Made popular by the Nike SB Dunk, the “What The” design tradition takes a silhouette’s most iconic colorways and fuses them into one – creating a Frankenstein sneaker that is mismatched and chaotic. These editions have become a favorite among the sneaker community with Nike continuously revisiting the design concept on a number of its silhouettes. This year, the iconic Air Jordan 5 joins the list with its own “What The” treatment.
The AJ5 “What The” borrows design elements from eight colorways. On the left side, the red suede upper is taken from the “Raging Bull” colorway while the “Shanghai” embroidered logo makes an appearance on the sneaker’s heel. This pairing sits on a black midsole from the “Quai 54” while “Bel-Air” prints line the inside of the sneaker. To top it off, the left side gets the “Green Bean’s” reflective tongue.
On the right, the entire upper is based on the “Tokyo” colorway but the mismatched concept continues with the AJ5 “Laser” sock liner print and orange tongue from the “Army Olive”. The contrasting purple midsole from the “Bel-Air” truly seals the deal on this wild colorway mash-up.
The “What The” Air Jordan 5 drops on November 7.
Where to buy:
Nike SNKRS | End Launches
All images: Instagram/ @Earlygvng