Air Jordan(s) , or simply Jordans are a brand of shoes produced by Nike originally designed for and endorsed by professional NBA basketball player Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan line is now sold by Jordan Brand, a sub-division of Nike. Since its first release in 1984, there have been new designs of the shoe released each year, even after Michael Jordan retired from the NBA.
Collectors classify the Air Jordan line by release year and model: Originals (OG), Retros (shoes that have been recreated for sale to the general public), Retro-pluses (Retro +, Air Jordans that are similar to the Original product, with more up-to-date changes), Player Exclusive (PE, Air Jordans that are exclusive to certain athletes in the realm of sports) and Samples. The Jordan Brand also produces a line of Team shoes, separate from the signature line of Air Jordan shoes.
Air Jordans can be bought at boutiques and sneaker retailers such as Foot Locker, Finish Line, Footaction, Champs, Eastbay, and for rarer Jordans, Alife Rivington Club and Flight Club.
History
During early 1984, Nike was in serious jeopardy in the fast paced sportswear market. Suffering from its "white man jogging brand" image, Nike had no credit in the basketball world. The running shoe phenomenon that had fueled their sales in previous years was slowly dying, and they needed a way to revitalize and reinvent themselves in order to appeal to another segment of the market. That is when Nike saw something special in the rookie player Michael Jordan, they saw an opportunity. Nike signed Jordan to a $2.5 million deal for 5 years, plus royalties and other fringe benefits.
The introduction of the Air Jordan 1 turned the athletic shoe industry upside down. Before the Air Jordan 1, most basketball shoes were white, but the bold black and red styling of the Air Jordan 1 flouted this convention. The NBA banned the shoe from the league in response, but Michael Jordan wore them anyway, racking up serious fines of up to $5000 a game. Nike, of course, was more than happy to pay these to keep the shoes in the game and in the public eye. The controversy and Jordan’s spectacular performance that year served to put the Air Jordan line on the road to becoming a household name.
Air Jordan's have consistently been among the best selling basketball shoes since their creation in 1984. The designers take his ideas, hobbies, and life into account and incorporate these themes into the shoes.
Air Jordan I
Designed by Peter Moore and released in 1985, the Air Jordan I pair of sneakers was considered a breakthrough in basketball shoe design, although its design was improved upon later with the Nike Dunk. The shoe initially gained a great deal of publicity and interest when the National Basketball Association disallowed usage of the shoe during games because its vibrant black and red color violated the league's uniform rules and when Michael was fined five thousand dollars every time he wore the shoes during a game. Nonetheless, other companies scrambled to emulate the design and introducing knock-off brands of the Air Jordan line. In 1994 the Air Jordan 1 was re-released with dismal success.
When the Air Jordan I model was reintroduced in 2001, they sold out instantly.
The first colors unveiled were the banned black/red design, due to a violation within the leagues uniform policy regarding its lack of support.
On March 29, 2008, a Retro 1 tribute to Jordan's baseball days with the Birmingham Barons were released. The shoes were a quick strike release.
The Air Jordan I has more versions than any other Air Jordan shoe.
Air Jordan II
The Air Jordan II model was released after Jordan's second year in the NBA. The Air Jordan II featured high quality Italian leather and its design was inspired from a 19th century Italian woman's boot. The original 2s were produced in Italy. These were the only shoes from the Air Jordan line to not originally be released in a black color placement. Reintroduced in its original color scheme in 2004 (black, white, and red), a new black/silver colorway was released as well as a Carmelo Anthony colorway of white, Carolina Blue, and yellow. It has been rumored that Jordan would release a Varsity Red and White shoe. Though very rare, these do exist. The Air Jordan II shoe was also the first Nike sneaker to not feature the Nike swoosh logo. They were featured briefly in the movie School Daze. The Air Jordan II was actually released during the 87-88 NBA season. This is Jordan's third year in the league, as he wore the Air Jordan I for his first two years. The shoe also has a limited edition, Eminem Jordan Retro 2, which included lyrics on the shoe. There were only 313 pairs sold due to 313 being Detroit's area code.
Air Jordan III
The Air Jordan III was designed by Tinker Hatfield. It was the first Air Jordan to feature a visible air unit on the heel, the new Jumpman logo, an elephant print trim, and tumble leather for a luxury look. The Air Jordan III were also famous for the humorous ads depicting Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon—the character he played in his film 'She's Gotta Have It'. This campaign was known as "Mars and Mike" ad campaign, which still holds the title today as one of Nike's most successful advertisement campaigns. These were the first Jordans to feature the "NIKE AIR" logo on the back, but later replaced by the Jumpman logo, with the words "AIR" underneath it, similar to the Air Jordan VI. These were said to be Michael Jordan's favorite shoes, he wore them during the 1988 Dunk Championship (which he won) and many other historical events in his basketball career. The Air Jordan 3 also is one of the most famous shoes in the Air Jordan lineup. On many polls, the Air Jordan 3 finishes as the greatest sneaker of all time.
The Air Jordan III's had poor sales when first retro'ed in 1994. However when they were re-retro'ed they sold out instantly. A pair of the Air Jordan III model can be sold for over 300 dollars on various sites, one in particular being eBay. The long awaited "Fire Red" Air Jordan III was released in March 2007. The original Air Jordan III had the "NIKE AIR" logo on the back. Nike replaced it with the Jumpman logo on recent Air Jordan models such as the "Black Cats" or the "Pure Moneys."
In 2007, Jordan brand collaborated with director Spike Lee to release a limited pair of Air Jordan III's in a special colorway to resemble the Do The Right Thing movie poster.
2007 also saw the retroed versions of the Air Jordan III's in two monotone colorways, all black and all white, nicknamed the "Black Cats" and the "Pure Moneys" respectively.
2007 also had the "Flips" which moved the elephant print from the trim to the entire shoe and replacing it with white leather, indeed "Flipping" the original design of white leather with elephant print trim.
In 2009 Jordan Brand will be re-retroing the highy sought after Air Jordan 3 in the True Blue colourway. It has been confirmed that they will be an international-only release, meaning the US will not be selling them in stores. The sole and mid-sole in these shoes take part in the inspiration of the Jordan Spiz'ike, inspired by the Mars Blackmon character.
Air Jordan IV
The Air Jordan IV shoe was first released in 1989, designed once again by Tinker Hatfield. It became the first Jordan shoe released on the global market, with some exceptions. The Air Jordan IV cushioning sole and design helped to make the shoe an international bestseller.
Spike Lee, the director/actor who helped in the ad campaign for the Air Jordan III, created the Can/Can't TV commercial. Lee also featured the Air Jordan IV in his movie Do The Right Thing in a scene where the character "Buggin Out" (played by Giancarlo Esposito) angrily confronts a bicyclist who accidentally bumps into him and scuffs his Air Jordan IV shoes. After the confrontation, Buggin Out promptly places his shoe on a fire hydrant and cleans it with a toothbrush.
The shoe was retroed in 1999 in a white/black colorway and a black/cement colorway, and stores were sold out of Air Jordan IV within hours of release. However, when Nike released the first Retro+ of the Air Jordan IV, many fans of the shoe claimed that the company had "destroyed a classic" by removing the nets on the shoe along with making some other subtle changes. One example being "NIKE AIR" logo featured on the back of the shoe being replaced with the Jumpman logo.
In 2006, Nike released several variations of the Air Jordan IV, including "Mars Blackmons" ("Red" IV's with Spike Lee's alter ego on the heel), "Military Blues" , and the $500 "Thunder and Lightning" package. Also released the Mist blue color and all white and all black.
These particular variations of the shoe also takes part in the inspiration of the Air Jordan Spiz'ike (the shoe's side-lace strap)and the Nike Yeezy, a shoe designed by Kanye West.
Air Jordan V
The original Air Jordan V was released in February 1990, again designed by Hatfield. Some elements were the same from the Air Jordan IV, but the Air Jordan V's most distinctive feature is arguably its reflective tongue. There was also another innovation: clear rubber soles. The soles gave the shoe a whole new and unique look, but it yellowed over time when exposed to moisture. To combat this problem, collectors stored the shoes in a cool, dry place with a desiccant at the soles, most commonly silica packs
The Air Jord
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