Some sneaker customizers call themselves surgeons, artists, or even creators. This sneaker customizer calls himself The Chef, cooking up epic new designs that his followers love and would kill to get their hands on. Introducing The Chef’s latest custom Air Jordan 3 sneakers, “JTH”.
The Inspiration Behind the Air Jordan 3 “JTH”
If you are reading this and thinking, “Haven’t I heard of the Air Jordan 3 ‘JTH’ before?” you wouldn’t be wrong. Justin Timberlake collaborated with Air Jordan in 2018 and debuted the Air Jordan 3 “JTH” as a homage to his love for Michael Jordan and his immense respect for the pair’s designer, Tinker Hatfield.
The original pair was white, black, and beige. The colourway is called “Bio Beige.” It has the inscription “Higher” on it, presumably where the pair got its name from, “Justin Timberlake Higher,” named after a song Timberlake dedicated to his wife. Enough of the inspiration; let’s get into the custom pair.
A Classic Yet Unique Customization
Instead of a beige look, @chefhuyle has gone for a more classic colourway, modelling the pair after one of Justin Timberlake’s favourite sneakers, an OG Air Jordan 3.
Some changes have been made to the silhouette, like vastly enhancing the size of the black tumbled leather Nike Swoosh that dominates the lateral side of the sneakers.
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Design and Material Choices
The upper and midsole have a sail/off-white look, making the sneakers look vintage and aged while still being brand new, with the upper being a tumbled leather that perfectly complements the leather used on the Nike Swoosh. The visible air unit in the heel is topped with a unique “AIR” branding, complete with apostrophes and everything.
Aside from that, the sneakers are practically original, including the “Elephant” grey patterning on the mudguard and near the heel that was incredibly popular with the AJ3 sneakers when the design first debuted. The panelling near the collar of the sneakers and around the lace unit is white with perfectly symmetrical dots.
The Distressed Collar for a Vintage Look
Instead of having an utterly padded collar like most Air Jordan 3 sneakers, The Chef opted for a rough look on this one, displaying distressed leather and a much thinner collar, again making the sneakers look a lot older than they actually are.
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A Custom That Looks Like a Retail Release
The sneakers are a fantastic custom, so much so that if you didn’t look at the finer details, you would think this pair came straight off the shelf at a Nike store. They would fit perfectly in any collection, not screaming “I’m a custom” but instead whispering it with their subtle changes.
How to Get Your Hands on a Pair
Unfortunately, these custom sneakers aren’t easy to get your hands on. If you go to Chef Huy Le’s Instagram page, you will see that there is a link to another profile, @lechefstudio, where all of the available custom sneakers are on display, as well as some custom merchandise.
From there, there is a link for Chef Huy Le’s LeChef Studio. Still, in order to access the website, you need to have a password, making accessing these sneakers highly prestigious. If you are one of the lucky password holders, congratulations, and let us know how you did it!
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Would you buy these custom Air Jordan 3 “JTH” sneakers? Let us know your thoughts!
Our favourites. Available now at Nike.com
