In 1985, Nike debuted the cult-classic Air Jordan shoes. The product, which was first intended to be just another line of shoes, became much more and influenced the development of the modern sneaker culture.
Michael Jordan wore the Nike Jordan shoes for the NBA All-Star game, which was the shoe’s first appearance in a high-cut style. The footwear was introduced in a bred hue with compressed air pockets, heel ankle support, and toe overlays.
The Nike Jordan shoes were Michael Jordan’s first signature sneaker as a prominent NBA player. Over the years, they have attained the pinnacle of popularity and have started to appear frequently in many outstanding collaborations. These partnerships are among the most exclusive and expensive ones available.
Dior, Off-White, Eminem, Travis Scott, Union LA, Fragments, and more brands are on the list of working partners. So, we’ve compiled a list of the top five Air Jordan 1 High collaborations ever.
- Dior Air Jordan 1
Jordan and Dior worked together to redesign the highs and lows of the AJ1 shape. The highs were produced in a small batch of 8500 pieces. The 35th anniversary of the Air Jordan silhouette was commemorated by the cooperation. The world first saw the sneakers at the Dior pre-fall 2020 runway show in Miami.
The shoes are made of Dior’s high-end leather materials and available in the colour combinations of sail, wolf grey, photon dust, and white. Dior’s renowned oblique monogram pattern is featured above the swooshes of the sneakers, and its white edges are hand-painted.
The Jordan brand’s first partnership with a high-end luxury legacy fashion business was this joint shoe. The pair was significantly more sought-after by sneakerheads due to the small number of units that were produced.
These shoes each had a number between 1 and 8500. The brand combined its trademark with a co-branded emblem, known as Air Dior, that was imprinted over the silver hangtag. The inclusion of the recognisable wing emblem and tongue tags bearing the Dior name adds more branding.
- Off White Air Jordan 1 Retro High University Blue
The partnership between Nike and the Jordan brand and Off-White has long been regarded as iconic. A reinvented Air Jordan 1 shape in University Blue, sometimes known as the UNC colorway, was the result of one such collaboration.
The sneakers made their debut as part of Virgil Abloh’s outfit at the Met Gala. Abloh sported a crisp white Louis Vuitton suit to the Met Gala along with a pair of powder blue sneakers.
The original UNC colorway of the Air Jordans served as the model for the sneakers. The pair’s uppers are made of white-coloured leather materials as a base, while powder blue is used for the overlays. Orange tones that are scattered throughout the sneakers add a flash of colour.
The pure white midsoles have the “AIR” lettering, which is significant in off-white partnerships. At the lateral ankle overlay, the recognisable wings and basketball emblem can be seen.
- Trophy Room Air Jordan 1 High Freeze Out
The Air Jordan 1 Chicago, which had already made its debut, was reimagined through a partnership between the Jordan brand and the Trophy Room label. The collaborative sneakers have a White/Sail/Varsity Red/Black colour palette on the Air Jordan 1 silhouette.
The white leather used to make the upper of the sneakers is completely white. The red overlays that are highlighted over the white leather basis and coated in a glittering finish to give the sneakers flair stand out against the white leather base. Red exposed stitching is used on the white leather basis to enhance contrast.
The addition of blue and red stars underneath draws attention to the tread and outsoles. The recognisable ankle swooshes are covered in black-coloured impacts.
The ankle design is where the most noticeable feature is visible. This is a tribute to NBA player Michael Jordan, who supposedly tried to be excluded from the All-Star games by his teammates. There is embroidery that reads “Rumor has it…” inside the ankles.
- Union LA Air Jordan 1 High OG Black Toe
The Nike and Jordan brands collaborated with Chris Gibbs to create two pairs of the Air Jordan 1 Retro High Union Los Angeles models in the Black Toe and Storm Blue Toe hues. The unique AJ1 is made of white leather with embellishments in red and black. The distinctive swoosh is dressed entirely in black.
The original Air Jordan 1 colorway featured streetwear fashion cues that attracted a tonne of attention from sneakerheads. The sneakers’ worn-out, exposed padding on the midsoles adds to their vintage appearance. The top is constructed from distressed leather.
- Travis Scott x Fragment Air Jordan 1 High
The AJ1 High silhouette was replicated in a collaboration between Travis Scott, Fragment, and the Jordan brand. The trio worked together to create a pair using the colour combination black/sail/military blue/shy pink.
The upper of the AJ1 pair is made of white leather materials. In contrast, the rubber outsoles, toe boxes, heel counters, and ankle flaps are all clothed in military blue.
Reverse swooshes from Travis Scott were applied to the lateral side while sporting a black colour. Along with the “Nike Air” branding, the sneakers also include a “Cactus Jack” calligraphy logo above the tongues. On the left pair’s heel is a deformed emoji face, while on the right pair is Hiroshi Fujiwara’s renowned Lightning Bolt design from the film Fragment.