Air Jordan 1 History & Timeline: What to Know About Air Jordan 1

Table Of Content

• Nike Designer, Peter Moore and the Air Jordan 1
• Talking WNBA Sneakers
• SRGN Academy offers classes, tools and content to help you master shoe customization and shoe creation.
• A History of the Air Jordan 1 Sneakers
• Before Nike
• Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Rookie of the Year” Releases Spring 2025
• Ben Affleck’s shoe style

Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.

Nike Designer, Peter Moore and the Air Jordan 1

Learn how to deconstruct and reconstruct shoes, and finish with your own design and pair of a classic silhouette. Their flat-soled, high-top shape lend a retro appeal that feels especially cool right now, but more importantly, the brand has been releasing updated Air Jordan 1's in fresh new color options—and fashion girls have been all over them. We've cataloged the best ways to style Air Jordans and shopped out each looks below. So with that, the sneakers that seem to be having a moment in vogue right now are none other than Nike's Air Jordan 1. Just like the many of the popular sneakers of the moment (we're looking at you, Reebok and New Balance), these iconic high-top kicks are far from new—in fact, their history goes back to 1985 and, of course, their namesake Michael Jordan.

Talking WNBA Sneakers

Jordan's relationship with Nike is considered the gold standard for athlete endorsement deals. "His name may not be as recognizable as others in Nike history, but his impact cannot be overstated," Nike historian emeritus Scott Reames wrote on LinkedIn. "If there was a list of the 50 most influential employees in Nike's first 50 years, Peter would be on it." By the end of the season, Jordan became the NBA Rookie of the Year—and Jordan 1 sales total $126 million.

SRGN Academy offers classes, tools and content to help you master shoe customization and shoe creation.

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A History of the Air Jordan 1 Sneakers

But the Swoosh had the biggest and boldest plan to differentiate Jordan from the rest of the league’s stars. Jordan had preferred adidas because its shoes were lower to the ground than Nike's. It would even go on to accommodate his different-sized feet (left, size 13; right, size 13.5). CollaborationsJordan Brand guards their catalog of models closely when it comes to collabs, with only a couple handfuls of Air Jordans lended out to third parties throughout the years. They seem to be most generous with the Air Jordan 1, as it has had more collaborative versions than any other game shoe, including the Nike SB x Lance Mountain, Dover Street Market, Public School (unreleased), and the fragment design editions.

The Air Jordan 1 didn’t retro until 1995, with the return of the “Chicago” and “Bred” colorways. Sneaker trends had moved on to more technical models and there wasn't yet any retro market to speak of. The re-release was a dismal failure, with shoes reportedly being put on sale for a reduced price of $20 (down from $80).

It’s hard to fathom, but many of things we take for granted in today’s sneaker world––drops, or serializing––didn’t exist back then. Nike reissued, or “retro-ed,” the Air Jordan 1 for the first time in 1994 for its 10-year anniversary. The “Bred” and “Chicago” colorways returned with a new price tag of $80 but would hit discount racks for a fraction of that because demand was so low. Skateboarders scooped up cheap pairs and realized the decade-old basketball tech still lent itself well to skating, creating an unexpected legacy in the sport that endures to this day. Here, Footwear News takes a look at the history of the Air Jordan 1 and how it became such an influential item. Dropping in a number of colourways, the sneaker stood out above almost any other shoe on the court.

Air Jordan 1 High OG Artisanal Red (Team Red) DZ5485-160 - Sneaker Bar Detroit

Air Jordan 1 High OG Artisanal Red (Team Red) DZ5485-160.

Posted: Sat, 13 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

These fresh retro colorways and innovative collaborations became some of the most prestigious shoes in Nike and in the sneaker world in general. Something can be recognized immediately and universally in street, sneaker, and fashion culture. When you walk into a building with Jordan 1’s on, the first thing that people will look at are the shoes. While it may be a symbol of status, it doesn’t discriminate against status.

Ben Affleck’s shoe style

Nowadays, many sneakerheads don’t have to make that decision due to the rise of technology, allowing businesses like Foot Locker, Nike, and many others to host shoe sales on a first come-first serve basis or via raffle. Of course, this online market has its own inherent problems, including the use of bots to automatically purchase a shoe or to make dozens of online accounts eligible for raffles. Well, what’s the point in going through all this craze if I could save up a couple more dollars to buy them for resale? The Bulls' management was also worried about the message Jordan was sending by standing apart through his color choices.

In addition to the Air Jordan 1, he also designed the Jordan brand's iconic Jumpman logo and its original Wings logo. Moore, who helped drive the creation of the Jordan line, is most known for the Air Jordan 1, which debuted in 1985 and remains a cornerstone of sneaker culture, with many selling for premiums on the secondary market. Nick Engvall is a sneaker enthusiast with over 15 years of experience in the footwear business.

First released in 2022, Affleck was wearing the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Reverse Mocha.” Based on the “Dark Mocha” style released in 2019, the shoe features a brown, suede nubuck upper with white leather overlay panels. Scott made the backwards Swoosh a staple of his designs — his collaborative partnership with Jordan Brand stretches back to 2017 — and that is featured prominently here. The Swoosh and midsole are both cream while the Wings logo and other accents are red. So how can one get their hands on some of today’s most highly anticipated shoes like the Air Jordan 1’s?

The Air Jordan I was the first shoe to be worn in the NBA with multiple colors. Peter Moore was the man behind the Air Jordan 1 (and also helped design the Air Jordan II). When Michael Jordan first looked at the AJ I, his response was “I’m not wearing that shoe. Jordan would continue wearing his debut sneaker for his second NBA season, although he’d miss 64 games because of a broken foot.