Jordan 1 High

Air Jordan 1 High

When the Jordan 1 High was first launched in 1985, it came with the promise of a new brand based entirely around the emerging basketball star, Michael Jordan. While many other Jordan sneakers have been brought out since, the original Highs have remained incredibly popular for decades. Nowadays, the Air Jordan 1 High is one of the most recognisable and distinguished shoes out there and is available in a wide array of designs, some made specifically for men, others created with a shape more suited to women and yet more built for kids, thus ensuring that there is a style for everyone.

The Jordan 1’s debut year saw more than a dozen different colourways released, many of which are still worn around the world today thanks to the various retro versions that continue to be created. Due to its rebellious beginnings, which saw it banned from being used in the NBA, the Bred is one of the most well-known, as is its similar follow-up, the Chicago. This has the same trio of tones – the red, white and black of Jordan’s basketball team, the Bulls – but with more white to satisfy the NBA’s apparel rules. Then there was the Shadow, with its suave black and grey upper, and a stylish black and white edition now known as the Panda.

These foundational shoes have also inspired others over the years, all of them making use of powerful colour-blocking. For example, there have been several UNC releases, whose pale blue overlays honour Jordan’s college years with the University of North Carolina – the 1985 version was aptly named the Carolina Blue. The University Blue edition is decorated with a comparable blue to reference Jordan’s alma mater once more. Along with this, there has even been a separate model dedicated to the style of the original which incorporates the number 85 into its name. It includes throwback designs like the 85 Black and White and the Varsity Red, which has a black and red upper similar to the iconic Banned colourway, as well as other heritage models such as the Georgetown, whose blue and grey construction celebrates the 40th anniversary of Jordan’s game-winning shot against the Georgetown Hoyas in the 1982 NCAA Championship game.

Many more Jordan 1 High sneakers have been made to commemorate key moments and places from the past of its legendary namesake. In 2013, the Laney was released in the blue and yellow shades of his high school, with the Reverse Laney coming exactly a decade in a reworked version of the same colour palette. In 2015, the Shattered Backboard was released with an orange, black and white outer that emulates the one he was wearing when taking his powerful board-shattering shot in 1985. 2019 saw the release of the glossy Fearless model to mark 10 years since Jordan’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Rebellionaire, with its graffiti-inspired text recalling a line from the 1985 TV advert for the Banned AJ1, and the Brotherhood, which has the golden and purple tones of his college fraternity, both came out in 2022, and 2023 delivered the Skyline, whose gradient textile upper shifts from glowing pink to soft lilac, just like the twilight sky from a well-known image of Jordan in Chicago at dusk.

Other AJ1 Highs take their cues from previous Nike and Jordan sneakers by employing classic tones, such as the AJ3-inspired blue on the True Blue colourway, or the metallic silver on the swooshes of the Gorge Green and the Bordeaux, which follow the look of 2001’s CO.JP Midnight Navy and its Retro version. Meanwhile, the black and yellow colour-blocking of the Pollen is a 2021 take on a 1985 Nike Dunk sneaker, and 2023’s Lucky Green has a design to match the green, black and white shoe from the Defining Moments Pack of 2009.

As well as those based on earlier models, there are plenty more popular colourways with their own unique appearance. The most common layout is to have a white midfoot with a black swoosh and various other appealing hues on the overlays. For example, the Taxi, which has also been called the Yellow Toe for its bright yellow toe box, follows this general look but adds striking yellow panels to contrast the black and white tones around it, and the Court Purple has a similar presentation but with rich indigo overlays. The Royal Toe displays hints of deep blue, while the Light Smoke Grey has a bold maroon collar wrap alongside its soft grey overlays, and the Volt incorporates vibrant lime green and orange panels into its upper.

Yet more Air Jordan 1 Highs employ familiar colour-blocking but deviate from the oft-used white underlayer or the typical black swoosh. The Dark Marina Blue and the Palomino both have a black leather base upon which warm navy and dapper brown overlays have been respectively placed. Those that maintain a white midfoot but vary the swoosh include the Starfish, with its orange logo and overlays, the red-swooshed Heritage, the Hyper Royal, which has a muted grey swoosh to offset its washed blue overlays, the Obsidian, whose navy swoosh sits between blue heel panels, and the pastel green Seafoam colourway.

Alongside these colourful offerings are Jordan 1 high-top sneakers that introduce a range of materials to vary the traditional all-leather build seen on shoes such as the greyscale Stealth model. Some have just a slight modification, using patent leather like that of the Atmosphere or Bubble Gum colourway, whose pink heel accents are made of this smooth, shiny material. Others add pieces of plush suede, whether it be on a small section, such as the grey heel counter of the Stage Haze or Bleached Coral, or across all the overlays, as is the case on the Washed Pink. More luxurious materials can be found on the Twist 2.0, which has synthetic black pony hair panels on a white upper, and the heel of the Dark Mocha, which is made of distinctive brown nubuck. Then there is the Denim version, whose rugged overlays are all made of the hardy textile it is named after, and the set of FlyEase models, which replace the standard laces with two Velcro straps and a zip, thus making the AJ1 more inclusive and accessible.

While most editions of the Jordan 1 released around the early 2020s and beyond have been Retro High OG designs, which, among other things, differ from the Retro High in their use of Nike Air branding on the tongue instead of the Jumpman logo, alternative AJ1 silhouettes have been released over the years. One of the earliest was 1986’s AJKO, with its canvas upper and unique AJKO Wings logo. More recently, the women’s Elevate has been added as an option with a platform sole, and the Zoom Air CMFT offers increased underfoot comfort through the use of Nike’s springy Zoom cushioning. Other models include the weatherproof Air Jordan 1 High Element, which features protective materials like waterproof Gore-Tex (GTX) and reflective fabrics, the Golf, whose outsole has been shaped specifically for the sport, and the Craft, which is made with premium materials such as suede and nubuck. Elsewhere, the novel AJ1 High Switch has a zip that allows the wearer to completely remove the high-top collar and thus wear it as a low-top when desired, and the Ultra goes in the opposite direction by making the collar even taller and adding convenient pull tabs atop the heel and tongue for a more boot-like feel.

As the popularity of the Jordan 1 High has continued to grow through the decades, it has become ever more sought after as a collaborative sneaker. This has led to some of the most iconic releases in the brand’s history, most of which are modelled around the style of the OG model. Virgil Abloh’s forward-thinking fashion brand Off-White™ released a duo of deconstructed designs in 2017 and 2018, one modelled on the Chicago colourway, the other the UNC. Vogue’s Anna Wintour also got her own Air Jordan 1 High in 2018. Released in two stylish colourways – University Red and Sail – it carries her AWOK signature, which the long-serving Editor-in-Chief of the popular lifestyle magazine uses to give her approval to pieces of creative work, and a series of chic elements such as a metallic zip in place of traditional laces. In 2019, Travis Scott added to his AJ1 collection with a high-top known as Mocha, which was followed up by a captivating black, blue and white sneaker created with Fragment Design in 2021. In 2020, between these two Scott releases, luxury fashion house Dior crafted a Jordan 1 High with a special set of Air Dior Wings, and at the end of 2021, A Ma Maniére brought out another classy model with premium details like faux snakeskin swooshes. Then, in 2023, Jordan Brand once again teamed up with Marvel to forge an AJ1 High based on the Spider-Man movies. Clad in red and black overlays with a series of dynamic patterns across it, the Next Chapter colourway is a fitting follow-up to 2018’s Origin Story, which was launched in concert with the first film in the animated trilogy.

It has been more than three decades since the release of the original Air Jordan 1 High, but during this time, rather than shrinking away, its reputation has only grown stronger. Today, it is known around the world and sought out by millions for its classic look and comfortable feel. With its broad range of colourways, models and collaborations, the Jordan 1 High is one of the most ubiquitous and memorable sneakers of all time.