The History of Air Jordan – First Five Most Iconic Models

A brief history of the origins of the Jordan brand and the releases of the first five Air Jordan silhouettes - the most sought-after sneakers ever, arranged in chronological order as they came out following basketball season. 

Air Jordan 1 – Patient 0.

Michael Jordan must be a visionary! First, he did not sign a contract with Nike until they formed the Jordan brand. And that was his first year in the NBA. A brand that, secondly, basically started an obsession with basketball sneakers in general. Thirdly, the colour combination got its slang abbreviation "bred", Which is still the only name for all sneakers in red and black colours. And fourthly, we could see for the first time on the sneaker scene a phenomenon known as reselling. It happened during the release on April 1 1985, which sold out immediately. The $ 65 shoe, which was re-sold for $ 100. The original design is based on the Nike Air Ships model and was taken care of by Peter Moore and MJ. The shoes bear the winged Jordan logo and evoke the most classic silhouettes. Even today, it is the most popular variant of trainers, and probably no one will ever beat it again.

Air Jordan 2 – Where the heck is the swoosh? 

Despite the enormous success of the first Jordans and high fan expectations, the Air Jordan 2 did not come out until two years later, at the year 87'. The reason was probably that Michael Jordan had to miss the season (85/86) due to injury. The wait was definitely worth it because elegant, sophisticated trainers with a lot of tweaks were born. Reales was quite exclusive. The shoes were made in Italy, and only 19 metropolitan areas had the opportunity to sell Jordans. Let's realize that there were a total of 30 shops where these premium sneakers could be sold. The audacity with which Nike intervened in the design of the successful first edition. No swoosh, just a winged ball for the logo. The risk involved made Air Jordan 2 a milestone among basketball trainers. They are not the most popular, but they are highly essential. The shoes were created in two variants, divided as well as jerseys for home and guests - home / away. The best features such as speed lacing, quick and fit regulation, polyurethane heel and an air unit under the heel were added, which added softness. Also, the application of artificial leather from an iguana to achieve elegance (so that sneakers can bounce off the field on the red carpet). And together with MJ, they broke countless NBA records that year.

Air Jordan 3 – It's gotta be the shoe

1987 - the contract between Michal Jordan and Nike expires. At the same time, Nike's marketing VP resigns and takes everyone's breath away. The man who bet on young Michael and managed to save the Nike brand in just three years. He takes Peto Moore(designer of Air Jordan) with him, and together they establish their own brand. Everybody at Nike knew they, will try to drag MJ.

And that's when an inexperienced designer with zero experience in shoe design comes to the scene - Tinker Hatfield, who studied architecture. Hatfield sits on the plane and meets MJ in person. To listen to him, to get an idea of ​​what a person is, to be at least a little able to come closer to Jordan's visions with his suggestions. Well, it worked. A shoe was created, which Jordan was finally proud of, and another collaboration was signed.

The new model was different. There was more fashion in it because Michael Jordan loved fashion. He liked to wear quality suits with turtlenecks and stylish leather ankle boots. Therefore, the upper is decorated with leather elements resembling elephant skin. The third Air Jordan brought fundamental changes. For the first time, we can see the Jumpman logo on the tongue. For the first time, the bubble under the heel is visible. For the first time, we see that a sports shoe can be an elegant and casual shoe functional. In 2001, the original shoe was retroed, and the release was sold out.

Air Jordan IV – “The Shot”

Air Jordan III and T. Hatfield's design set the expectation pretty high. The pressure for success in the next edition of the series was enormous. In 1989, the Air Jordan IV was released in four different colour combinations, which appeared in stores gradually throughout the year. There was no technological revolution; it was more about trifles in great aesthetics that complemented the original design. The shoe was lighter in the Mid Cut version. It was decorated with mesh on the sides and supportive lacing wings. For the first time, there was also a global release which means that the launch took place at the very same time in the US and the rest of the world. Spike Lee, director of advertising campaigns for AJ III the previous year, cast AJ IV in his film "Do The Right Thing" and at that moment IV became part of pop culture. They are the first edition of the series to see the collab, and all the retro versions are driving the sneakerheads crazy. The first highly successful retro took place 10 years after the release of OG in the popular colourways Bred and White / Cement at the same price as they were originally sold - $ 110. Dream!

Air Jordan V – The Jordan Rules

Because The Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, consolidated their position as a team to be taken seriously during last season, the Detroit Pistons came up with quite brutal defence rules aimed directly at MJ. In a series of several very tough Playoffs, we can see a very uncompromising game with a single goal - to eliminate Michael, as the MVP of the team and thus gain the upper hand, win. This inspired T. Hatfield to choose the Mustang-51 Fighter Jet for the Air Jordan V design for the 1990 season. Here, Hatfield found the perfect personification of Jordan's constant quest for dominance, striking back against Detroit bullying on the field. The release again consists of 4 CW, and the price for a pair jumps up to $ 125. It is decorated with a reflective 3M tongue and a unique set of Lace Locks. We could see the first retro version 10 years later with the first retro for the new millennium. To date, over 40 retro mutations consist of the Low Cut version, hybrid versions and collaborations carrying our favourite cartoon characters on itself. The popularity of Air Jordan in general, but especially the 5th edition got pumped up by Will Smith as Fresh Prince from Bel Air, who regularly shows himself on the scene of the popular sitcom in various colour combinations of these. No wonder he received the personalized edition that the Jordan brand dedicated to him for his 50th birthday.