Jordan 21 Low University Blue

Jordan Brand entrusted the vision for a new generation of sneakers to D’Wayne Edwards, a self-made footwear designer who got his start just out of high school. With no formal training, he got noticed when he started dropping sketches in the suggestion box at LA Gear, where he worked filing papers. Years later, he had moved up to a high-level design position at Nike and Jordan. The 21 was the first Jordan for which he was the lead designer.

Edwards was initially known for the futuristic look of his designs. Despite that, his first Jordan stripped the shoe down to basics with a classic, visually minimal design that recalled the brand’s roots while still incorporating the high-level tech that Jordan is known for.

At first sight, the Air Jordan 21 screams luxury. Rendered in full-grain Italian leather or rich Italian suede, the upper draws on the lines of the Bentley Continental GT Coupe. The luxury car inspiration continues in the mesh midsole panels that imitate the car’s grill. Finally, metal detailing completes the sports car tribute on this stylishly understated, premium interpretation of the basketball sneaker.

However, the Jordan 21’s sleek, minimalist façade held a “dark” secret (literally). When viewed under a black light, text appeared printed on the leather. In some colorways, this text was placed on the inside ankle window and on others, it was on the inside of the tongue. A code that could be found on the Jordan website at the time indicated certain letters from the text, which, when re-arranged, spelled out the word “authentic” and helped reduce counterfeits and fakes.