The Air Jordan 4 was added to the Air Jordan series in 1989. It was the pinnacle of Michael's career, when he played with confidence and dominance, winning numerous medals and awards.
It was during this time that Tinker Hatfield brought to life a fresh silhouette for AJ’s portfolio. Although his new creation retained the feel of the third model, Hatfield accentuated it with his creative touches of contemporary style. These fresh Air Jordan shoes gained a lot of traction and eventually sold out everywhere.
Mars Blackmon aka Spike Lee, was a big fan of these sneakers, and therefore he prominently featured these shoes in his film Do The Right Thing.
Over the years, these AJs have gradually become one of the most popular among sneakerheads, particularly Jordan fans. Taking into account its growing popularity, the label also worked hard to introduce multiple versions of its original design.
Now, as the Jordan Brand is gearing for its 2022 releases, including “Zen Master” in June and “Midnight Navy” in October, let’s take a look at a few of its head-turning iterations from the past.
Seven Air Jordan 4 colorways that surely impressed sneakerheads
1) Air Jordan 4 Teal
The Air Jordan 4 Teal colorway was released on March 14, 2015. Priced at $190, these silky shoes were sold via Jordan, Nike, as well as other select sellers.
With the application of "Teal," the original AJ4 model gained a new color palette for its catalogue. The silhouette, which was created to commemorate Jordan Brand's 30th anniversary, remains loyal to the brand's initial design approach, which premiered in 1999.
Teal dominated the soft quality leather top, and a milder hue was used for the characteristic netting underlays, tongue tabs, synthetic eyelets, and back outsole to balance out the monotone look.
Black was employed for the laces, internal lining, back view, quarter panels, and frontal area of the sole unit to complement the overall colour scheme.
Ultimately, white added a decorative touch to the shoe's midsole, which featured its characteristic Air bubble element in the heel, as well as Jordan marking on the tongue tab, rear side, and insoles.
2) Air Jordan 4 Royalty
The velvety Air Jordan 4 Royalty colorway enticed the Jordan fans when they were released on February 4, 2017. These pairs arrived with the price tag of $190 each, and were sold via Nike and select stores
This AJ4 was renewed with a black nubuck outer which was accented by metallic gold eyestays for a luxe finish, complementing the classic style using premium materials and artistry.
An oversized Jumpman emblem was mounted above a leatherette heel tab for more luxurious flair on the back, with extra gold elements. Lastly, a pristine white midsole component and black outsole balance out the appearance of the dramatic, yet covert structure.
3) Air Jordan 4 Flyknit University Red
This hot AJ4 Flyknit University Red colorway was introduced on June 14, 2019. These shoes were delivered via Nike and other select retail stores for $220.
In 2019, the Air Jordan 4 Flyknit edition arrived to mark the silhouette's 30th anniversary. A total of four colorways were made as a part of this Spring collection: Hyper Royal-Black, University Red, Volt-Black, and Total Orange-Gunsmoke.
Ultimately, these hot red pairs stole the spotlight. The uppers of these shoes were made entirely of Flyknit, with glass plastic toppings on the flaps and heel to match. Tonal Jumpman logo was added to the tongues, heel tabs, and sole units.
4) Air Jordan 4 Sashiko
The Sashiko rendition of AJ4 was launched on December 5, 2020. These pairs were easily accessible via the e-commerce of Nike and other select stores for the price of $220.
The Air Jordan 4 Sashiko was a high-end innovation from Jordan Brand that was released during the Christmas season. The shoe was heavily-influenced by a Japanese style of elaborate fiber reinforced weaving.
The model had patchwork uppers with detailed Japanese themes and patterns all over, as well as mismatched inner linings, tongues, and laces, and semi-translucent indigo heel tabs to match the rest.
Lastly, sleek sail midsoles, translucent rubber outsoles, and a limited-edition box, which arrived with the sashiko design added to the experience.
5) Air Jordan 4 Golf Apricot Agate
Released on May 17, 2021, the “Golf Apricot Agate” variant of AJ4 was launched with a retail price tag of $220. These bright shoes were sold via Nike and a few select stores.
This golf edition was clothed in a Sail and Apricot Agate color combination. The apricot pink uppers with Sail accents were distributed all over the body, however this was a defining aspect of the colorway.
The sneaker also sported a white midsole with a pink frosty serrated sole. The Golf Apricot Agate boasted pink Jumpman insignias on the tongue tags, insoles, and heel tabs, as well as Sail-colored webbing and laces, used as embellishments.
6) Union x Air Jordan 4 Taupe Haze
This was among the best collaborative works of Air Jordans in 2021. The sensational Taupe Haze colorway, which was reimagined together with Union, witnessed the global release on June 20, 2021. Marked at $225, these sneakers were sold via the brand's online stores.
The Union x Air Jordan 4 "Taupe Haze" was yet another limited-edition collaborative project that was crafted to celebrate the Union's 30th anniversary. The pair’s premium mesh and suede structure had an earthy Taupe Haze vibe, with translucent wings evident across the neck area.
The co-branded lateral tags, pre-folded tongues, and frontman-branded decal placards were also added to the top, which read 1991-2021 in the shape of a road banner that cemented the earthy aesthetic of their collaboration.
7) Air Jordan 4 Military Black
Closing the list are these “Military Black” AJ4s. The pairs, which were dropped on May 21, 2022, for $200 quickly sold out everywhere. They were also sold via Nike’s online store as well as select stores.
This revamped Air Jordan 4 sports strikingly similar colour blocking to the original AJ4 Military Blue, starting with White leather on the base of the upper and neutral gray reinforcements on the toe.
The lattice eyelets, tongue marking, tongue and body panels, heel tabs, and footbed all had black details.On the rubber outsole, White, Black, and Basic Gray were mixed together.
The AJ5 silhouettes never fail to impress the sneakerheads, and therefore all their iterations have proved to be a great success till date. Here we have compiled only a few hand-picked colorways, but these designs have many more alluring colorways to their name. Every year, the brand works tirelessly to introduce new color combinations, so keep an eye on the label's website for future updates.