Interestingly, the Air Jordan 14 recent iterations have been women’s exclusive releases, and the upcoming “Red Lipstick” is no exception. The low-top sneaker adopts color blocking that is wholly familiar to Air Jordan fans – black and red, or “Bred” as we’ve come to know it.
This pair gets a full suede treatment with a smooth texture – unlike the textured midfoot on both the CLOT and Aleali May pairs – and providing an aesthetic more in line with the OG “Laney” and “Ginger” AJ14 Lows. The black suede wraps the shoe and provides a solid matte block on which the red tongues, laces, and lining create a bold contrast.
When adopting a colorway as iconic to the Air Jordan lineup as “Bred” to women’s exclusive release, it does leave us wondering why Nike feels the need to apply hyper-feminine branding and storytelling to sell the sneaker. Female sneakerheads are just as familiar with the “Bred” colorway – it doesn’t need to be rebranded into “lipstick” to be understood.
With the limitations on sizing, Nike’s new storytelling-focused strategy to engage female sneakerheads seems puzzling, when dropping gender-inclusive sizing seems like the most logical solution to a problem and frustration that has been echoed over and over by sneakerheads.
