The Air Jordan 3 Black Cat (2025) Sets Up a Strong Year for the Sneaker Silhouette
The Air Jordan 3 had an unexpectedly good 2024.
Interest in the recently overlooked silhouette began to rise in the summer when Nina Chanel put a spin redolent of Nintendo's Yoshi on the chunky 1988 sneaker.
The release positioned the New York-based artist as one of Nike's MVPs of the year and bounced the 1988 silhouette back into the spotlight.
Soon after came the release of the well-received “grey cement” AJ3 – a new colourway that shares a lot in common with the OG “white cement” – and then, a few months later, a true-to-the-original re-issue of a real OG: the Air Jordan 3 “black cement”.
By the end of the year, footwear fanatics either owned a pair of Threes or coveted some.
To us, the buzz comes as no surprise since it was a model highly sought after in the late 2000s (a time when the likes of Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Swizz Beatz wore them) since, according to the grand old fashion cycle, we're now returning to trends popular in the latter half of the noughties.
Jordan Brand is also attune to the rhythm which is why it's dropping two of the hottest Air Jordan 3 colourways of 2007 this very year, beginning with the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cat”.
The blacked-out iteration of the sneaker was released a year after the Air Jordan 4 “Black Cat” – named after and inspired by a popular nickname for Michael Jordan – proved extremely popular.
It's complete with glossy components and cement print layers as well as elephant pattern laces that nod to the animal kingdom theme of the design, just as it was in '07.
However, the shape of the this “Black Cat” is more similar to Tinker Hatfield's original blueprint than the form of the Air Jordan 3 in the 2000s. That means fixes made to the toe box, the collar, the mudguard and the tongue. (Yes, this shoe is arguably better than its predecessor.)
Later this year we will see the light to the cat's dark released – the re-issue of 2007's bright white Air Jordan 3 “pure money”.
Also arriving this year is brand new Air Jordan 3 colourways for Valentine's Day, summer and the holidays, as well as a pair designer in partnership with Miami sneaker boutique Sole Fly.
With all this heat ready to prowl the streets, this Jordan might just prove to be the sneakerverse's new apex predator.
The Air Jordan 3 “Black Cat” launches in Nike's SNKRS app on Saturday 11 January 2025 at 8am in full family sizing (adults, older kids, younger kids and baby/toddler) with prices ranging from £54.99-£189.99.
You can also enter raffles by SNS, Size?, End and Offspring or purchase a pair now on resale websites like StockX.
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