FEATURES · 11 September 2026

Every Air Jordan 4 'Bred', From 1989 to the 2026 OG

The Bred is the most copied, most retroed and most argued over Air Jordan 4 colourway there is. Seven releases since 1989, and almost every one of them changed something people cared about.

On 28 November 2026, Black Friday weekend, it comes back again, this time on the OG mould. Before that lands, here is every version, what each one got right and what it got wrong, and which of them you can still find on KLEKT.

1989, The Original

First released as the 'Black Cement', this black and red scheme was one of four OG colourways. The black upper was made with synthetic durabuck, with matching mesh panels on the sides. After the Jordan 3, this was the second model to carry the Jumpman on the tongue while keeping Nike Air branding on the TPU heel. It was also the second Jordan with visible Air in the midsole, with hits of red on the herringbone outsole.

Shop the Air Jordan 4 OG 'Bred' (1989) on KLEKT

1999, Ten Years On

The Bred returned for the Air Jordan 4's tenth anniversary, staying true to Tinker Hatfield's original design. It is the most faithful of the early retros and the hardest to wear today, because most of those midsoles have crumbled. A 1999 pair is a display piece now, not a shoe.

2008, The Countdown Pack

In 2008 Jordan Brand released a series of Countdown Packs to mark the arrival of the Air Jordan 23, pairing two models whose numbers added up to 23. The Jordan 4 came boxed with the 19.

That release made one small change that people still bring up. The Nike Air branding on the heel was replaced with a second Jumpman. Newer buyers did not blink. Anyone who had owned the original did.

2012, Twenty-Three Years On

Four years later the Bred came back again, keeping the Jumpman on the heel and drifting further from the original shape. Between the branding and the mould, this is the version most collectors skip.

2019, Thirty Years On

Thirty years after the original, the Bred returned and got most of the praise it deserved. Black nubuck, Fire Red and Cement Grey trim, and, crucially, Nike Air branding back on the heel. The shape was still the modern one, but for anyone who cared about the details on the back of the shoe, this was the first Bred in a long time that felt correct.

Shop the Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Bred' (2019) on KLEKT

There is a kids version of the same release, the Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Bred' (GS), and it now sells for more than the adult pair. Smaller run, same shoe.

2021, On the Golf Course

In 2021 Jordan Brand took the colourway onto the green. Like most Jordan golf models the upper is unchanged, with spikes added to the outsole. It is the only Bred that was never meant to be worn on the street, which is exactly why some people want it.

Shop the Air Jordan 4 Golf 'Bred' (2021) on KLEKT

2024, Reimagined

The Reimagined line has produced some of the biggest releases of recent years, from the patent leather Jordan 1 Bred to the lightly aged White Cement 3. The Air Jordan 4 OG 'Reimagined Bred' changed one thing and split the room: the black nubuck became premium tumbled leather. The shape drew on the Nike SB Jordan 4, with a more streamlined toe box and extra padding on the tongue.

Leather ages differently to nubuck. It creases harder, holds its shape longer and survives rain. Whether that is an improvement depends entirely on what you wanted from a Bred in the first place.

Shop the Air Jordan 4 OG 'Reimagined Bred' (2024) on KLEKT

There is a GS version of the Reimagined Bred, and in 2025 the colourway also appeared on the Air Jordan 4 RM 'Bred', the cushioned everyday build rather than the retro.

2026, Back to the OG Mould

The seventh release arrives on 28 November 2026, the Saturday of Black Friday weekend. The style code is IX8180-001 and the colourway is Black/Fire Red-Cement Grey-Summit White.

Two things make this one matter. The upper returns to nubuck, undoing the change the 2024 pair made. And it is expected to use the OG mould rather than the fuller shape that has carried most retros since the 2000s. Nike Air branding sits on the heel, the insole and the outsole, the midsole carries white edges, and the pair comes in the Jordan face box.

Put simply: 2019 fixed the branding, 2024 changed the material, and 2026 is meant to fix the shape as well.

Shop the Air Jordan 4 OG 'Bred' (2026) on KLEKT

Alongside it sits the Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Bred' (2026), the standard retro version of the same colourway. We have gone through the 2026 pair in full in our Black Friday release piece, including the exact date and style code.