The Tinker Touch: Ten Best Tinker Hatfield-Themed Nike and Air Jordan Sneakers

Tinker Hatfield is not afraid to go back to the past. There is the argument that when an artist puts their work out there for all the world to see, the art no longer belongs to them and the people are free to consume and criticize as they see fit. And the one thing the artist explicitly cannot do is go back and “tinker” with the work. Tinker Hatfield and Nike never got that memo, as evidenced by their constant need to feed sneakerheads with nostalgia bait, for better or worse. Sometimes the endeavor can end up being a peek into the history of the sneaker’s development, like the Nike Air Max 1 Sketch to Shelves that literally graft the original design documents of the sneaker onto the product itself.

And even though these sneakers never hit the market, samples like the Air Jordan 11 with a leather base and chrome mudguard that was recently revealed to be a gift to Tinker in 2013 gives us a glimpse into what might have been had Nike pushed forward and honored him in a more public way.

Whether he’s a part of the HTM collective that serves to change perceptions of classic Nike sneakers, going back to the drawing board to see what he could have done differently, or adding his own stamp on other people’s sneakers in the brand oeuvre, that Tinker co-sign is sure to pique the interest of casual fans and those who own multiple Japanese magazines that cover sneakers as a show of how much they appreciate the medium. Here’s a look back at some of the more noteworthy times Tinker, well, tinkered.

Air Jordan 15 Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Original Designer: Tinker Hatfield

Through the years, Tinker has been asked what his best and worst Air Jordan design is. His answer aligns with most sneakerheads’ tastes as the best is the Air Jordan 11 and the worst is the Air Jordan 15. His reasoning was that he was worn out and tired of working on the Jordan line by the time they got to the 15 and it showed in the final product. In 2016, Tinker got a mulligan and redesigned the Air Jordan 15 to promote Laika Studios’ feature film Kubo and the Two Strings. The result is an Air Jordan 15 that doesn’t stray too far from the original release, possibly an indication that Tinker knew that the 15 could be great if only a few things were tweaked. He fixed the most glaring feature of the original - the tongue - and replaced it with a zippered collar that’s not unlike what we saw on the Air Jordan XX8. Unfortunately, recent retros of the Air Jordan 15 still use the original 1999 design with no indication that the Kubo design will be seen anytime soon.

Nike Kobe 11 Elite Low Tinker Muse (2016)

Original Designer: Eric Avar

Revealed a few weeks after the late Kobe Bryant played his final NBA game (aka the original Mamba Day), the Kobe 11 Elite Muse Pack presented three new colorways designed by three influential figures at the company: Eric Avar, Mark Parker, and Tinker Hatfield. Tinker’s contribution to the pack - an homage to the iconic Air Jordan 3 Black Cement - is a nod to the connection Kobe and Michael Jordan share and the fact that those sneakers were Kobe’s favorite Js growing up. One feature that is not connected to the Black Cement but uniquely ties Kobe and Tinker is the use of a sharkskin-like texture on the heel counter because they are both fans of sharks.

Division St. x Nike Air Max 1 Ducks of a Feather (2022)

Original Designer: Tinker Hatfield

As something of an NFT hater with the fury of a thousand suns skeptic, the idea that the digital snake oil collectible would be connected to something as dirty and messy pure and sacred as the business of college athletics did not shock me in the least bit raised my eyebrows just a little bit. But maybe Division St. - an NIL collective led by Phil Knight to help University of Oregon student athletes - knew that the NFT grift trend had a limited shelf life and were just cashing in for the benefit of the kids. That’s my generous interpretation of the inaugural Air Max 1 Ducks of a Feather colorway designed by Tinker Hatfield that people had to buy an NFT in order to redeem the sneakers because they have not gone back to the gimmick since.

Air Jordan 1/XX9 MTM (2015)

Original Designer: Peter Moore (Air Jordan 1), Tinker Hatfield (Air Jordan XX9)

During a visit to Nike World HQ in Beaverton, Oregon in 2015 to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, then-President Barack Obama received a special gift from the brand: the first Air Jordan 1/XX9 MTM Pack, a joint effort by Michael Jordan, Tinker, and Mark Parker that reimagines the Air Jordan 1 with a Flyweave upper and the Air Jordan XX9 with a black leather base. The pack would be released a month later in limited quantities and garner obscene resale prices. Unfortunately, President Obama has not been seen wearing the sneakers since receiving the pack, but I do hope they make an appearance at his Presidential Center that's opening in June of this year.

Nike SB Hat Rod 2 (2008)

Original Designer: James Arizumi

Tinker Hatfield and Nike SB’s Paul Rodriguez are no strangers to each other’s work. For the Nike SB P-Rod 1, originally designed by Michael Hernandez, Tinker remixed the sneaker to give an Air Jordan vibe complete with elephant print and Jumpman branding. For the P-Rod 2, Tinker took from Jordans that haven’t been explored as often like the rising sun pattern on the Air Jordan 12 and the woven material of the Air Jordan 15. Pair those up with a mixture of black, baby blue, and gold, and one would think these were made for Denver Nuggets-era Carmelo Anthony and the alternate black uniforms they wore at the time.

Nike Lunar Flyknit HTM (2012)

Original Designers: Tinker Hatfield, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Mark Parker, Rob Williams, Rob Dolan

It cannot be understated how bought in the sneaker world was to knitted sneakers in the early 2010s. Buoyed by the novelty of Flyknit and a hypothetical future where the sneakers would be steam molded to our feet via machines to create a custom fit, the days of leathers, synthetics, and other wasteful materials were going to be a thing of the past. It hasn’t quite worked out that way yet, but Nike does still offer Flyknit sneakers to this day. None, however, have topped the initial HTM run that was co-designed by Tinker, fragment design’s Hiroshi Fujiwara, and then-CEO Mark Parker. The NRG pairs with the signature HTM branding on them are highly sought after by collectors and true believers to this day.

Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low HTM (2014)

Original Designer: Eric Avar

The HTM editions of the Nike Kobe 9 might look like any other Kobe 9 from that highly experimental and well-regarded era, but there are subtle touches that elevate them from the pack. The reflective touches on the laces and the Swooshes that are not too common on the general release editions, the laminated snakeskin tongue with a luxurious touch that is in contrast to matte or satin-like finishes on high-cut pairs, and the gum soles that are more at home on the streets than on the basketball court. In my opinion, Eric Avar and Kobe nailed it on the first try and HTM just took them to the next level. Now, if only these sneakers were more readily available or at least a little more affordable on the resale side.

Air Jordan 3 JTH (2018)

Designer: Tinker Hatfield

In hindsight, Justin Timberlake playing a role in the debut of the Air Jordan 3 JTH and the eventual Air Jordan 3 Tinker had a lot of “how do you do, fellow kids?” energy. But during the halftime show of Super Bowl LII, nobody gave a damn who or what was wearing those Air Jordan 3s with the Swoosh because they dropped on the SNKRS app. It was a mad dash to see who got them first so they could do an unboxing video for their YouTube channel they were trying to get off the ground…

Damn, 2018. Thank goodness for treadmills...

Anyways, the Air Jordan 3 Tinker is not so much a remix of the Air Jordan 3 but a rewind back to one of the original concepts for the sneaker that included more Nike branding and the Swoosh on the lateral side. The legend is that those hits were taken off because Tinker felt Michael Jordan was strong enough to carry the sneaker without a prominent Swoosh on the upper. Tinker’s instincts were correct and this blast from the past is more of a footnote than a glaring what-if. A bigger what-if should be, “What if Jordan Brand had gotten someone cooler to debut the sneakers?”

Nike Air Force 1 HTM (2002)

Designer: Bruce Kilgore

The origins of HTM date all the way back to 2002, right as people were starting to put the words hype and beast together to form a pejorative, then a website, and finally, a way of living. When the first HTM pair dropped in the form of a luxury make of the Nike Air Force 1, sneakerheads were hyped to know that the silhouette was capable of more. The colorway, a simple, yet luxurious black or brown leather upper with contrast stitching, might not pop today’s crowd, but the intent to elevate the sneaker from the courts and the streets to the boardrooms and red carpets began here.

Jordan Black Cat (2018)

Designer: Tinker Hatfield

Following up on the concept of the Air Jordan 3 Tinker where Nike and Jordan Brand go back to Tinker’s archives and sketches to give us a glimpse into what might have been, the Jordan Black Cat was among their most ambitious endeavors. Inspired by early sketches of the Air Jordan 13 by Tinker, the Jordan Black Cat features many of the design elements that would go on to be found on the 13s, but in a less refined form. From the lower profile to the midfoot strap to the non-holographic badge on the ankle, the Black Cat looks less like a basketball shoe and more like a trainer that one would wear to the gym.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com