The highly anticipated sneaker masterpiece Air Dior was finally announced for official release recently. The limited edition Jordan 1 OG Dior, designed in collaboration by Dior’s Men’s Artistic Director Kim Jones and Jordan Brand, will be available for purchase through Dior’s new “exclusive online experience.” Each participant is limited to purchasing only one pair, and the sales will be on a first-come, first-served basis, highlighting its rarity. By the way, Dior has quietly announced the selling points around the world and has gradually started the countdown for subscriptions in different regions.
However, as a sneaker enthusiast, why did Kim Jones choose Air Jordan as the shoe for collaboration? What is the reason that always makes him wear AJ 1 for work?
Iconic AJ 1 OG
Fans familiar with MJ or those who have recently watched “The Last Dance” should know that MJ’s 5-year contract with Nike in 1984 is definitely one of the most successful athlete contracts today. Both parties agreed at the time to sign for $500,000 (equivalent to about $1.2 million today) annually, which was already a sky-high contract back then. However, in reality, both sides faced many obstacles from before signing the contract to the release of the first Air Jordan.
When MJ rose to fame in the college league, he was actually wearing Converse basketball shoes. Later, after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls, MJ actually preferred to join adidas, Nike’s rival brand. However, due to the good relationship between his manager David Falk and Nike, after repeated persuasion, MJ decided to switch to Nike. Later, when Nike’s chief designer Peter Moore (and vice president Rob Strasser) created the Air Ship (predecessor of Air Jordan), it violated NBA’s “uniformity of jerseys” rule in terms of color matching, resulting in a $5000 fine per game. There is plenty of evidence proving that MJ did not actually wear those basketball shoes in games, but his wild performance on the court, along with the iconic Air Jordan series, solidified the historical status of the Air Jordan 1.
The origins of Kim Jones and Air Jordan
“My story with Air Jordan is different because I grew up in London, so Air Jordan is more like a cultural product to me rather than just sneakers.” Kim Jones shared in a conversation 3 years ago. You may not know that, although Kim Jones collects many pairs of AJ1 OG sneakers, this time he brought the Air Dior version to Dior, but the collaboration he has worn the most is actually the one previously collaborated by Hiroshi Fujiwara, the founder of fragment design, and Nike. Kim Jones even shared in an interview: “I think I have 7 pairs of the same Air Jordan at home.”
Although currently the creative director of Dior Men, Kim Jones initially came into contact with sneakers and non-mainstream clothing. Influenced by subcultures in his youth, Kim Jones was deeply passionate about the cultural system of Straight Edge, with the cultural characteristics of Punk Rock and New Romantic almost enchanting young people in London in the 80s and 90s. Growing up in that era, Kim Jones was also a passionate youth. In “In Conversation,” Kim Jones mentioned that his initial understanding of Air Jordan came from seeing punk rock figures wearing them, even shooting album covers in them, rather than as basketball shoes that could help you score 60 points in an NBA game. Additionally, influenced by his two friends and mentors, Michael Kopelman and Steven Phillip, sneaker culture slowly became a very profound subject in Kim Jones’ awareness.
波鞋出現在現今的高端時裝，成為近年討論得最熱烈的話題，而被外界視為將 Stree-Fashion 完美地帶到 High-End 世界的 Kim Jones，其實已對此說法多次表示厭倦。「在我而言，任何東西都可以來自街頭，所以你穿上高訂服走到街上，它也可以是街頭服。」Kim Jones 在與《Highsnobiety》的一次訪問中分享。當然，單憑一句說話去證明這說法是不足以說服任何人的，而他今次帶來的這對 Air Dior 就是最好的證明。
Dior Men’s Chief Footwear Designer Thibo has previously explained this pair of Air Jordan 1 OG Dior Edition, and the core concept behind the Air Dior project is to “make Jordan into Made in Italy.” The last “MIT” product from Air Jordan was 30 years ago with the AJ 2, and this time Kim Jones, Thibo, and the entire team hope to perfectly showcase the fashion craftsmanship of Dior Atelier in the Air Jordan, so every detail on the sneakers is carefully designed by Thibo and Kim Jones, rather than simply copying.
Brand value
The analysis of this column is very direct – the numbers speak for themselves. According to Forbes, Michael Jordan earned $130 million from Nike last year, and NPD market research shows that Nike currently holds an 86% share in the basketball shoe market (on the court), including the Jordan Brand shoe series. The analysis suggests that Jordan Brand’s signing of superstar Zion Williamson last year as a sponsored player is likely to further increase the sales percentage within Nike.
What direct relationship does the above data have with Air Jordan 1? On the court, Jordan Brand’s market share for Nike may be on par with other sub-lines, but off the court is a different story. According to the same market research, Nike basketball shoes have an exaggerated 96% market share in the Lifestyle category, which means that if Nike continues to use stronger tactics and strategies, the entire “off-court” market share may be 100% owned by Nike in a few years. And as for the most common shoes off the court? It goes without saying.
