Catch the Jordan 1 Retro High OG Banned, Bred 2016
The Air Jordan 1 is the trainer that started it all, marking the beginning of the most iconic lineage of trainers in history. In many ways, it's responsible for launching modern-day trainer culture as a whole - and it almost didn't happen.
History of Air Jordan 1
As the story goes, the year was 1984, and Chicago Bulls' rookie Michael Jordan was a hot commodity for endorsement deals, with trainers naturally being paramount.
Jordan had just come off a stellar college basketball season at the University of North Carolina. He wore Converse and was a personal fan of Adidas, so he took meetings with both companies, but they never reached a deal. It seems strange today, but at the time, Michael Jordan hated Nike - so much so that he refused to take a meeting with them.
He was persuaded by his mother, Deloris Jordan, to visit the Nike campus in Oregon and listen to their pitch. His plan was to go through the motions to appease his parents and agent but he ultimately left with a contract unlike any other.
Rather than walking in the shadows of established athletes like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (which may have been the case had he signed elsewhere), Michael Jordan shone in the Nike limelight. He was paid more than any other athlete with a trainer endorsement at the time. Nike made him the face of its growing presence in basketball, and gave him his own trainer line - called Air Jordan.
Jordan 1 Retro High OG Banned, Bred 2016
The Air Jordan 8.0 went dark in 2011 with the Dark Charcoal colourway release. A Black mesh upper provides a breathable fabric in alternating sections on each side. Suede black overlays accent the upper and act as a mudguard for the trainer's sides and heel. A white Jumpman logo sits on the shoe's padded toe, and white straps form an X across the trainer's black laces to offer an even more secure positioning for the foot. A splattered green swirl accents the shoe's black midsole and continues underneath on the shoe's arch. A white outer sole coats the bottom of the shoe, while the tread is accented by a black oversized Jumpman logo toward the toe. This rare Dark Charcoal design became available at select stores nationwide in 2011.
