Aanu Omorodian settles down to narrate the tale of one of the most recognizable brands of all time, Nike Air Jordan, in our most recent installment of the Sport x Fashion Series.
It is important to first discuss the person who served as the famous brand's inspiration before looking at the iconic brand itself.
Jordan was born on the East coast but was raised in the South. The future icon moved to North Carolina in 1968, finishing high school there before enrolling in college there.
Jordan didn't have any early talent. When he was dismissed from his high school's basketball varsity team, he was fifteen. Rather, MJ bounced back from this, kept up his workouts, and went on to perform admirably for the junior varsity team that season.
His advancement to the varsity team the following year was inevitable because his 40-point performances for JV attracted surprise crowds. After joining the club in 1976, Jordan quickly established himself as the greatest player because of his unexpected physical growth and the team's existing strong work ethic. While on the squad, he averaged at least 25 points per game, demonstrating his ability with the ball. His 12 rebounds also demonstrated his agility. By the time Jordan graduated from high school, he was an all-around basketball star who also found time to play football and baseball.
Jordan received scholarship offers from renowned universities including Duke, Syracuse, and Virginia due to his high school all-American status.
Instead, he decided to accept a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina in 1981. This choice would turn out to be wise. In his first year of college, Jordan went on to win rookie of the year after scoring the game-winning points against Georgetown to win the NCAA Championship.
.In years 2 and 3, MJ would average at least 19 points per game, earning all-American honors, after scoring 13 points per game in his rookie season. In his third year, he was also named player of the year. Jordan left UNC in 1984 as a junior to enter the NBA Draft, where the Chicago Bulls selected him third overall in the first round.
Beginning of a huge brand: Air Jordan
In the decade that Michael Jordan was selected, Nike wasn't the leading company. Brands like Adidas and Converse were more prevalent in basketball and the sneaker business in general. While celebrities like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson wore Converse on the court, Adidas was the revenue leader in the industry. In order to increase their presence in basketball given that Nike had established a reputation as a brand for track athletes, they signed then-college basketball player Jordan to a marketing contract.
l
Jordan's deal came about as a result of a successful Olympic performance in 1984. By averaging the most points per game (17.7), he had helped the United States team win the gold medal. Through his performance, MJ made his talent known to a worldwide audience, and the $500,000 per year, five-year contract acknowledged that. At the time, it was worth three times as much as any other NBA sneaker agreement, and royalties from shoe sales added to its value.
Before the transaction was finalized, Jordan's agent, David Falk, offered a list of name suggestions. From this list came the name "Air Jordan." Peter Moore, Nike's former creative director, created the recognizable ball and wings emblem after being inspired by a toddler wearing wings on his journey home. He also chose the sneakers' now-iconic colors of red, black, and white. At the time, there had never been a pair of sneakers with three different colors.
Launch of "The Jordan"
Nike wants people to think that the NBA first forbade Michael Jordan from wearing the Nike Air Jordan on the court. The sneakers that were actually prohibited were red and black Nike Air Ships. Early in the 1980s, Nike's top-tier basketball shoes were the Air Ships, which went for $75 per pair.
The "uniformity of uniform" regulation, which required that all players wear sneakers that not only matched the team uniform but also the sneakers of their teammates, was broken by Jordan wearing that colorway. This occurred during a preseason matchup at Madison Square Garden on October 18, 1984, against the New York Knicks.
'Air Jordan' was added to the forbidden Air Ships, but it wasn't until November 17, 1984, in a regular-season game against the Philadelphia 76ers, when MJ donned an actual pair of Nike Air Jordans. Jordans were manufactured according to the letter of the law; they had a black swoosh and dark laces, with the primary colors being white and red. This color scheme, which would later come to be known as the "Chicago" color scheme, complemented the Bulls' all-white uniform with red stripes.
No comments yet