Air Jordan 4 x UNION LA Off Noir

For Chris Gibbs, owner of UNION LA, basketball culture has a direct line and organic flow into streetwear. So it’s fitting that the latest round of the ongoing Jordan x UNION partnership sees that train of thought through. It acknowledges the feeling and emotion of Jordan beyond the arena, continuing an effort to capture a holistic view of the late ’80s and early ’90s defined by advertising, music, street style—and yes, a few magic, competitive moments.

With the Air Jordan IV as a starting point, Gibbs guides a collection that highlights fabrication and material. “The vision here was to mix suede and mesh, so we worked really hard to find the right materials,” Gibbs says. “For the suede, we took hints from the really thick but plush … for the mesh, we wanted an old school mesh like the OG sneakers of the ’80s.” The result is an avant-garde adaptation of MJ’s fourth signature silhouette that breaks new ground in more ways than one.