Jordan 1 High "Chicago Reimagined"

    It’s no secret that many fashion brands, especially Nike, are heavily inspired by their archive pieces. Nike retros are a way for newer collectors to experience older designs and for veterans to get a much-needed double up. However, there are some designs that Nike seems insistent on not doing a true rerelease of without some major changes. Up until recently, most of those designs were player exclusives (often called Pes) that were for athletes only. However, the past two years has seen a huge wave of once rare Nike basketball designs available again to the public with minimal changes. So, what makes the Jordan 1 High “Chicago” so special?

    Nike likes to play chicken with their popular archive pieces. How long can they put off re-releasing a shoe before people don’t care about it anymore? Some colorways, like the Jordan 4 Lightning, lasted 15 years before they received a retro. Nike was able to produce a full general release of this colorway at a higher price point and have no trouble selling a six-figure quantity of pairs. They were able to wait so long and still have interested customers because it is such an iconic model and colorway. On the other hand, their current rerelease of the Air Ship is almost dead on arrival for most mainstream sneaker collectors. While it was the shoe that Michael Jordan was fined for playing, it doesn’t have as much consumer interest and simply isn’t appreciated as much as its historical importance might suggest. With the Jordan 1 Chicago being arguably the most famous colorway for the model, Nike has made several similar homages from in line Jordan 1 Mids to the infamously backdoored Trophy Room collaboration. Still, the last release of a true Chicago 1 has not been since 2015.





    With the upcoming release of the Jordan 1 High “Chicago Reimagined” set for this holiday season, Nike inches ever closer in their game of chicken. This “vintage inspired” shoe features cracked leather on the collar, fading across the outsoles, and even a faded box complete with a small invoice slip once seen at long forgotten mom and pop stores. While these changes are marketed as an homage to the shoe’s history, I see it as a way of Nike just trying to get away without making a true new version of the shoe. The usual cycle of re-releasing a Jordan colorway generally is between 6 to 8 years. Most colorways will be circulated again with this timing, making now the perfect time for a new Chicago. At the end of the day, only those at the top of Nike probably know the full story. Michael Jordan still has a large sway in major projects on the original 14 Jordan models. He even has prevented models like the Jordan 11 from being given a public collaboration (there have been some player exclusives). It wouldn’t shock me to find out he has a similar rule related to the Jordan 1 Chicago or is saving it for some special anniversary. Regardless, Nike knows that the average sneaker collector is priced out of this shoe on the current secondary market. They clearly value such an iconic shoe being expensive as a means to uphold the status of their legacy. With prices for new pairs over $2,000 on average, it’s no wonder many people are clamoring for a new release. I see this shoe as Nike’s solution to release just enough of a replacement to the 2015 pair without “devaluing” them, which just seems silly. My view is that if you are going to bring back everything from the Airship to player exclusives, why stop here? While they are under no obligation to do so, it just seems strange to me that they would not release their most desired shoe in its original glory. In my mind, the hype is so big that there is no amount they couldn’t sell and simply release them again in a few years (which will probably happen anyway). Still, this upcoming “Reimagined Chicago” will see a flurry of sales and demand this holiday season. Anybody that has been holding out hope to avoid the older version's steep price will likely settle for these. Does that make it a true successor of the 2015 pair? That’s up to you.