Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic has been a longtime friend of Jordan Brand, and the shoe label is celebrating this association with the release of Air Jordan 36 El Matador edition. The sneakers will pay homage to Doncic’s forgotten moniker, El Matador.
Air Jordan 36 El Matador will step into the footwear market on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Luka diehards can easily get their hands on the sneakers from Nike’s official shopping website and other retail locations. Each pair will cost $200.
Nike’s Air Jordan 36 El Matador colorway is the perfect tribute to Luka Doncic
Earlier in July 2022, Jordan Brand debuted the “Luka” colorway of its AJ36 silhouette, which was reportedly dedicated to the 23-year old NBA star. The player's exclusive footwear release stunned sneakerheads because of the appealing design. The new “El Matador” colorway was recently teased by Nike, and it seems that fans are now curious to see what the brand has come up with this time.
The upcoming sneakers have a color palette of Chile Red, University Red, Metallic Gold, and Black, a nod to Luka’s playing days with Real Madrid.
While the uppers mostly feature Chile Red and Metallic Gold, the strategic placement of the black elements helps make the shoes look even more enticing. The heavy metallic gold detailing that embellishes the uppers is inspired by a traditional bullfighter costume. These red and gold costumes are popularly known as traje de luces, and they are an important component of Spanish culture.
Red knitted textiles are used to construct the toe areas, which are topped with intricate gold designs that run along the entire length of the shoe. Furthermore, the designs are outlined in black, which makes for a funky, graphic look.
Black eyelets surround the solid red tongue flaps. The perforated tongues are topped with crisscrossed, speckled lace fasteners with red and black detailing. Moreover, the aglets of these laces are ornamented with golden fittings.
Both on the front and back, the tongue flaps and the heel counters come with pull tabs. The pull tabs placed on the tongues also feature fine gold designs, while those on the heel areas feature “El Matador” lettering woven onto them.
The player’s nickname is also added to the rear side of the tongue flaps. All the typography has a gold finish. The heel counters have the Nike Air swoosh branding on the tip of the black pull tabs.
Furthermore, the inner linings and the footbed are also meticulously made with black textiles. The footbed has black insoles that are printed with gold Jumpman insignias. When you take a closer look at the shoe, you will see that the mid-foot area is embossed with the Jumpman logo.
Rounding out the footwear design is the red, semi-translucent sole unit. On the platform, they once again showcase the black Jumpman logos.
Air Jordan 36 El Matador will be available for purchase from August 31, 2022. Nike, as well as a few other authorized retail merchants, will list these sneakers for $200 each.