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The Air Jordan Retro: A shoe folktale from the mid-1980s

By Travis Harmon-Smith

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 20: A Nike Air Jordan sneaker is seen on display at the Nike flagship store on 5th Ave. on December 20, 2019 in New York City. Revenue in the North American market, which accounts for the majority of Nikes sales, rose 5% from a year ago. The company said its Jordan brand had its first ever billion-dollar quarter. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 20: A Nike Air Jordan sneaker is seen on display at the Nike flagship store on 5th Ave. on December 20, 2019 in New York City. Revenue in the North American market, which accounts for the majority of Nikes sales, rose 5% from a year ago. The company said its Jordan brand had its first ever billion-dollar quarter. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) /
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The Air Jordans changed the shoe game for the better in the mid-1980s

Shoe Buyer: Excuse me! Hey! I’ve been standing in line for six hours! Do you have a size 11 in the Jordan Retro 5’s? Please! I gotta have em!

Exhilaration. Desperation. In essence, this shoe buyer is pretty adamant about that size 11.

But 36 years ago; you didn’t see a line that was longer than the ones at Six Flags whenever a new roller coaster released. And when they released; those lines were incredibly long. But try to compare what the average line looks like on a Jordan release date. No comparison. Crowds. Eagerness. In addition to four words; I GOTTA HAVE EM! 

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A silhouette of Michael Jordan flying from the free-throw line became the official logo for JUMPMAN. That logo brought monetization to Nike’s forefront. And once the Jordan silhouette was sewn to the first retro; it changed shoe phenomena in the minds of many basketball players, and subsequent shoe heads.

This retro series embodies more than just JUMPMAN. More than FLIGHT. More than 23. More than his 63-point performance against Celtics legend Larry Bird at the Boston Garden in the 1986 NBA Playoffs. It’s much more than that.

THE EMERGENCE OF THE AIR JORDAN I – 1984

Michael Jordan. A supreme name in basketball’s worldwide history. He transcended the meaning of “AIR.” Jumping from the free-throw line. Gliding in slow motion. Jordan redefined the meaning of gravity. Now, there are scientists out there who might find that disputable. But no one, and absolutely no one; can justify the popularity of the first retro shoe in 1984. A year where the idea of the “retro” conflicted with the NBA when Jordan and Nike debuted the “Air Jordan I.”

Originally, the NBA wasn’t a fan of the new popular sneaker. Specifically, former NBA Commissioner David Stern. But that didn’t stop MJ from facilitating his brand. He continued to promote and advertise them. They went from just a regular shoe to JUMPMAN 23.

That’s when the Jordan retros became the hottest shoes on the market. However, the ramifications of the Jordan brand was predicated on color schemes. Coloration. Every shoe design; mostly exclusive designs; personify the best color schemes. In 1985, Jordan and Nike debuted the red and black Air Jordan I. The Jordan I emulated the color scheme of the Chicago Bulls uniforms. They were designed by Peter C. Moore. A design that suffused most shoe stores in America.

AIR JORDAN II – 1986 

Nike’s prominence from the Air Jordan I propelled them to produce Jordan’s next version of the retro. The Air Jordan II. That retro shoe was designed in Italy by Moore and Bruce Kilgore (originator of the Nike Air Force 1) in 1986. While there; Nike decided to insert an encapsulated air bubble for comfortability. This was the first retro that didn’t have “SWOOSH”  imprinted on it. That shoe retailed at $100 in its debut.

AIR JORDAN III -1988 

Whenever you hear people talk about wearing Jordan’s; everyone has their favorite retro. Well, one of my favorites would be the Air Jordan III. Tinker Hatfield, a Nike designer; first introduced the Air Jordan III with a brand new Jumpman logo. It also has an elephant print trim at the shoe bottom. That gives it a more detailed look. Film director Spike Lee gave the shoe a little more fame with his advertising campaign, “Mars and Mike.” The campaign is said to be Nike’s most successful campaign in terms of marketing. The shoe was also the first retro of the series to have the ‘NIKE AIR’ logo on the back. Jordan wore these in the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Some say they were MJ’s favorite shoes at the time.

AIR JORDAN IV- 1989

Moving forward from the Jordan III; the Air Jordan IV released in 1989. This was the first retro distributed globally. Again, Nike and Spike Lee’s collaborative effort made the Jordan IV a marketing sensation. The shoe was featured in Lee’s sequel “Do the Right Thing.” But it wasn’t just a shoe for the box office. It was also the same retro Jordan wore in round one of the 1985 NBA Playoffs when he nailed the shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5.

AIR JORDAN V 

In 1990, Nike released the Jordan V. A retro that gained popularity on Will Smith’s famous sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”  But before the shoe gained it’s notoriety on TV; it gained notoriety for its color schemes. The V originally came out in white, red, and black. Then, several other colors started to release years later. The grape V ( the retro Will Smith wore on Fresh Prince), the burgundy V, the fire-red V, and the “Green Bean V” all released in 2006. Even the “Laney High V” released. A retro that had the color scheme of Jordan’s high school alma mater.

AIR JORDAN VI – XIV  –  1991-1997 

This folktale is coming to a close. We already elaborated on the first five retros from 1984-1990. What about six through 14? All the retro’s; six through 14; had iconic designs similar to the early retros from the 1980s. There’s a couple more in the series, but six through 14 are America’s favorites. Anyone reading this who has Jordan’s on their feet at this very moment can relate. How? Well, all the Jordan’s that were originally released ended up being re-released years after.

Nike has done this to virtually every Jordan retro ever produced. It’s one of the most expensive pairs of shoes on the market. Remember when I talked about the Air Jordan I debuting in 1985? Well, they were a $100 back then. And now, the average cost for a pair of Jordan retro’s is between $200-250. That’s actually cheap. There are some websites like ‘Flight Club’ where you’ll see these prices: $1,200; or $2,000. Highly expensive. Here’s a question. Are Jordans worth standing in line for hours just to get a pair? I’ll let you shoe heads have the final verdict.

A SHOE THAT REDEFINED THE MEANING OF 23.

At the end of the day; the Jordan retro is arguably the most popular shoe in hip-hop and pop culture. But it doesn’t just stop in those cultures. They’re now globally known in all cultures.

Michael Jordan’s retro shoe changed the game. Changed the culture. Changed the meaning of FLIGHT. Changed the meaning of AIR. Changed the meaning of FRESH. And ultimately; became AIR JORDAN.

Next. Reliving Russell Westbrook’s best moments from his OKC Thunder tenure. dark

Remember that shoe buyer from earlier? The one who stood in line for six hours waiting for the size 11? Well, that line is still pretty long.

Shoe Buyer: Are you serious! You guys don’t have a size 11 in the retro 5’s? I can’t believe this! This sucks! I need em! I need em now! I gotta have em!

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