Following up his hit Air Jordan 2 and 3 narratives with another bold take on Tinker Hatfield’s 1989 classic, the Colombian star reunites with Jordan Brand for the J Balvin x Air Jordan 4 Amazonas.

Paying tribute to the rich flora and ecosystem of the Amazon, the iteration ditches conventional leather and nubuck for a super exotic texture. Inspired by the yellow crocodiles native to the Amazon, the design keeps things monochrome and lets texture do the heavy lifting.

Pale Lemonade yellow covers the upper from sole unit to lining, giving the classic retro frame a sun-soaked energy while remaining relatively neutral thanks to the washed-out hue. It’s a clever move from J Balvin; the Air Jordan 4 has a multi-texture upper, combining mesh with a plastic lacing system and several ergonomic layers. With so much going on, one single color works to emphasize the construction.

Glossed crocodile-textured leather wraps the entire upper, framed by matching translucent wings and heel tabs. Bilingual lace dubraes and custom smiley-face branding anchor the heel and tongue badges.

And the yellow doesn’t stop. A tonal yellow Air-cushioned midsole sits atop a tonal rubber outsole, housing encapsulated Air technology and keeping the uniform colorway flowing down to the ground.

Good colorways go a long way, and this is one of them. It’s simplicity is its main strength, putting a croc texture front and center instead of color combinations. But when a good colorway has actual storytelling to back it, a shoe reaches a new level of success. 

Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit HS Shopping and subscribe to Shopper for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.