Prologue:
The Nike Air Jordan 1 was the first shoe to come out of Michael Jordan’s shoe line in 1985. Since then, it instantly became iconic. As the years progressed, it became more iconic each year with new shoe releases such as the Chicago, UNC’s, and Shadow Colorways. But when did this iconic shoe start becoming just regular? The Air Jordan 1 undeniably impacted sneaker culture, going from a basketball shoe to an everyday sneaker that everyone wanted to own. From 2016 to 2021, if you didn’t buy the shoes for retail, there was no way you were getting a pair for under $300. So what happened?
What Happened To The Jordan 1:
After 2021, Nike wanted to meet customers’ demand for the Air Jordan 1. By doing that, they made a huge mistake. Overproduction of the Jordan 1 led to its ultimate downfall, from unappealing colorways to less quality control. The Air Jordan 1 began falling into a descent and customers stopped wanting to pay.
They released too many new colorways and oversaturated the market. They began releasing colorways no one asked for, as well as collaborations no one asked for. So they became a shoe anyone could easily access instead of a limited cool shoe that no one else had. The status symbol fell as well, from being cool and exclusive to basic and widely available. When you wore them, they turned into basic and widely available shoes, so that special feeling one once had when buying a Jordan 1 vanished, and with it came the fanbase.
The Fanbase:
The fanbase started to oppose the Jordan 1. They believed that at the price point of $180, it was no longer worth it and there was no hype for the shoe anymore. This led to the Jordan 1, after many years of selling for so much money, to start falling below retail prices, meaning most shoes were going for under their $180 price point, and they weren’t selling as well anymore. This caused Nike to have too much stock of their shoes.
Jordan 1’s Now:
Due to the large stock of the Jordan 1s a lot of them ended up in the outlets after every release and usually go below retail or just a little over retail, even if it’s a good colorway that would do numbers prior to 2021. This would never have been the case before 2021 as they would sell out instantly and go for hundreds more online. This has led me and the fans to ask themselves will the Jordan 1 ever reach its iconic status again?
