You're probably going to like this article on how the Jordan 1 became the sneaker king.
In 1984, the company was in desperate need of a success story. Nike was ceding market ground to Reebok, which had exploded past its competitor as sales of trainers eclipsed running shoes. The situation was so grim that chairman and CEO Phil Knight opened his annual letter to shareholders with a dystopian outlook on Nike’s predicament: “Orwell was right: 1984 was a tough year.” There was one bright spot, however: That summer, Nike inked a rookie Michael Jordan to the most lucrative sneaker deal in history. It was a risk. The five-year, $2.5 million contract included an out for the company if the unproven player failed to hit certain performance markers—he had to win Rookie of the Year, become an All-Star, or average 20 points per game within his first three years—but it had the chance to pay off exponentially. Nike just needed a product worthy of that investment.
What lead designer Peter Moore came up with achieved that and then some. The first-ever Air Jordan is a stunning piece of footwear. It’s high-cut and made of premium leather, and unlike most basketball shoes of the era, its individual pieces allow for unique color blocking—something typically only running shoes provided at the time. The swoosh is displayed prominently, and toward the top sits the now-famous original Air Jordan logo, which Moore reportedly modeled after a set of plastic pilot wings. The shoes looked at once timeless and like they were sent from the future; The New York Times called them “spacebootlike” in 1986.
In 1984, the company was in desperate need of a success story. Nike was ceding market ground to Reebok, which had exploded past its competitor as sales of trainers eclipsed running shoes. The situation was so grim that chairman and CEO Phil Knight opened his annual letter to shareholders with a dystopian outlook on Nike’s predicament: “Orwell was right: 1984 was a tough year.” There was one bright spot, however: That summer, Nike inked a rookie Michael Jordan to the most lucrative sneaker deal in history. It was a risk. The five-year, $2.5 million contract included an out for the company if the unproven player failed to hit certain performance markers—he had to win Rookie of the Year, become an All-Star, or average 20 points per game within his first three years—but it had the chance to pay off exponentially. Nike just needed a product worthy of that investment.
What lead designer Peter Moore came up with achieved that and then some. The first-ever Air Jordan is a stunning piece of footwear. It’s high-cut and made of premium leather, and unlike most basketball shoes of the era, its individual pieces allow for unique color blocking—something typically only running shoes provided at the time. The swoosh is displayed prominently, and toward the top sits the now-famous original Air Jordan logo, which Moore reportedly modeled after a set of plastic pilot wings. The shoes looked at once timeless and like they were sent from the future; The New York Times called them “spacebootlike” in 1986.
