Rattan for your feet? Nike thinks so.
Nike’s “Rattan” Air Jordan 4 Net sneaker turns a furniture staple into a well-netted wonder. The base looks like your standard AJ4 shoe but things get very avant-garde up top with a caged-in “Rattan” leather upper designed to look like a net, complemented with cream laces and a gold Jumpman charm.
So, to be clear, this sneaker’s upper isn’t made of actual rattan, a sturdy material woven from palm trees fronds. It’s instead made from TPU, a bendy plastic that’s better suited for sporty sneakers than climbing tropical flora.
Trompe-l’œil but make it sporty.
The AJ4 Net shoe made its debut in a crisp all-white colorway in 2024 and a blacked-out version joined the lineup earlier this year.
On the whole, it’s been a pretty busy year for the AJ4. But the hoopla is well deserved. After all, a basketball sneaker only turns 35 once.
And to celebrate three and a half decades of the AJ4 sneaker, Nike is pulling out all the stops for one of Jordan Brand’s signature shoes.
From Nike SB’s shred-ready Air Jordan 4 to a denim-on-denim AJ4, the timeless Jordan brand basketball shoe is more than earning its stripes as one of the most versatile on- and off-court sneakers ever. It has serious layers.
And like a fine wine, the AJ4 is only getting better and more complex with age.
