In 2024, I'm Returning to The Air Jordan Game
I can only deny who I am for so long. Jordans have and will always be cool.
It feels like not that long ago when lines were down the street and around the block at your favorite streetwear boutique. Whether it be Yeezys or Jordans, sneakers used to bring people out in droves. I remember in 2017 I went to a lineup in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to the streetwear and sneaker boutique Nice Kicks to try my hand at purchasing the Yeezy Boost Frozen Yellow sneakers. By that point, we had hit peak Yeezy mania where if you saw one wearing them on the street you’d either think they hit the jackpot or paid thrice the retail for them. I was fresh out of college and, like many of my peers, I looked at Kanye like he was the epitome of fashion. I wanted to dress just like him. No one was cooler in my mind. Then he went MAGA and that sullied the Yeezy brand quite a bit, but if you look down when you’re on the street, you’ll still be able to see remnants of the dearly departed trend.
Once Yeezy’s were ruined, Jordans and Dunks became the coolest sneakers in the world. The love for Jordan sneakers ebbs and flows with the tide. When I was in middle and high school, all people cared about were Jordans. I remember when the Dub-Zeros and Spizikes came out and every kid on my basketball team and our extended circles went biszerk for them.
With collaborations from the likes of Travis Scott and Off-White, Jordans enjoyed a mini-renaissance between 2015-2018, but quickly fell off during the Covid years when shoes like mules rose to prominence. At the same time, fashion influencers were trying to get people to move on from sneakers and “onto bigger and better” like loafers, boots, Wallabees, mules, and derbies. I hate the phrase “post sneaker world” because inherently sneaker culture originated in America’s urban areas, and to disregard it as a trend has some racial tones I’m uncomfortable with.
The idea of a “post sneaker world” took off, however; and lines for Jordans grew thinner with resale values for current releases dropping to levels we haven’t seen since the resale market took off. Everywhere you went for the last few years, young, fashion-forward men shed themselves of their Yeezys and Jordans for Birkenstock Bostons, and GH Bass Weejuns. Select sneakers were still hot. Look at the wave of New Balance 550s and Adidas Sambas that have crashed along our sartorial shores over the last couple of years. People want to align themselves with nostalgic, somewhat minimal sneakers as fashion moves into a space where everyone wants to come off as “sporty” and “rich.” Low-top Adidas shoes have become aligned with elegance and effortlessness through clever marketing, and it’s left Nike behind in a lot of aspects. You can look to the Nike Dunk Low as the most commercially successful Nike sneaker over the last few years because they evoke a similar. You can be both “checks” and “stripes.:” It’s okay.
Let’s get this out of the way: “post-sneaker world” is bullshit. It’s rooted in the idea that sneakers are no longer cool and that certain sects of customers are turning off the cooler crowd. For one, you should never let the audience and customer base of a product or brand inform your opinions. Also, to have a well-rounded footwear assortment, you’ll need some sneakers. You shouldn’t be going for long walks in loafers or going to the gym in clogs. Sneakers have been fashionable for a long time but they are also utilitarian. You need a pair of reliable sneakers for the treadmill and the weight room.
As I age, I value comfort in clothing, and while I love my Wallabees, nothing hits home quite like a pair of Jordan 1’s or Nike Air Forces. I went a long time without buying fun sneakers. Sure, I copped the latest Wales Bonner x Adidas and a pair of New Balance 574s because I needed new walking shoes for NYC, but I used to be a basketball player, and not having any Jordans in my rotation started to feel dirty. I’m coming back because I believe that the notion of “nostalgia as trend” is becoming the norm in fashion, no longer rendering it a trend.
Where I come from, Jordans were the end-all, be-all of sneaker culture. The breadth of accepted sneakers has diversified a lot lately, which is a great thing. When I was growing up, Reebok, Aspics, and New Balance were not seen as cool sneaker brands, and these days they have some of the might highly sought-after releases of the year. I could not write my sartorial story without the Air Jordan. I don’t care that a dork with a podcast thinks that Jordans are not cool anymore just because guys who work at tech companies wear them now. Where I come from in San Francisco, sneakers, Air Jordans specifically, are part of our DNA, and I’m returning to form.
One of my foundational principles for style is that dressing up in the morning should be fun. Your style should put you at ease and be a reflection of who you are as a person. This includes your past, your present, and your ambitions for the future. Even though Lebron is the GOAT, Jordans used to be a big part of my identity. When I was in middle school, my favorite shoes that I owned were the Jordan 1 Low “West Coast,” a blue and yellow colorway that will set you back nearly $800 if you purchase them now. Back then they were less than $90 and came with me to school quite often. Those shoes were colorful. They made me happy. I never throw away shoes, so I still have them and break them out from time to time. Looking back at it, most of the shoes that have made me happy over the years have been Nike’s from Jordan’s to Air Force 1s to the Sean Wotherspoon’s from 2017. As a known lover of high-low dressing, I love wearing black trousers and a sweater with sneakers. This is the way. This is my way. This post is may announcement that I am back on the sites that used to break my heart. I’m back in the trenches, fighting with teenagers to buy the latest Jordans. No more watches, in 2024, we’re copping Jays. I’m trying to buy sneakers again and it feels right.
Here are a few Jordan releases coming out in the next few months that I’m excited about:
Peace and Love
Air Jordan 4 “White Thunder” - 1/24/24
AIR JORDAN 3 “Craft Ivory” 2/3/24
AIR JORDAN 1 x AWAKE NY - TBD
