Undefeated’s military‑green Air Jordan 4 sneakers return with modern tweaks in August

Twenty years ago, a chance meeting at a small Los Angeles sneaker store would create one of the most legendary shoes in sneaker history. According to GQ, in 2005, Nike executives Mark Parker and Tinker Hatfield walked into Undefeated with Lance Armstrong, sparking a conversation that would change everything.

The store's co-founder Eddie Cruz suggested creating a shoe in the color of a popular Blackberry phone, but designer Paul Mittleman had a better idea. As GQ reports, Mittleman suggested basing the design on Undefeated's military-inspired streetwear aesthetic instead. This led to a shoe modeled after an MA-1 bomber jacket, featuring olive green leather and bright safety orange details. Only 72 pairs were ever made, with most given to store employees and a few sold through raffles and charity auctions. The shoe became the first boutique collaboration with Jordan Brand, setting a new standard for sneaker partnerships that didn't exist before.

The extreme rarity of the original Undefeated x Air Jordan 4 turned it into a sneaker legend over the years. Sole Retriever explains that pairs rarely appeared on the resale market, and when they did, they commanded incredible prices. A size 10 pair sold at Sotheby's auction house for $50,000 in December, while another was listed on eBay for $33,000.

The shoe's significance went beyond just being rare - it was historically important as the first of its kind. As Sole Retriever notes, this collaboration opened the door for what is now common practice between Jordan Brand and boutique stores. The shoe became so valuable that most owners never actually wore them, treating them more like museum pieces than footwear. For two decades, it seemed like these shoes would never return, making them even more desirable to collectors who could only dream of owning a pair.

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Now, exactly twenty years later, the impossible is happening—the Undefeated x Air Jordan 4 is coming back. Complex reports that the retro version will launch on Saturday, August 2, with much wider availability than the original 72 pairs. There will be three ways to buy the shoes: an online raffle starting July 28, in-store raffles at Undefeated locations in major cities starting July 30, and a first-come-first-serve online release on August 2.

The new version includes some changes from the original, most notably the "Nike Air" logo on the heel instead of the Jumpman logo that appeared on the 2005 version. According to Complex, the shoe will retail for $230 and will only be available through Undefeated's own channels. Creative director Chris Gibbs admits that some original materials aren't available anymore, so the new version uses similar but different fabrics. While purists might notice these differences, the shoe maintains the same military-inspired look that made it famous, giving a new generation the chance to own this piece of sneaker history.