Air Jordan 1: The History and Origin of a Revolution!

 

The Beginnings of the Jordan Brand

 

As its name suggests, the history of Jordan is closely linked to that of the legendary basketball player: Michael Jordan. In the 1980s, Michael Jordan was a rookie player with the Chicago Bulls who was starting to make a name for himself. In this context, the brands Converse, Adidas, and Nike began to court him and eventually made him sponsorship offers to wear their sneakers during games. After lengthy negotiations, it was finally with the swoosh brand that Jordan signed for a salary of $500,000 per year, the creation of his own clothing brand, and a 25% commission on each pair sold.

 

Upon signing the contract, Michael Jordan received a Nike Air Ship stamped “Air Jordan” in the famous red and black “Bred” colorway. Legend has it that after a first game wearing this pair, the NBA decided to ban the model, judging the colorway non-compliant with the uniform expected of teams in the division. An opportunity for Nike’s Marketing team, who then created a commercial featuring the star basketball player with the Air Jordan 1 Bred. The voiceover in this ad told consumers that although the NBA banned the Jordan 1, no one could stop them from wearing it. This legend and the associated marketing campaign were a success and made it a symbol of rebellion cherished by young people.

 

Due to the success of the Air Jordan line, the swoosh gradually disappeared from the models to be replaced by a Jordan stamp starting in 1992, which also marked the release of the Air Jordan 7. In 1997, Jordan officially became a brand distinct from Nike; the Jordan basketball brand was born.

 

The Jordan 1 as a Marker of Popular Culture

 

The Jordan 1 has marked various aspects of popular culture throughout its history. One such marker appeared as early as 1986 with the release of the Air Jordan II. This release resulted in the loss of popularity of the Air Jordan 1, with a collapse in sales and price. At that time, Air Jordan 1s could be found for the modest sum of $20, a price completely disconnected from the market realities of 2022. This price reduction allowed the brand to reach a new audience, that of skaters. This rising, accessible, and comfortable sneaker perfectly suited the skateboarding community, which at the time had no dedicated models. Jordan officially recognized this relationship much later with the release in 2019 of a pack of 6 Air Jordans designed for this urban sport.

 

Over time, the brand continued to deeply influence popular culture, notably with appearances of Air Jordans in one of the most popular series of the time: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The release of the Air Jordan V in 1990 coincided with the launch of the series. The character played by Will Smith professed throughout the series his love for the Air Jordan 5 White Grape, which made it a success, made it particularly popular with an entire generation, and made Jordan an iconic brand of the 1990s.

 

1996 marked the release of the legendary film Space Jam, which featured Michael Jordan playing himself alongside the Looney Tunes characters. Like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, this film marked a generation that saw the brand as a lifestyle model to follow.

 

Unique and Unmissable Collaborations

 

The Air Jordan 1 allowed Nike to create an independent and strong brand and to capitalize on the launch of several derivative models (Air Jordan 2, Air Jordan 3, Air Jordan 4, Air Jordan 5, and many others). The Air Jordan 1 is and will always be for sneaker addicts and collectors the reference model known as OG. Because of this, many artists and brands have collaborated with Jordan on capsule models. A form of consecration for those associated with this model. Discover a selection of unmissable collaborations below:

 

 

• AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO HIGH UNION LOS ANGELES BLACK TOE : Released in November 2018, the Jordan 1 Union Black Toe is a legendary model for any sneaker collector who respects themselves. This collaboration between Jordan and Union LA offers a reimagined version of the OG Bred colorway.

 

• AIR JORDAN 1 HIGH OG SP FRAGMENT TRAVIS SCOTT : The collaboration between Nike and Travis Scott is already one of the most iconic collections of the swoosh brand. For this new collaboration on the Air Jordan 1, the two entities teamed up with the Fragment label in a Military Blue colorway with the usual reversed Swoosh, a trademark of the Houston rapper.

 

• AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO HIGH OFF-WHITE UNIVERSITY BLUE: Released in May 2018, Off-White and Nike launched their third collaboration on the Air Jordan 1 model with the University Blue. After the “Chicago” and the “All White,” this collaboration features a sky blue colorway stamped Off-White with the classic red zip-tie.

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