First Look At The Jordan Vail Lifestyle Shoe

Jordan Brand has a new lifestyle sneaker in the works, and Sneaker News has your exclusive first look.

The Jordan Vail surfaced on-foot this weekend at the Black Footwear Forum, worn by Jordan Brand VP Dominique Denen. The entirely new silhouette has yet to be officially unveiled by Jordan Brand, and release information remains unknown.

While the Vail is positioned as a lifestyle shoe, its overall shape maintains some familiar basketball DNA as the sneaker features a mid-cut silhouette built around an interior bootie, complete with a compressed sleeve that wraps around the ankle. The majority of the exterior is covered by an expansive mesh upper, creating a lightweight and breathable appearance while giving the Vail a sleek, almost seamless shape. Underfoot, the shoe keeps things remarkably simple with a thin, relatively flat rubber sole and little of the sculpting or visible cushioning typically associated with Jordan footwear.

The most interesting detail is the unconventional lacing system; while traditional shoelaces run across the top of the foot, the ends of the laces appear to extend toward the rear, wrapping around the ankle before tying behind the heel. The result almost resembles a ponytail.

This women’s focused touch seems to be a growing precedent within Jordan Brand because the Jordan Heir Series 2, a performance basketball shoe designed with women hoopers in mind, features a hair tie attached at the heel. It’s common for players to tie their hair into a tight bun or ponytail before taking the court. On the Vail, that same visual language appears to be interpreted through the shoe’s actual lacing system.

The red-and-black colorway pictured here naturally recalls Jordan Brand’s most recognizable color palette, but otherwise, the Vail doesn’t rely heavily on familiar Air Jordan design language. Instead, it appears to take the basic proportions of a basketball sneaker and reinterpret them through a considerably more minimal, fashion-minded lens.

For now, plenty about the Jordan Vail remains a mystery as Jordan Brand has yet to officially announce the model, so stay tuned for updates.