Links may be affiliated.
After years of building together behind the scenes, Jordan Brand and Ghana’s Free The Youth are finally bringing their partnership to retail with the Free The Youth x Air Jordan 16. While the collective previously collaborated on a friends-and-family Air Jordan 1 limited to just 175 pairs, this marks Free The Youth’s first official Jordan Brand release available to the public—the culmination of a partnership rooted in creativity, community, and the belief that opportunity can be created through imagination.
To introduce the project, Jordan Brand and Free The Youth unveiled a striking campaign photographed by Ilya Chemetoff that celebrates craftsmanship as much as creativity. Rather than relying on CGI or AI-generated imagery, every backdrop was hand-drawn, hand-painted, or sculpted from clay, while every airborne moment was performed in-camera by members of Free The Youth themselves. The result is a visual world inspired by Ghanaian architecture, traditional prints, and the collective’s hometown of Tema.
That mindset was also on display in Paris last month during A Night of Flight, a special event held ahead of Paris Fashion Week to celebrate the partnership. The evening began with a family-style Ghanaian dinner before taking an unforgettable turn as the Free The Youth founders descended into the courtyard on ziplines, embodying their self-described role as “cultural stuntmen.” As the night progressed, the intimate gathering transformed into an open-air celebration of music, creativity, and community.
The Air Jordan 16 reflects that same spirit through thoughtful storytelling. The shoe arrives in a metallic silver colorway wrapped in a removable shroud, with left- and right-foot markings printed in multiple languages. Flip the shroud over to reveal tawny eagle wing artwork, or remove it entirely to uncover a black leather-and-mesh upper accented by a vibrant orange underlay with FTY branding visible beneath the netting. An eagle is debossed onto the lateral heel, while the special packaging features an eagle reinterpretation of the classic Michael Jordan face box. Inside the lid sits the collective’s signature rallying cry: “We succeeded in giving the people hope.”
Styling for the campaign was led by Imruh Asha, whose fashion direction helps bridge the apparel collection with the project’s larger creative vision. Together with the handcrafted visuals, the campaign feels less like a product launch and more like a celebration of everything Free The Youth has spent the last decade building.
The Free The Youth x Air Jordan 16 collection drops August 1st on freetheyouthxjordan.net, followed by a wider release on August 15th via SNKRS and select retailers. Check out photos of the AJ16 and the stunning campaign visuals below.
Free The Youth x Air Jordan 16
Color: Metallic Silver/Total Orange-Picante Red
Style Code: IV7638-001
Release Date: August 1, 2026 (Free The Youth)
Release Date: August 15, 2026 (Global)
Price: $255 USD
Free The Youth x Jordan Brand Collection
Release Date: August 1, 2026 (Free The Youth)
Release Date: August 15, 2026 (Global)
