The Air Jordan 5 featured a unique style cooked up by Tinker Hatfield. The Air Jordan 5 was inspired by the WW2 Mustang fighter plane. The most obvious element of the inspiration is the shark teeth shapes on the midsole of the shoe. The Air Jordan 5 also was the first Jordan shoe to have a clear sole. This not only added a nice look to the Air Jordan 5, but provided far better traction. The Air Jordan 5 also featured an iradescent reflective tongue and lacelocks.
Yellow Soles Assist Retro SalesThough the Air Jordan 5 would sell just fine on its own, the fact that the shoes had clear rubber soles helped convince many Jordan collectors to buy a retro pair. The Air Jordan 5 soles would turn yellow over time and almost amber. The Jordan 5 is not alone with the yellow sole blues - the Jordan 6, Jordan 11, and Jordan 16 all had major parts of the soles made of clear rubber.