When the original ‘Bred’ (or Black Cement) Air Jordan 4 premiered in 1989, it used a material that was new to the basketball world at the time. It wasn’t suede or nubuck, it was Durabuck.
You may remember Durabuck from hits such as 1990’s Black/Metallic Air Jordan 5 or 1991’s Black/Infrared Air Jordan 6.
“Well what is Durabuck?” Good question!
Durabuck is a synthetic alternative to leather that offers less weight and more breathability than traditional leather (or nubuck). It also has a more matted and glossier finish than nubuck.
Since the Bred AJ4’s 1989 release, they’ve been retro’d four times (1999, 2008, 2012, 2019). Since 1989, the sneaker has been made using Durabuck exactly zero times. One could even argue that every time the Bred Air Jordan 4 has been re-released it was ‘Reimagined’ – just with synthetic nubuck.
In fact, if someone wanted to be argumentative, they could even say that 2024’s ‘Reimagined’ Bred 4 is the closest thing we’ve seen to a 1:1 remake of the 1989 version. If you combine everything from shape, to quality of materials – this retro release has checked the most boxes when it comes to getting things “right”.
What’s the point of all this? Leather does not equal Durabuck, and nubuck also does not equal Durabuck. You can’t “hate these cause they’re not the OG” when nubuck also wasn’t “OG”. If you prefer the nubuck because it’s what you’re used to, or that’s your personal preference, we whole-heartedly support you – but don’t just hate them for the fact that Jordan Brand made a change – because at one point, the nubuck we all know and love was the result of Jordan Brand making a change, too.
