The Rare Air line is concluding its short-lived run with one of the most beloved Air Jordan models in existence.
The collection, which debuted in April with a set of Air Jordan 1 Highs, sought to commemorate the often long sampling process of developing a sneaker.
“Mistakes turned into marks of rarity and unforgettable must-haves. We call that Rare Air,” was the tagline associated with the set of Air Jordan 1s. The result was a refreshing spin on the classic sneaker, which, admittedly, has seen many reinterpretations in the past few years.
The line continued in May when the Air Jordan 3 got its turn in the ‘Rare Air’ spotlight. Two months later, in July, the Air Jordan 4 joined the collection. While both the Jordan 3 and Jordan 4 maintained the ethos of what made the shoes so iconic, this reinterpretation gave us a glimpse as to just how different Tinker Hatfield’s creations could have looked.
Now, the shoe that is often viewed as Hatfield’s magnum opus is closing out the collection.
As part of the very ambitious Air Jordan 11 capsule releasing this Holiday season, the ‘Rare Air’ Jordan 11 follows the same color design we have seen throughout the line. The hits of Fire Red and Deep Royal Blue are blended with a tasteful tumbled Sail leather. The stand out feature, of course, is the Jordan letter insignia throughout the lace loops on the upper. Though this detail is not common in the Air Jordan 11’s history, it truly does have a defining moment.
This detail is seemingly a nod to the scrapped original edition of the DMP Air Jordan 11. The pair, which introduced gold details onto the Air Jordan 11, was ultimately scrapped because the gold lettered insignia began to bleed onto the upper of the sneakers. When the Defining Moments Pack finally released in January of 2006, the insignia was replaced.
That did not stop the cancelled pair from circulating the internet, though. The scrapped DMP 11 became the talk of the early internet forum days. The rumors about what Nike Factory store stocked the sneakers were endless, as was the hunt for this defective sneaker.
The scrapped DMP 11 was quite literally ‘Rare Air’. Though the DMP Air Jordan Pack went on to, rightfully, have its own success and merit among sneaker collectors, this cancelled pair became a relic of the early internet sneaker community. Now, that sneaker has returned- if only in spirit.
This retail pair of the ‘Rare Air’ Jordan 11 perfectly honors that story of the DMP 11, whilst it’s colorblocking continues the themes we have seen in this collection throughout 2025.
At a time where the sneaker space feels as mundane as it could feel, Jordan Brand took some of their most beloved signature models and reimagined them in a way that was perhaps a harder sale for their audience base. That said, the ‘Rare Air’ line has brought a refreshing spin to the classic sneakers it has touched.
In the case of the Air Jordan 11, the ‘Rare Air’ celebrates a long-beloved design flaw. A design flaw that could have completely derailed the future of Air Jordan packs and the hobby of collecting sneakers. Instead, that design flaw created among the most memorable of sneakers from the early 2006s. Truly, a mistake turned into a mark of rarity. And truly a great way to put a bow on the ambitious ‘Rare Air’ collection.
The Air Jordan 11 ‘Rare Air’ releases tomorrow, November 5th at 10 am EST via SNKRS.
Glamor shots courtesy of Sneaker Politics. DMP 11 photo courtesy of eBay. Official images courtesy of Nike
