This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Heel material:
Despite all of the attention being focused on the suede or nubuck upper, very few (if any) articles or posts have been written about the change of materials on the back panel. ?On the originals, the front 3/4 of the shoe was nubuck, but the rear panel was infact a dull, yet smooth black leather. ?The 2000 retro did use a slightly different material on the back from the front of the shoe, but hardly noticeable, and definitely not a smoothly finished material.
Another change that occurred between the 1991 original and 2000 retro was the underlay of reflective material that was placed underneath the perforations on the ankle and side panel. ?The first two photos below are of the original 1991 Black/Infrareds without and with flash respectively.