The Air Jordan 35 pushes the boundaries of on-court tech while paying homage to the OG Air Jordan 5.

The Nike Air Jordan 35 is the latest and most advanced sneaker to come from Jordan Brand. The basketball shoe builds on and refines the technology found in the Air Jordan 34 while drawing design inspiration from the classic Air Jordan 5.

Like its predecessor, the Air Jordan 35 comes with the next generation Eclipse plate in the midfoot. Formed out of two lightweight Pebax pieces, the Eclipse plate 2.0 acts as an exposed propulsion plate. According to Nike, the new Eclipse plate works with the forefoot and heel Zoom units to give better energy return with each step. It also helps reduce weight by cutting out and replacing a chunk of the midfoot foam.

A noticeable upgrade in the Eclipse plate 2.0 is its higher reach, which provides better lateral structure and support.  

The design on the Air Jordan 35 is heavily inspired by the Air Jordan 5, which also happens to celebrate its 30^th anniversary this year. The tongue, collar padding, and Kurim detailing on the lateral and forefoot panels are inspired by the AJ5. In this AJ35, the lateral panels on the Kurim detailing are covered with Flightwire, which adds extra support and lockdown.

Another element taken from the Air Jordan 5 is the luxurious materials used in the sneaker’s construction. Jordan Brand has listened to their fans, bringing back leather and suede on their flagship kicks. It may not be the lightest, but it adds a touch of luxury.

Another design cue that’s borrowed from the AJ5 is the herringbone pattern on the outsole, which is used more extensively in the AJ35’s outsole as compared to the OG AJ5. This execution gives players court grip from heel to toe and better response for multidirectional play.

The Air Jordan 35 is set to drop in five colorways—a holographic “Center of Gravity” (Oct 17), bred “Warrior” (Oct 21), fire red “DNA” (Nov 11), swampy “Bayou Boys” (Nov 30) and butterfly-inspired “Morpho” colorway (Dec 24). “Centre of Gravity” arrived first on October 17 and retails at S$269.

All images: Nike.com