2005 marked the 20th Anniversary of the Air Jordan. The twentieth signature sneaker for Michael Jordan, the Air Jordan 20, was designed by Tinker Hatfield. With design inspiration coming from various areas, such as MJ's legendary career and his love for motorsports, boundary-pushing technology, and dual straps, a unique graphic print made its debut, laser print.
Laser print was a creative design perfected by Mark Smith, a Nike Innovation Kitchen alum alongside Hatfield. This print, which Tinker has gone on the record numerous times over the past nineteen years and is not a fan of, took over the sneaker world. These intricate laser print designs included the Air Jordan 20 and various silhouettes from Nike and Jordan Brand, such as the Air Force 1, Dunk, Dub Zero, and the Air Jordan 4.
The Air Jordan 4 Retro, in particular, was the first retro Air Jordan to feature Smith's laser print graphics. In 2005, JB released two colorways of the Air Jordan 4 Retro Laser in a limited fashion: Fire Red (online) and Bred (QS). The Fire Red edition, known as the Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser, comes in the original colorway we all know and love. This iteration sports an all-over laser print design with icons tied directly to Michael Jordan and his legacy. Available exclusively online to Team Jordan Members (Nike Members today), this pair retailed for $200 and came packaged with a matching t-shirt and hat.
As with all sneaker designs, a whole process exists before a sneaker is finalized and put into production. During this process, various prototypes and samples are created. This process is done to fine-tune the design, ensure materials and color placement work, and prepare the sneaker for final production. As Mark Smith was at the helm of this project, he created various prototypes and sample Air Jordan 4 Retro Laser iterations.
While we got the Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser and Black Laser pairs at retail, other colors like Chutney, Royal, and Red were also given the laser print treatment, though the latter would not release. In addition, the first samples of the Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser were produced, featuring a different design from the pair we recognize today. Three pairs were made exclusively for Mark Smith, Mark Parker, and Michael Jordan (sorry, Tinker).
While this elusive pair has only been previewed a few times, nearly two decades after being created, Mark Smith has shared a detailed look at one of these sample pairs of the Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser. The pair features more intricate laser print etching on the upper, sporting more depth and detail than the released pair.
As this pair was made exclusively by Mark Smith for himself, Mark Parker, and Michael Jordan, the Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser sample will remain exclusive to those elite three people. For the latest information on this and other Air Jordan releases, download the Sole Retriever Mobile app.
Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser Sample
Images via Mark Smith
Air Jordan 4 Retro White Laser
Image via Flightclub
Steve Jaconetta is the Head of Content based out of Connecticut. An encyclopedia for sneaker releases, he's covered the industry for over fifteen years. His stops have included Sole Collector, Complex, and StockX, to name a few. He considers the Air Jordan 11 Concord the greatest sneaker of all time and has a strong affection for 80s pop culture. Email: steve@soleretriever.com
