Before You Buy: Nike Air Jordan 4 SE “Wet Cement”

With the Jordan 4 silhouette celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, 2024 was bound to be a big year for fans of the OG silhouette. We’ve seen some original colourways retro’d for a modern audience, like the AJ4 “Industrial Blue”, as well as some brand-new releases such as the Jordan 4 “Vivid Sulfur”. However, one pair caught our eyes when it was first leaked at the start of the year.

The Jordan 4 “Wet Cement” - or often called the “Paris Olympics” - definitely got The Sole Supplier community talking when images first surfaced. The all grey colourway and use of suede on the upper led many to compare this release to the KAWS Jordan 4s from 2017, a pair which sells for close to £2000 on the resell market. With the AJ4 “Wet Cement” set to retail for the standard Jordan 4 price of £200, many were quick to call it the affordable alternative.

We managed to get our hands on a pair early and put up a poll on our Instagram (@thesolesupplier) to ask what you wanted to know about the release. Does it live up to the hype? Where can I buy it? Are they comfortable? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know before you cop the Jordan 4 “Wet Cement”.

Straight off the bat you all wanted to know where you can get your hands on the pair. Whilst as of today the release has been pulled from the Nike SNKRS app, they will still be dropping at a range of other retailers. Some retailers such as OFFSPRING will be releasing a first-come-first-served release, a range of other retailers will be holding a traditional raffle format. Many of these raffles are already open so if you haven’t already entered, check out our product page for the full list of raffles available in Europe.

Related Article: How To Get Shoes On The SNKRS App

The AJ4 “Wet Cement” will be releasing Friday the 26th of July at 8am, so you can also try your luck on the SNKRS app if they have been re-added by then (fingers crossed). Alternatively, if you don’t get lucky enough to secure a pair, you can buy yourself a pair from our reliable Marketplace.

The upper of this shoe is primarily a smooth nubuck suede, however the mud guard around the toebox features a cracked leather which adds some rough texture to the overwise entirely smooth shoe. As with every AJ4 release, there is also TPU detailing throughout including the iconic wings and the Jumpman logo on the heel tag. Unlike the KAWS Jordan 4 release, the suede on this pair is much shorter and not as buttery, which is to be expected.

This has been one of the most anticipated Jordan releases of the year, with over 17,000 notification alerts being set on The Sole Supplier. So, does it live up to the hype?

While this is definitely a great release, it’s hard to compete with the comparisons being made between this shoe and the KAWS Jordan 4 and even the Nike SB “London”, two of the most iconic sneakers of all time. The monochromatic upper and choice of premium materials make this an incredibly wearable option which we think will only get better with some wear and age. The comfort is solid as long as you get the right size (check out our Jordan 4 size guide for tips on sizing) and the details on this shoe really make it stand out against standard Jordan 4 releases. The netting being removed and replaced with debossed detailing for example really emphasises the monochromatic detailing of the shoe. Everything down to the lining of the shoe, which features a soft suede, has been thought about.

If you’re a fan of the Jordan 4 or you’re looking for a very wearable shoe which offers a lot of versatility, we’d definitely recommend picking this pair up if you can. If you’ve also been an admirer of the Kaws x Air Jordan 4 but never pulled the trigger on a pair, you really can’t go wrong with this alternative.

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