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After a first glance at the Air Jordan 3Lab5, the two most distinguishing qualities of the sneaker are its Jordan 5 silhouette and its use of elephant print on the entirety of the upper. A simple take on a classic retro, to be sure, but there is more to the shoe and its inspiration than initially meets the eye.
Pioneered by the Air Jordan 3, elephant print was introduced to the sneaker world in 1988, single-handedly setting the installment in the signature line apart, and above, the rest, as one of the first performance sneakers to incorporate animal print and texture. As a staple material, the texture has been enshrined as one of many to come in the Jordan Elements Series. Similar to the scientific Periodic Table, Elephant was given the atomic number of 3, a nod to the Air Jordan 3, and the atomic mass of 19.88, signifying the year that the print was first utilized on the signature.
Taking what’s now known as the Elephant Element (symbol: El) and applying it to the Jordan 5, both components have been elevated to new heights with the presentation of the Air Jordan 3Lab5.
