We all know how big Jordan Brand is today. Whether it’s the power of collaborations, the cool designs, or everything in between, the brand managed to sustain its popularity for nearly 40 years now. And today, we’re gonna break down the story of the silhouette that started it all: the Air Jordan 1. Love it or hate it today, you can’t deny the cultural impact that this one shoe left on the sneaker culture. One can even argue that it’s the silhouette that sparked the sneaker and hype cultures as we know them today. So, let’s dig into the background of it all and how it became the sensation that it is, shall we?
The Origins – Nike Air Ship Paves the Way for Hype
We’re not gonna get into the details of how Nike secured the bag when it comes to signing Jordan. You can read all of that in details in our extensive Air Jordan guide! But now, let’s talk about the backstory. When Nike dropped the Nike Air Jordan 1, it became the talk of the town! However, it wasn’t because the kicks looked fantastic and groundbreaking, although they were. It was the fact that Nike went all out on the marketing!
You see, when Nike dropped the Jordan 1, they marketed it as the shoe that the NBA banned! The story goes that the Bred colorway violated the NBA guidelines. And that resulted in a ban, and any violation would end with a $5,000 fine every game! But the truth is, it wasn’t the Air Jordan 1 that got that bad. In fact, it was the black and red Nike Air Ship that looked a lot like the Bred Jordan 1s! And well, the story kicked off, making the brand a whopping $126 million in sales. Michael Jordan became the rookie of the year, and the rest is history. Today, the brand generates about 13% of Nike’s total revenue!
The Air Jordan 1 Cultural Influence
You can’t be a sneakerhead without at least having a bit of appreciation for the silhouette. Mind you, you don’t have to be a fan or like to wear them. But nobody can deny the influence these babies had on pop culture and the sneaker industry. From the skateboarding scene to music and beyond, the Jordan 1 (and the whole line generally) became an icon. That’s partly due to the fact that Michael Jordan himself is the GOAT. The other part is because Nike leaned heavily (and successfully) into the marketing game.
But the more important part is that people embraced it beyond the basketball court. It stopped being a pair of performance kicks and became a fashion statement. If you know how to style your Jordans, you could be the talk of the entourage! And beyond that, having an extensive Jordan collection is a status symbol. So say what you want about the line, but you can’t ignore what the people want!
Air Jordan 1 OG Colorways
So, if you know your sneaker terminology, you’ll know that OG stands for original, as in the original colorways. And in 1985, Nike gave us the first eight colorways of the Air Jordan 1, aka the ones we still love to this day. If any of these babies drop today, you know for a fact that all real sneakerheads will line up for a pair! So, here are the OG eight AJ1s that every Jordan aficionado should own.
Best Jordan 1 Collabs Today
As we already mentioned, one of Jordan Brand’s strengths is its collaborative power. And because of this, it’s kinda hard to pick favorites. However, we rounded up five of our personal favorites that we think most will agree upon!
Wanna Get an Air Jordan 1 After All This?
We get it, the hype is hard to resist, especially with a silhouette this successful. But regardless of the colorway, Jordan 1s are hard to get for retail on a good day. Luckily for you, there’s always a way for you to round them hard edges. And that’s by using a sneaker bot to score kicks for retail. Don’t worry though, we’re not gonna take you through the details right now, but we can give you some pointers.
When you wanna look for the best sneaker bot on the market, you need it to cover all the bases for you. And that’s when you’ll need an all-in-one bot like NSB3! From Shopify to Nike SNKRS, you can cop all the Jordans of your dreams. So, what are you waiting for? Get your NSB key today to get started on your sneaker collector journey. And who knows? You might become a solid reseller in time. Godspeed!
