How Air Jordans Won Over The World
The outstretched image of Michael Jordan in logo form – the famed “jumpman” motif – is a modern artefact. Few people fail to recognise his sprawled 6’6” figure, seen wearing the namesake Air Jordan sneakers he created with Nike, reaching for a ball at an upright angle. It’s the silhouette of a man that revolutionised basketball and slam-dunked his way to fame, all the while popularising a certain pair of shoes. Get more news about mens air jordan shoes on sale,you can vist ajsize.com!
Air Jordans, worn as he sprung from court floor to net throughout his career, have found cachet status among a new generation of fervid fans. From hypebeasts to supermodels and everyday folk, Air Jordans have in no way gathered dust since their debut in 1985. The style is officiated by the likes of Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber and Hailey Bieber as everyday model uniform, while J Lo, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, and Beyoncé, are all regularly spotted sporting them, amongst many, many more.
The typically formal US Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris even featured a surprise cameo in the shape of the extremely rare Air Jordan 1 OG Dior by Kim Jones – artistic director of Dior Men – worn by Meena Harris’ husband Nikolas Ajagu. He was one of the lucky few to get his hands on the most expensive Air Jordans of all time, which feature a sleek grey and cream leather upper, a light blue sole, monogrammed swoosh tick and a reimagined “Air Dior” winged logo. “Air Jordans are my favourite thing in the world to wear every day,” Jones previously told British Vogue of the first fashion collaboration in Jordans’ 36-year history. The style’s resale value is currently upwards of £10,000.
Sportswear giants were chomping at the bit to get a piece of Michael Jordan as he embarked on his NBA career. Ahead of his rookie season in 1984, Converse Chuck Taylors were his shoe of choice; favoured for their tactile, low-to-the-ground soles and comfortable upper. But Nike had a pitch, one that Jordan – though hesitant to sign – couldn’t turn down. Tentative about the thick soles of Nike’s range, he reportedly had to be dragged to the brand’s Oregon campus to hear out the presentation of creative director Peter C. Moore. Willing to do absolutely anything in order to capitalise on Jordan’s endorsement, Moore designed the Air Jordan 1 – a shoe shape that, upon its conception, took the world by storm.
Tailored to Jordan’s different-sized feet (left, 13; right, 13.5) and made to cater for his athletic needs, the Air Jordan 1 was the ultimate custom shoe that could also be appropriated for the mass market. Before anyone knew what breaking the internet was, Jordan was creating hype via his match-game appearances.
The Air Jordan 1 wasn’t set to be ready until November 1985, so throughout most of his inaugural NBA season he wore a very similar shoe – Nike’s Air Ship. On 18 October 1984 he wore a black and red pair (also known as “bred”), which prompted a response from NBA commissioner Russ Granik, who informed Nike that the colourway was prohibited by the association’s “rules and procedures”. The dispute made for a tantalising ad campaign, leading Nike to release a clip in which the narrator muses: “On October 15, Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe”, as Michael is seen dribbling a basketball, followed by: “On October 18, the NBA threw them out of the game. Fortunately, the NBA can’t stop you from wearing them. Air Jordans. From Nike.”
The public was sold. Upon its release in April 1985, retailed at $65 in the “banned” colourway, the shoe welcomed $100 million in the first year and thirteen fresh colour combinations followed.
