The Air Jordan 12 was first released in 1997 and was featured all throughout the Chicago Bulls’ run to the 1997 NBA Finals. Michael Jordan wore the black/white colorway while hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, but the original colorway later became known as the “Taxi.” The “Taxi” 12s get their name from their gold eyelets and yellow/black carbon fiber foot plate along the sole. To this day, it’s arguably the most popular colorway of the Jordan 12 and sneakerheads are constantly swarming whenever they receive a retro release.
Now, Jordan Brand will take similar cues from their classic colorway and put an added twist of Chicago Bulls pride into these. Substituting gold for silver and red, these could be resembled as the upcoming “Red Taxi” Jordan 12.
The Air Jordan 12 was designed by Jordan Sneaker mastermind Tinker Hatfield and the shoes’ structure actually draws inspiration from women’s fashion, particularly high heels. The Jordan 12 featured a raised midsole along the heel and the black toe cap also follows similar inspiration. The stitching along the white leather upper actually resembled the Japanese Rising Sun, to signify Jordan’s influence in Asian countries.
Differentiating from the original “Taxi” 12, the “Red Taxi” pair features silver eyelets instead of gold to fix the laces into place. The streak along the midsole is Varsity Red and matches the subtle Jumpman logo along the toe. The shoes are finishing with a black and white carbon fiber plate along the outsole along with red detailing along the heel logos and tags. All in all, these are a great iteration of the classic Taxi colorway and given their subtle red/black/white scheme, these definitely could have passed as something MJ would have worn on the court.
The Air Jordan 12 “Red Taxi” is set to release on May 25, 2024 and will be available on Nike SNKRS app and select Jordan Brand retailers. They’ll come with a retail tag of $200 and will be available in full sizing in limited quantities, so be sure to secure your pair on release day. If you miss these on release, you can head over to KICKS CREW for their full stock of the newest releases.
What do you think kicks fam? How do these stack-up against the original Taxi 12s?
