XVI's Vocabulary Problem
One part, three names, and a model written up as both 16 and XVI. A plain guide to the terms used for the Air Jordan XVI, and which ones we use here.
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Four Colorways and Not a Loud One Among Them
The Air Jordan XVI launched in four colorways with conservative names. Reading the launch range as a single set, and what its caution tells us.
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Ideas the Air Jordan 16 Had Early
Hidden lacing, a removable cover, a basketball shoe built to dress up: three XVI ideas that read a lot less strange in 2026 than they did in 2001.
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Does a Shoe Fail If It Looks Better Undressed?
The standard knock on the Air Jordan XVI is that it improves with the shroud off. We take that argument seriously, and then explain why we reject it.
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After Tinker: Wilson Smith III and the Design Story of the Air Jordan XVI
How the Air Jordan XVI came to be: Wilson Smith III's turn after Tinker Hatfield, the convertible shroud concept, and a debut that split opinion.
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The Shroud, Reviewed: Living With the Air Jordan XVI's Signature Gimmick
An honest review of the Air Jordan XVI's removable shroud: how it works, how it looks, where it fails, and whether you'll actually keep it on.
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Lacing Without a Bow: Reviewing the Air Jordan 16's Hidden Closure
An honest review of the Air Jordan XVI's hidden quick-lace system: how it cinches, what it gains over normal laces, and what it quietly takes away.
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The Patent Mudguard, Reviewed: What the XVI Inherited From the XI
Reviewing the Air Jordan XVI's patent leather mudguard: what it does for the shoe's shape and formality, and the one cost it never stops charging.