Can you describe yourself as a sneaker head? Shoeaholic? A shoe enthusiast? Can you rightfully say that you have at least 20 pairs of shoes lying around in your room right now? Well if you can identify to all of this, then my friend you are the shoeaholic I’ve just described. But do you even know the history or the coming of age of one of the most influential shoe that has ever hit our own generation? Yes, my friends I am talking about the Air Jordan line and everything in between.
Look around the Skyline campus and you see trendy kids of all sorts of backgrounds and upbringings sporting one common item. Well besides jeans, everyone is wearing shoes. But take an even closer look and many kids are rocking some J’s (Air Jordans). Boys and girls alike are coming back to the old classic Jordans that were made famous around the time we were born.
Since 1985, Nike has been really consistent by making up and designing brand-new Jordan models. Not only that, but every so often a shoe is “retro-ed”, basically brought back to life with different color waves and schemes. The endless versatility of the shoe is a coming of age with many of today’s youth and 18-24 crowds because of the numerous versions that come up.
Many shoe enthusiasts see this as a game and indeed is exciting to most. Crowds of people line up in stores across the nation to see the latest “concoction” Nike has stirred up for their Jordan fans. But how did this shoe make its way to the media and to the hearts of teenagers of all generations? This whole frenzy all started with one man and an idea. This ladies and gentlemen was when The Jordan I’s were born.
The Air Jordan I was designed by Peter Moore and marked a new age in the design of basketball shoes. The black/red model was forbidden by the NBA due to NBA color rules. However this helped generate more publicity and more interest for the shoes. Whether this was a marketing strategy from Nike or not, it helped to spawn the interest that, to date, has supported nineteen different Jordan shoes, retro versions, and limited editions.
The latest version however are the Jordan XX’s and compared to it’s oldest brother the Jordan I’s, is no where near in similarity, but is a great sign of how today’s technology and culture can affect the design of a shoe. Yet today, this shoe is beloved by many and did pretty well in the 2005 market.
No matter where you go the Air Jordan is here to stay, mainly because of the consistency to bring newer designs but the reincarnation of newest retro-ed fits such as the XI’s and XIII’s. The Air Jordan’s are coming up and there is no sign of the shoe stopping. The affects it has in today’s Skyline student is tremendous and has definitely put a mark in today’s culture.
Today, walk around campus and see what Jordan shoes students are wearing. Nonetheless, most aren’t wearing the same exact Air Jordan shoe, but remember, they all do have something in common, and it’s that one jumpman.
