Meet the American who created Air Jordan sneakers: Peter Moore, legend of global design

Graphic designer Peter Moore was tapped to create a sneaker for gravity-defying rookie NBA star Michael Jordan in 1984. Moore’s sneaker and Jordan’s celebrity transformed global consumer culture in ways never imagined.

Peter Moore made footwear an art form. 

Paired with a young sports star whose ascendancy defied gravity, Moore's art form inspired a pop-culture phenomenon. 

Moore designed the original Air Jordan sneakers. 

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They were first worn by Chicago Bulls rookie basketball star Michael Jordan in 1984 and then released to the public before the end of the NBA season in the spring of 1985. 

The sneaker biz has never been the same.

Peter Moore designed Air Jordan sneakers for Nike in 1984 but spent most of his career as a senior executive with Adidas.  (Courtesy Adidas)

"The Air Jordan transformed the industry by turning sneakers into objects of pop-culture desire," sneaker expert and writer Brendan Dunne, co-host of "The Complex Sneakers Podcast," told Fox News Digital.  

The original Air Jordan, he added, "set the standard for footwear obsession in America."

"The first Air Jordan set the standard for footwear obsession in America." — Brendan Dunne, sneaker podcaster

Moore died last April after a career of transforming not just the sneaker industry, but global consumer culture, with the power of his imagery. 

He’s best known for his role with Nike. 

Moore worked with company executives to land Jordan as a client at the start of his NBA career in 1984, then worked with the budding superstar to create Air Jordan sneakers.

A pair of basketball legend Michael Jordan's famous Air Jordans from his rookie season are