Jordan 3 Retro x J Balvin

Colombian reggaeton superstar J Balvin first teamed up with Jordan Brand in 2020, bringing his eccentric fashion sense to the legendary Air Jordan 1 silhouette. By 2023, he had added the AJ2 and AJ3 to his collection, and in 2024, he returned to Tinker Hatfield’s monumental Air Jordan 3. While his first version of the shoe was a light colourway celebrating the twilight skies of his Medellin home, his second was a much darker colourway with similarly vibrant accents that continue to honour the peaceful beauty of a sunset over the mountains. Nicknamed Rio after the singer’s son, this Jordan 3 x J Balvin sneaker showcases his love of fashion and his eccentric style, which brings together high-fashion and a streetwear aesthetic.

The dusky upper of this Jordan 3 Retro x J Balvin collaboration perfectly complements his first take on the iconic Tinker Hatfield silhouette by presenting a nighttime version of the sunset-inspired sneaker. This change in timbre is established by the matte black upper, which is made from the highest quality leather. Its deep tones extend onto the tongue, the midsole and the inner, while the familiar elephant-print overlays of the toe and heel match this mood in dark shades of grey. All of this serves to accentuate the shoe’s vibrant highlights, which represent the plethora of colours seen as the sun goes down on Balvin’s home city of Medellin. The entire outsole comes in a striking shade of Total Crimson that returns as part of a captivating colour gradient fading from rich purple to Solar Flare yellow above the visible Air unit in the heel. A similar effect can be seen behind the translucent heel panels, one of which carries the familiar Nike Air branding, while the other displays Balvin’s characteristic smiley face logo. The lightning-strike from this logo’s eyes has been used in the Jumpman Air branding on the insole, which sits below a generously padded tongue whose radiant orange underside contrasts strongly against its black front. Standing out boldly against this dark surface is a golden yellow Jumpman rendered in finely crafted embroidery. The final classy elements of this unforgettable collaboration are a red key chain in the shape of the smiley face logo and the specially designed box it comes in. As well as featuring the same stylish colour palette as the sneaker, it is adorned with an inspirational phrase in both Spanish and English that was written by Balvin himself: “A sunset always reminds me, a new day full of opportunity is coming”.