Levi's and Air Jordan Unveil Indigo Denim Air Jordan 3s

It’s been eight long years since the iconic Levi’s red tag graced a pair of Air Jordans. When two of the biggest names in American fashion—Levi’s, the king of denim, and Air Jordan, the sportswear giant bearing the name of the greatest basketball player of all time—first jammed on a grip of dope Air Jordan 4s in 2018, it felt like a natural fit. In the years since Levi’s has maintained a steady partnership with Nike, highlighted by last year’s elite Air Max 95 collection. But we haven’t seen a pair of Jordans decked out in Levi’s denim in a minute. Today, Levi’s and Jordan Brand finally revealed their next chapter: a collection consisting of a nine-piece apparel capsule and four new denim-coated colorways of the beloved Air Jordan 3, two of which will be regional exclusives. The ‘Rigid’ colorway takes its cues from deadstock indigo denim, the sort of rich dark blue hue that will be familiar to anyone who’s broken in a pair of selvedge jeans in their day. It also features a black-dyed cement print, an instantly recognizable design element of Air Jordans. There is also a ‘Black’ edition, which (fittingly) layers black and grey-dyed denim across the Air Jordan 3 and features a first-of-its-kind embroidered Nike Air logo across the heel of the shoe. On the regional side are the ‘Year of the Horse’ and ‘LA’ colorways, which will be exclusively available in the Greater China region and Los Angeles, respectively. The equine pair, as it were, features unbleached denim, a ponyhair material, and red chain-stitched embroidery on the interior of the 3’s recognizable thick tongue. The Angeleno pair, whose release will coincide with the NBA All-Star Weekend next month, combines pebbled leather with blue denim accents and a similar red chain-stitched embroidery reading “City of Angels” on the tongue’s interior. And, crucially, all four colorways feature that killer red Levi’s tag. On the clothing front, the offerings skew casual—think football jerseys, tees, and a luxe leather varsity jacket. There’s also a Levi’s Type III denim jacket embroidered with Jordan Wings branding and a baggy jean that plays on the Levi’s 578 silhouette, this time with an extended inseam. And a particularly cool touch? A tee bearing an updated play on the iconic ’90s “BUTTON YOUR FLY” Levi’s campaign, made famous by filmmaker Spike Lee—who also happens to appear in the campaign for the collaboration.