The Air Jordan 6 holds a special place in sneaker history. It's the shoe Michael Jordan wore to win his first NBA championship in 1991, designed by Tinker Hatfield with a reinforced toe cap and a heel tab inspired by Jordan's Porsche 911.
Over the years, it has also become one of the most interesting canvases in Jordan Brand's catalog. From manga artists and streetball tournaments to one of hip-hop's biggest producers and a French football club, the AJ6 has attracted a diverse range of collaborations.
Here are the 10 best collaborations the silhouette has ever seen.
10. Slam Dunk x Air Jordan 6
The Slam Dunk manga was one of the most important ways of spreading basketball culture across Asia in the 1990s. Its creator, Takehiko Inoue, credited Michael Jordan as the inspiration for his love of basketball and the series itself.
The shoe features an all-red varsity upper covered in tonal 3M illustrations pulled directly from the manga's 31 volumes, with Sakuragi's number 10 stitched on the heel in place of Jordan's usual 23. A translucent heel tab and icy outsole complete the build.
It was released in 2014 at $250 and remains one of the most culturally significant Jordan Brand collabs ever produced outside of the US
9. Quai 54 x Air Jordan 6
Quai 54 is the biggest streetball tournament in the world, held annually in Paris and deeply tied to basketball's global cultural reach. Jordan Brand has been a partner of the event. The 2020 collection produced two of the most visually interesting AJ6s in the silhouette's collab history.
The colorway shown here features a clean sail leather upper with bold geometric print panels in purple, blue, and orange across both sides of the shoe. The right shoe swaps the standard Jumpman logo for Quai 54 graphics, a detail that rewards the people who look closely.
It dropped August 8th, 2020 for $200. The tournament itself couldn't happen that year due to COVID, which gave the release an extra layer of meaning as a tribute to what the pandemic took away.
8. Social Status x Air Jordan 6 "Pony Hair"
Social Status is a Charlotte-based boutique, and when the 2019 NBA All-Star Game came to Charlotte, they teamed up on an AJ6. The result was one of the more unconventional collab builds the silhouette has ever seen.
A black snakeskin upper serves as the base, with pony hair overlays covering the toe box, sides, and heel. Dark purple hits the lace lock, Jumpman tongue, heel pull tab, and midsole for contrast.
The whole design draws from MJ's "Black Cat" alter ego. It first released at Social Status on February 14, 2019, during All-Star Weekend before hitting SNKRS for $250. It's also a shoe that divides opinion every time it comes up, which is exactly what makes it worth talking about.
7. Awake NY x Air Jordan 6
Angelo Baque has been one of the more interesting creative voices in the Jordan Brand collab space for several years. The Awake NY x Air Jordan 6 pack is his most ambitious project yet. The "Blueberry" colorway layers midnight navy, royal, and light blue across the upper.
Infrared 23 stitching cuts through the design from nearly every angle, giving it a sharper finish. Saffiano leather on the heel overlays adds a luxury fashion reference without being heavy-handed about it.
The pair dropped via an Awake NY raffle in August. Around 25,000 pairs were available for the Blueberry colorway. A pink version released alongside it as an Awake exclusive. Together, the 2 colorways pushed the AJ6 into new creative territory without losing sight of the original.
6. Gatorade x Air Jordan 6 "Be Like Mike"
The "Be Like Mike" campaign debuted in August 1991 and became one of the most iconic sports marketing moments of all time. 26 years later, Gatorade and Jordan Brand finally put it on a shoe.
The Air Jordan 6 was the natural choice since it's the exact silhouette MJ wore during the original commercial. The white leather upper with team orange overlays references the classic "Carmine" colorway while keeping the Gatorade color story intact.
Green Gatorade lightning bolt logos hit the lace locks and insoles throughout. "If I Could Be" is stitched on the inner tongue as a nod to the campaign's signature song. It retailed for $190 in late 2017 alongside a full apparel collection.
5. Aleali May x Air Jordan 6 "Millennial Pink"
Aleali May is a Los Angeles-based stylist and fashion insider who built a strong collab track record with Jordan Brand before this shoe ever dropped. Her first 2 collabs were Air Jordan 1s, so the jump to the AJ6 was interesting.
The shoe first appeared as a friends-and-family exclusive in 2017 before Jordan Brand brought it to retail. A rust pink upper covers the entire build, with bright crimson accents on the heel tab, Jumpman logos, and midsole mountain peaks.
A translucent outsole finishes it off cleanly. It was released in women's sizing in early 2019 at $190. The colorway pushed the AJ6 into a space it had never really occupied before.
4. Doernbecher x Air Jordan 6
The Doernbecher Freestyle program is one of the most meaningful things Nike does every year. It gives patients at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital the chance to design their own signature sneakers, with proceeds going directly to the hospital.
The 2009 Air Jordan 6 was designed by then 12-year-old Jordan Dark, who was battling cancer at the time. He drew from his love of the Atlanta Braves and his own high school colors to create a navy suede build with red and gold accents throughout.
The dates "06/08" and "04/09" are embossed on the side panel, marking the first and last days of his chemotherapy. Jordan Dark was cancer-free by the time the shoe was released. It returned for the program's 15th anniversary in 2019.
3. PSG x Air Jordan 6
Paris Saint-Germain and Jordan Brand announced their partnership in 2018, and the Air Jordan 6 was the collab that proved the relationship had real creative legs.
The iron grey and black upper draws its color blocking directly from the Air Jordan 6 "Carmine," with infrared accents replacing the original red. PSG medallion branding sits on the heel; "PANAME" which is a local nickname for Paris, is stitched under each heel pull tab, and the lace locks read "PARIS" and "75," the city's zip code.
The insoles carry PSG's slogan "ICI C'EST PARIS." It was released in summer 2019 at $225 and was a strong seller across both the European and US markets.
2. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 "Olive"
Travis Scott debuted this shoe during his Super Bowl LIII halftime performance in February 2019, and it immediately became one of the most anticipated Jordan collabs of the year. The medium olive suede and upper brought a military, utilitarian feel to the AJ6 that nobody had seen on the silhouette before.
The canvas stash pocket on the ankle collar was a detail that defined the whole shoe, borrowed from his Air Jordan 1 collab and made even more prominent here. Hidden Cactus Jack branding sits inside the pocket flap.
University red accents hit the lace locks and heel branding, while a glow-in-the-dark translucent outsole and 3M reflective details underneath the perforations complete the build. It released in October 2019 at $250 and sold out immediately.
1. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 "British Khaki"
The "British Khaki" improved on everything the "Olive" had already done right. Released on April 30, 2021, Travis Scott's birthday, to celebrate the Air Jordan 6's 30th anniversary, the shoe doubled down on the stash pocket concept by adding one on both sides.
The entire upper is dressed in a warm khaki suede with slightly darker brown mesh at the tongue. Bright crimson hits the Nike Air and Cactus Jack branding on the heels, breaking up the tonal build in exactly the right place.
A glow-in-the-dark outsole, translucent heel tabs, and a co-branded outsole print complete it. It released at $250 and sold out immediately across all sizes. Resale climbed fast and has stayed high ever since.
