Whether you are out on the court or stalking the streetwear landscape in style, you deserve a pair of sneakers that establishes that you are, in fact, the apex predator. At Fortress of Solitude, our genius designer, Brandon Krige, loves combining new and inventive colourways with beloved silhouettes. Thanks to his design concept, we have a stunning pair of Air Jordan 8 “Ambush” sneakers to look at today.
A Closer Look At The Design
The first pair of Air Jordan 8 sneakers hit the courts on Michael Jordan’s feet during a battle between his team, the Chicago Bulls, and the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. Of the classic Air Jordan 8 colourways, there are a few that feature a little orange, like “Bobcats”, “Ice Blue” (should that even count?), “Anthracite”, “Q-Rich” but the most orange you’ll find on a pair is “Peapod”, and that’s primarily green and blue. That is, until now.
Starting from the bottom of the sneakers, we see a stunning black leather outsole that features white speckles under the pressure points of the shoe, highlighted by a touch of white rubber on the toe of the outsole, while the rest is plain black.
The midsole on this pair has been swapped out for a bright, predatory red, like the reflection of a tiger’s eyes stalking its prey in the middle of the night.
The entire upper section has been designed to emulate the darker side of a tiger, including various panels and overlays of different patterns, predominantly black nubuck, orange nubuck, and tiger-striped nubuck, that meet the two opposing colours in the middle.
Most of the base of the sneaker is black nubuck, from the toe to the back of the ankle, in a ridged pattern that makes its way around the ankle. The laces and the tongue follow suit, as well as the buckles that make up the under-part of the wrap-around shroud, making the Air Jordan 8 silhouette an interesting one.
From the black wrapped around the ankle, the nubuck that travels down is decorated with diagonal stripes, like that of a proud tiger. The natural decorative pattern of the “eyeliner” of the outsole that the Air Jordan 8 silhouette usually has lends itself perfectly to the tiger look.
The stripes then transition into a flat orange that makes up the overlay/shroud-like part of the front before travelling up to dominate the accents on the collar, like the inner lining, the heel tab, the plastic buckle on the shroud, and the furry chenille disk that makes up the Jumpman branding on the tongue.
As always, the Air Jordan 8 Ambush custom sneakers are perfect for any predator on the court to strut their stuff, even if you are up against an ambush of tigers. These sneakers might be a little loud for the average sneakerhead, but who ever said you needed to be average?
More Of The Air Jordan 8
Although these stunning tiger-inspired sneakers are still only a concept, a popular AJ 8 colourway is anticipated to return in 2025. Yes, we’re referring to the iconic Air Jordan 8 “Aqua.” So, make sure to follow us at Sneaker Fortress to stay updated on this release and to see more stunning custom and concept sneakers.
Would you wear these Air Jordan 8 “Ambush” custom sneakers? Let us know in the comments what you want to see next!
