In 1985, Nike's design team—led by Bruce Kilgore and including a young Mark Parker—set out to produce a follow-up trademark model that would complement Michael Jordan's sophisticated sense of style in the wake of the Air Jordan 1's unparalleled success.

They traveled to Italy, which is well-known for its exquisite shoemaking skills, in order to do this. As a result, the Air Jordan 2 was created, which differs greatly from its predecessor thanks to its unusual cut, exotic materials, and dress shoe embellishments. Jordan Brand is now honoring the model's heritage with a brand-new colorway called "Italy".

This version has the original red and white color scheme but adds green to the heel to represent the colors of the Italian flag.