Jordan 6 Retro

Brightly coloured accents bring this sleek Jordan 6 Retro sneaker to life, building bold contrasts across its stylish upper. Beginning underfoot, its foundation is made up of several different areas of grippy rubber. The first is an opaque black piece that moves through the centre of the foot from the toe almost all the way to the heel. Here, it is met by a translucent section with jagged edges that separates it from another bit of black rubber capping the heel. Two more translucent segments, both with a pale blue tinge running through them just like the first, appear on either side of the forefoot, before a Jumpman leaps across the middle of the outsole in a blazing red hue known as Infrared 23. The use of this powerful shade of red is responsible for the shoe’s nickname: Infrared.

Moving upwards, the polyurethane midsole, with its smoothly curved edges rippling up and down like waves along each flank, brings together the same three colours once more. Translucent parts show up either side of the forefoot and heel, the latter ones hosting clear windows that allow the wearer to view the Air cushioning present there. Each of these partially see-through segments is topped with a band of Infrared 23, and the rest of the midsole is decorated black.

While the sole unit features many variations in tone, the upper has a more cohesive look as it is completely coated from heel to toe in plush black nubuck. This includes both of its primary layers, one of which covers the front half of the shoe, while the second encompasses the heel and forms the overlays that move back and forth across the flanks. Hidden below this is a layer made of 3M reflective material that only shows up in the darkness, at which time it can be seen through the series of perforations that fill the sidewalls and the bulbous protrusions that protect the ankles while also giving the collar its unique shape.

Yet more ventilation holes can be found in the soft fabric of the tongue, which is also black, as are the laces criss-crossing over it. At the top, these are held in place by an Infrared 23 toggle with a black Jumpman printed onto it, and a black covering with an Infrared 23 Jumpman embroidered into it shields the laces just below this. Meanwhile, the top of the tongue is formed of a more rigid material, once again in black, that has Air Jordan lettering intermingled along its upper edge and two square-shaped windows cut into it.

Internally, the same colour theme occurs as the soft fabric lining is black and the insole Infrared 23. A set of black Nike Air branding has been printed onto the latter, and the former loops over the topline at the heel to create a small tab there. Arcing above this last feature is a black pull tab with a thick strip rising out of it in vivid Infrared 23 tones. A more subtle touch has been used on the heel below it, where black Nike Air text and a swoosh have been artfully embroidered into the nubuck to finish off this stealthy sneaker in style.