Why the “Carmine” Air Jordan 6 is a Collage of Culture

Heading into the 1990s, Michael Jordan and Tinker Hatfield had hits and an established synergy. With the Air Jordan 3, 4, and 5 all asserting their collaborative dominance, MJ had shoes, shirts, and hats all to his namesake but was still without one style-defining accessory: a ring.

Once again, MJ was a man on a mission. Hitting the gym with trainer Tim Grover, he also hit Tinker with a list of demands for the shoe set to take him to the next level. His requirements were direct: a clean toe box as seen on his Italian dress shoes, easier entry on the upper, and freedom above his heel to flex his foot.

Per usual, Tinker was down for the challenge.

“I had clear orders to create a shoe with a clean toe,” recalls Tinker in Driven From Within. “The clean toe became the starting point.”

Catering to Mikeâ€s ask of a clean toe box, Tinkerâ€s focus then shifted to the opposite parameter of the shoe: the entry point. 

“I asked Michael if he ever had trouble getting into his shoes,” remembers Tinker. When considering the sculpted ankle and tall tongue of the AJ5, MJâ€s answer was a firm ‘yes.†Working with the feedback, Tinker topped off the tongue with two holes so that MJ could put his fingers through the top to slide his foot in easier.

Mike didnâ€t like that, he loved it. So much, in fact, he wanted the heel to have the same styling.

“He suggested we put one in the back, too,” Tinker says of MJâ€s reaction. “It was designed to be like the spoiler on the back of a sports car. Michael had a slant-nosed Porsche at the time, so the spoiler became something that you could put your fingers through and pop the shoe on real fast.”

Pulling inspiration from MJ’s prized Porsche, the shoe had a fast, luxury feel that was right on point for the baller about to become a billionaire. 

Still, Tinkerâ€s head wasnâ€t in the clouds when creating Air Jordans. He also listened to consumer reports that kids needed more rubber traction for dusty gyms, taking feedback from flaws of the AJ5. In doing so, the Air Jordan 6 sported a sharp contrast of translucent paneling and tough rubber for the best of both worlds.

Many lessons were learned from previous pairs functionally, but aesthetic attributes from the recent past were also considered on the Air Jordan 6. Adding on the intrigue of the famous “Fire Red” 3s, 4s, and 5s, Tinker once again redefined the color red on the Air Jordan 6 by introducing “Infrared” tones to MJâ€s newest game shoe when it arrived in February of 1991. 

Debuting at All-Star Weekend in North Carolina, MJ ascended to new heights in the Air Jordan 6. The sports car of a sneaker was worn by Mike night in and night out through the spring of 1991, lacing the White/Infrared makeup in the regular season and the Black/Infrared rendition through the playoffs. Meeting Mikeâ€s demands in design specs and the desired goal, Jordan would defeat his childhood hero Magic Johnson in the NBA Finals, becoming an NBA Champion for the first time.

Pleasing everyone and defying everything, Mike soared to new heights in the AJ6. The global icon was revered by his peers and adored by kids around the world. During that time he even earned another famous fan: Bruce Wayne.

Yes, over the summer of 1991, Tim Burton’s Batman Returns crew would fall in love with Michael Jordan just like everyone else. Tapping Tinker for a boot PE of the same shoe Mike wore to defeat Magic months prior, an all-new Air Jordan 6 would arrive only for Bruce Wayne. On set in Burbank, Michael Keaton would lace-up knee-high Air Jordan 6’s made to the exact specifications of Gotham’s finest.

In Chicago and around the world, fans would wear “Infrared” 6s in celebration of MJ’s first ring through the summer of ‘91 all while Michael Keaton faced off in his Batman PE on set against The Penguin as played by Danny DeVito.

With all the buzz, MJ couldâ€ve easily ran the “Infrareds” back, but thatâ€s not how Nike moved. Already onto the next one, Tinker and team were ready to roll out an even weirder take on the Bulls themed tone: a shade of red created by cacti inhibiting cochineal insects from Latin America. 

Yup, MJ was officially bugging out.

Inspired by the extract found in beetles that are dried, crushed, and used to color everything from Skittles to lipstick, the “Carmine” colorway would see Chicago red revised once. Fit for a king, the regal red on this AJ6 would appear much louder than “Infrared” installments, inverted by bold blocking and serving as the last launch of the original AJ6. 

In November ’91, the “Carmine” 6s would be released at retail. In the same month, MJ took the court in the “Carmine” colorway at his first-ever Ring Night. 

Hosting Philly while accepting their new jewelry, the defending champs beat the visiting Sixers by 20. Officially in charge of the throne, MJ and Chicago would prove dominant for the whole start of the season, entering the All-Star break with a ravishing record of 39-8.

Stylistically, the OG Air Jordan 6 in “Carmine” would represent MJ as the newly knighted king of the NBA. This was good news for Chicago fans and bad news for everyone else.

Officially on top, MJâ€s game would remain strong in scoring and brash in branding. King Carmine would lead the league in points per game in his first season as a defending champ, upping his identity with #23 tagged socks. 

While the competition would notice Mike in the “Carmine” 6s, and theyâ€d also all appear impervious in what can only be described as art imitating life. 

How so? Itâ€s been said that carminic acid produced in bugs works as a deterrent to predators, protecting their livelihood against pouncing peers. In the “Carmine” 6s, such couldnâ€t have been more true for MJ as all his famous foes from the ‘80s began fading to black. 

In the Autumn of 1991, the league was Michaelâ€s and there was nothing anyone could do about it. 

Heading into the holiday season, “Carmine” 6s would be unwrapped by fans as they watched the Bulls absolutely obliterate the Celtics on Christmas Day, beating them by over 20 points and holding Larry Legend to single-digit scoring. The next night, the Bulls would handle the Hawks, with MJ dueling Dominique Wilkins, ending the night with 38 points and a W.

The wrecking of the once Eastern Conference contenders would carry on through January and February of 1992, as MJ and his “Carmine” 6s stepped on anyone who dared knock on their door. At All-Star Weekend in 1992, both the “Carmine” colorway and the Air Jordan 6 would be retired from Mikeâ€s feet, with fans having to wait until the next century to score a retro release. 

30 years after the shoe’s original “Carmine” coronation, the bold Air Jordan 6 is officially back at retail. While 2008â€s Countdown Pack paired them with an Air Jordan 17 and 2014â€s Jumpman branded retro release happened one year before the Remastered program, this 2021 take is the Real McCoy. 

Returning for the first time with the famed Nike Air tagging, the “Carmine” 6s represent Michael Jordan at the top of the world. Fully formed by Phil Jackson and Tim Grover, Mike had ascended above his peers and now had the hardware to prove it. Tinkerâ€s tall order to merge Italian dress shoe styling with Porsche performance was enough to earn MJ his first ring and enough to make Batman a fan. Yes, even heroes have heroes.

To this day, the “Carmine” colorway proves signature to the 6. The bold blocking and insect inspiration was but a moment in time, representing Michael Jordan as we know him now: a champion.

From Italy to Gotham, to Chicago and back, Michael Jordan was on top of the world in the “Carmine” Air Jordan 6 – a shoe that converged cultures all while crowning basketballâ€s undisputed king.

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Header and image 4 via Sole Collector
Image 1 & 6 via Sneaker News
Image 2 via Car Expert
Images 3, 8, & 9 via Nike
Image 5 via Reddit
Image 7 via Audibl Wav and Kicks On Cards