Is The Air Jordan 3 “RTNA” The Craziest Unreleased Sample Ever Made?

Some sneakers are so elusive that it takes years for studio-quality images to emerge. The Air Jordan 3 “RTNA” is one of them. Shown here... © Sneaker News, 2025. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us The post Is The Air Jordan 3 "RTNA" The Craziest Unreleased Sample Ever Made? appeared first on Sneaker News. The post Is The Air Jordan 3 “RTNA” The Craziest Unreleased Sample Ever Made? appeared first on Sneaker News.

Some sneakers are so elusive that it takes years for studio-quality images to emerge. The Air Jordan 3 “RTNA” is one of them.

Shown here via new images posted by @englishsole, the Jordan 3 “RTNA” (robotic texturing and nanotechnology) was created in 2021 as part of a partnership between the Nike Explore Team and art science company Lifescaped. The sneaker features technology inspired by structural coloration found in nature, which allows the shoe to reflect light in a way that the color appears consistent from different angles. The ultra-thin coating is made up of microscopic prisms and uses no pigments, dyes, or any other color application. Think about butterfly wings, wet grass, and beetle shells; the Jordan 3 “RTNA” mimics the natural process that makes them iridescent.

To state the obvious, these won’t ever see a public release (Nike didn’t even allow people to touch them when they were exhibited). However, the concept provides a window into what could be the future of sneaker design. We seem pretty far removed from RTNA sneakers being produced at scale, but perhaps one day.