At first look, Jordan Brand’s new release, the AIR JORDAN (AJ) 2012, is like Crystal Pepsi: a complete mistake and will be forgotten as quickly as it was created. The press photos, however, for the 27th shoe from Air Jordan didn’t do them any justice. With the shoe out of the box and on your feet it’s a completely different story: The design was clean and the fit was sturdy on and off the court. What stood out the most about the AJ 2012 Deluxe was this year’s innovation to give each player on the court the option and opportunity to customize the shoe for their style of play. The way Jordan Brand did that was by offering two completely interchangeable inner sleeves, high and low top, for each shoe along with three additional midsoles, for a player that wants to “fly through,” “fly over,” or “fly around” their opponent, equaling six different ways to wear the one pair of shoes. Along with AJ 2012 Deluxe, which was released today, February 8th for $223, and is available in two color styles, a grey and a baby blue, Jordan Brand is also releasing The AIR JORDAN 2012 Flight System, a toned down model of the Deluxe, on February 25th for $180. The AJ 2012 Flight System comes as the same silhouette as the Deluxe but is offered at a lower price because it comes with one inner sleeve and one midsole and you will be customizing your shoe at the stores based on your style of play. AJ 2012 also will be offered on iD on February 14th for $205. The system allows you to fully control and design the color combination, inner sleeves and midsole type you want for the shoe. “As a basketball player, I always wanted a shoe that adapted with my game,” said Michael Jordan. “On any given night I had to adjust my style of play for countless reasons and the Air Jordan 2012 meets those needs with six different configurations. I’m proud to say there is not another shoe like it in the market.”