The Sneaker Newsletter

The Sneaker Newsletter

The Air Jordan 41 Isn't Finished

Leo Chang, Donald Kelsey, and Jason Mayden on the research behind it, and what it cost to build it this way

Nick Engvall's avatar
Nick Engvall
Aug 27, 2026
∙ Paid
The Air Jordan 41 in hand.
The Air Jordan 41 in hand.

The brief came from Michael Jordan, and it was one sentence long.

He wanted the shoe to look like it was in motion while standing still.

Leo Chang, senior creative director for basketball and sport at Jordan Brand, told me that’s what they were working against. Not fast in the way a spec sheet is fast. Fast to look at. Sleek, cle…

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