Sneaker culture is weirdly obsessed with timing. You’ve got drops that disappear in seconds and others that sit on shelves until they hit the clearance rack at an outlet in the middle of nowhere. But the Chinese New Year 12s? They occupy this strange, elite middle ground where everyone sort of remembers where they were when they first saw that "Taxi" inspired upper start to wear away.
It wasn’t just a shoe.
Basically, Jordan Brand took the Air Jordan 12—a silhouette already famous for MJ playing through the flu in '97—and turned it into a literal piece of changing art. Most people don’t realize that the 2017 and 2019 releases weren’t just about the red accents or the gold hardware. They were about what happened after you actually wore them.
The Disappearing Act of the Chinese New Year 12s
Most sneakers are designed to look perfect the day you take them out of the box. You stay away from puddles. You buy crease protectors. You treat them like a museum artifact.
But the Chinese New Year 12s came with a secret.
The white leather upper was actually a "wear-away" material. Underneath that clean, sterile surface lived a chaotic, beautiful traditional Chinese woodcut graphic. It was loud. It was colorful. It was everything the outside of the shoe wasn't. This wasn't some cheap gimmick; it was a nod to the "bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new" philosophy that defines the Lunar New Year.
Honestly, I remember seeing guys at trade shows taking acetone to their pairs just to reveal the pattern early. It felt sacrilegious to some, but to others, it was the whole point of owning the shoe. If you didn't reveal the hidden layer, did you even really own a pair of CNY 12s?
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Why the 2017 Pair Hit Different
The 2017 release was the one that really set the tone. It looked remarkably like the OG "Taxi" colorway at first glance. It had that white tumbled leather and the black textured mudguard. But then you noticed the bamboo-textured details on the eyelets and the midfoot branding.
Bamboo. In a basketball shoe.
It worked because it didn't feel forced. Nike and Jordan Brand have a history of occasionally overdoing themed releases—sometimes they just slap a zodiac animal on the heel and call it a day—but the 12s felt curated. The tongue featured Chinese characters reading "拾貳," which simply translates to "12." It was subtle, sophisticated, and way more "lifestyle" than "on-court performance," even though the 12 is arguably one of the most durable basketball shoes ever made.
Resale Value and the "Grail" Status
If you look at StockX or GOAT right now, the prices for a deadstock pair of Chinese New Year 12s aren't exactly cheap. They aren't "Off-White Chicago" expensive, but they’ve held their value significantly better than most other CNY releases.
Why?
Scarcity is the obvious answer, but there’s more to it. The 12 is a silhouette that ages gracefully. Unlike an Air Jordan 4, which can crumble if you look at it wrong after five years, or an Air Jordan 1, which can feel like walking on a wooden plank, the 12 has full-length Zoom Air. It’s comfortable. People actually wear these.
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Also, the "Taxi" aesthetic is timeless. By giving fans a shoe that looked like a classic but had a hidden "Easter egg" layer, Jordan Brand captured two different types of collectors: the purists and the hypebeasts.
- The Purists: Loved the black and white color blocking.
- The Hypebeasts: Loved the "transformation" aspect and the limited nature of the drop.
There was a 2019 version too. That one went in a different direction, utilizing a satin-like finish on the mudguard and a much more vibrant interior. It was good, but it lacked the sheer "wow" factor of that 2017 "Taxi" flip.
The Construction Nobody Talks About
We need to talk about the materials for a second. Jordan 12s are tanks. They were originally inspired by the "Rising Sun" flag and a 19th-century women's fashion boot. Weird combo? Maybe. But it resulted in a shoe that can take a beating.
The Chinese New Year 12s utilized a higher grade of leather than your standard "General Release" (GR) pair. When you hold them, you can feel the weight. The 2017 pair specifically used a 3M reflective material on the upper. This meant that if you hit them with a camera flash, the whole shoe turned into a beacon. It was a visual flex that worked perfectly in the early days of Instagram sneaker photography.
What People Get Wrong About Collecting CNY Releases
A lot of people think that every Chinese New Year shoe is a guaranteed investment. That’s just not true. Just look at some of the Jordan 5 or Jordan 6 CNY versions—some of those ended up below retail.
The Chinese New Year 12s succeeded because they respected the original design language of the shoe. They didn't try to reinvent the 12; they just gave it a new story to tell.
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If you're looking to buy a pair today, you have to be careful. Because of that wear-away upper, "used" pairs are a minefield. You might buy a pair that looks white in the photos, only to realize the previous owner tried to peel off the paint with a hairdryer and messed up the leather underneath. It's a high-risk, high-reward purchase on the secondary market.
Authenticity Checks for the 12s
Fakes of the CNY 12s were everywhere for a while. The biggest giveaway was always the "bamboo" pieces. On the real pairs, the texture is crisp and feels like actual wood or high-end polymer. On the reps, it usually looks like cheap, shiny plastic.
Also, check the weight. 12s are heavy. If the box feels light, something is wrong.
Actionable Steps for Collectors
If you’re hunting for a pair of Chinese New Year 12s, don't just jump on the first pair you see on a resale site. You need a strategy because these aren't your average sneakers.
- Check for "Natural" Wear: If you're buying used, look for pairs where the pattern is showing through naturally at the flex points near the toe box. This proves the material is authentic and hasn't been chemically stripped in a way that damages the glue.
- Verify the 3M: If it’s the 2017 pair, ask for a photo with the flash on. The 3M should be uniform. If it looks "clumpy" or dull, the shoe might be a counterfeit or have significant water damage.
- Inspect the "12" Characters: The embroidery on the tongue should be tight. There shouldn't be "connecting threads" between the characters. Jordan Brand's quality control on these specific pairs was actually quite high compared to recent years.
- Storage Matters: Because of the special materials used on the CNY 12s, they are prone to yellowing if left in direct sunlight. If you find a pair with "icy" white pods on the outsole, they’ve likely been stored in a climate-controlled environment.
The reality is that we might not see another Chinese New Year 12s release that captures the same energy as the original wear-away versions. Sneaker trends move toward the "minimalist" or the "dad shoe" vibe these days, but the 12 remains a silhouette for people who want their footwear to double as armor.
Whether you're wearing them to a dinner or just keeping them on a shelf, these shoes represent a peak era of Nike storytelling—where the shoe actually changed the more you lived in it. That’s something a standard leather dunk just can’t do.