Back in 1985, when Nike released Michael Jordan's first shoe - the legendary Air Jordan 1 black and red "Bred" colorway - it was adopted by an unintended audience - skaters. Thanks to the durable and protective leather of the Jordans, it quickly became a staple of the skating world, and a fine example of a cross-sports shoe. As a result, a collaboration between Jordan and Nike SB, another skateboarding favourite, started to creep onto the wishlist of 'sneaker heads' worldwide. In 2014, this came to fruition, with Air Jordan x Nike SB collaborations, designed firstly by artist and photographer Craig Stecyk and another version by pro-skater Lance Mountain getting it all underway. Come 2019, another collaboration between the two is on the horizon, and with the release dates fast approaching, here's a look at some of the details of one of the most highly anticipated Jordan releases of the year.
The Air Jordan 1 OG High x Nike SB release currently seems to be the most hyped model. In the initial announcement, it was revealed that the shoe would come in two colorways - one OG "Lakers" colour, and one grey and white "Light Bone". The "Lakers" shoes appear to be the most sought-after, due to the fact that with enough wear and tear, the colorway will rub off, to reveal an entirely different colour scheme underneath - the popular "Chicago" white, black and red.
The Air Jordan 1 OG High x Nike SB (both colorways) will both be released separately on 25th May, and will be retailing for $175 or with the current exchange rate, approximately £135.
However, amongst all the hype over the Air Jordan 1 High models, many seem to have forgotten about the low tops released alongside the collaboration, four of which which are not SB collabs, but are inspired by skateboarding, and pay homage to the style of shoe that has become so popular across the skateboarding world. The Air Jordan 1 Low is admittedly, nowhere near as popular as its counterpart, but its comfort and style for summer especially cannot be underestimated, and with this collaboration being dedicated to the Los Angeles skate scene, it may not be unfathomable to think that the AJ1 Low may even be preferred by skaters.
The lows began rolling out in April at Nike stores and other select retailers, in a number of colourways - the black toe "Chicago" the OG "Pine, the popular "Taxi" and an interesting suede with a hyper pink gum sole, but outside of this quartet of colourways, it seems there is still room for a Nike SB collab version of the low to come. A collaboration with pro-skater and already-established Nike SB designer Eric Koston is on the way. First revealed in March as well, it appears the pair don't have a set release date other than "Summer 2019", but thanks to @zsneakerheadz on Instagram, we are now able to take a more detailed look at the Eric Koston lows, which are dividing opinion in the comment section.
Featuring the iconic "Jumpman" logo on the toe in red, which seems to be the biggest stand-out point for critics, the lows come in a white and navy blue colour scheme, with Eric Koston's signature under the padded tongue of the shoe. Comments on @zsneakerheadz post included such criticisms as "It's got a jump man, a swoosh, a wings logo and an SB tag. Nobody at Nike thought that's a bit OD? [sic]", and simply "These ain't it.". However some reacted positively, commenting "That jump man on the toe" followed by a fire emoji, and "These are kind of fresh."
The four aforementioned colourways of the Air Jordan 1 Low originally retailed for $110, or again at the current exchange rate, approximately £85 - but prices on StockX may vary dramatically due to the popularity and the shoes selling out immensely quickly online. The Eric Koston Nike SB version of the AJ1 lows will retail for the same price but outside of "Summer 2019", an exact release date has not been set as of yet.
So what do you make of the Air Jordan x Nike SB collaboration? Is it a "need it" or "keep it"? Either way, the collab is sure to be a massive seller for Nike, with skaters and sneakerheads especially eager to get their hands on a pair.
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