Hailing from Japan, fragment design, founded by Hiroshi Fujiwara, is most famous in the sneaker world thanks to its collaborative efforts with Jordan Brand. We’ve seen the Japanese label tackle a handful of silhouettes in the Air Jordan lineup, including their own AJ 1, a two-pack of AJ 1s (one High and one Low) with Travis Scott, the Jordan 35, the Jordan Air Cadence, and the Air Jordan 3. For the latter of the three, Fujiwara strayed from his usual blue shades and instead created a clean black/white color scheme with a semi-translucent heel tab that infamously yellowed very quickly. Many have considered this collaboration a miss, though the sample that led to the fragment design x Air Jordan 3 Retro may have been a better choice than what we received.
Covered in white tumbled leather for most of its upper, we see black and blue hits pop. Unlike the release pair, the mudguard that wraps around the toe and midfoot comes in white, with the panels that usually host elephant print coming in smooth black leather. On the heel’s panel, fragment’s lightning bolt moment gets debossed into the material. Further accenting hits of color mark the blue TPU eyestays, while the perforated leather nearby comes in grey. We also see more blue take over the collar, Jumpman logo, and Nike Air-laden back tab. The final hit of fragment branding is seen on the reverse of the tongue with a flipped tag that mimics the “Air Jordan” branded tags found on the AJ 4. Rounding out the design is the two-tone white/blue midsole featuring alphanumeric text on the heel paired with a grey rubber outsole.
The fragment design x Air Jordan 3 Retro Sample will not see a retail release, especially considering it's rumored that only around ten pairs exist. Though the public won’t have a shot at the sample (one that is arguably better than what we got), check out detailed images down below. In the meantime, keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
fragment design x Air Jordan 3 Retro Sample
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Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
