Ever since 2019 Travis Scott has been the main celebrity ambassador for Nike and Jordan Brand. Ever since the original Travis Scott collaboration with the Air Jordan 1, Travis has had several Jordan and Nike collaborations with shoes and apparel. However, after the AstroWorld concert incident Nike has canceled the release of the Travis Scott Air Max 1 and have not rescheduled the release since. This week Jordan brand announced a new collaboration with DJ Khaled. Dj Khaled is not a new face for Jordan brand but he has never had his own line of products that released to the public. The line includes 4 different colors of the Air Jordan 5 as well as a full line of apparel. When I first saw him post pictures of the shoes I assumed it was something gifted to him by Jordan Brand as we saw with the “We the Best” Jordan 3’s. Now that we saw a whole commercial promoting the collaboration it is for sure a release to the public.

The shoes come in 4 different color ways, including a purple, blue, grey, and salmon color. It has not been confirmed exactly how these will release, but it has been confirmed that it will be multiple releases. I would not be shocked if each pair will be exclusive to a city or region. Other shoes in the past have released with 4 colors usually one will be North America exclusive, Asia exclusive, Europe exclusive, and then one limited to a city of friends and family. One thing we can know for sure is that these will not be easy to get and will likely fetch a ridiculously high resell value.

In the last two years as a result of the pandemic and supply chain issues retail stores have been struggling to keep up their inventory. With sneakers it is almost impossible to find a specific shoe at the mall anymore. Recently, Nike and several other stores announced that this is going to get even worse. Aside from supply chain issues, Nike has begun to cut out retails and focus on selling in their own stores and website instead. In recent years Nike has pulled their products from DSW, Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, and Zappos. The most recent retailer however is much more alarming. On March 1st Footlocker announced that “no single vendor is expected to represent more than 60% of its business this year.” This might not seem significant but in 2020 Nike accounted for 75% of their sales. The announcement also caused Footlockers stock to fall 35% in a day.

In my opinion this is just the beginning of what is to come. With sneakers becoming so popular Nike is starting to realize that they no longer need retailers to push their product. Selling only directly to customers saves them huge amounts of money. For the average consumer this is a big problem as most people do not live near a Nike store and rely on retailers to buy shoes.

Last year we saw Nike release several Jordan 1 colorways from 1985 in the original 1985 shape. While these shoes were highly anticipated and sold out, many people have been wondering when the classic colorways such as the “banned, royal, and Chicago” will re-release. The Chicago Jordan 1 specifically has not released to the public since 2015. Being an original and iconic colorway the resale prices for this shoe have skyrocketed to over $2,000. It seems like Nike has been paying attention as many reliable sources have confirmed that the Air Jordan 1 Chicago will release in holiday 2022 with a reimagined “vintage” take.

While everyone is excited to see official images of the shoe, some people are also worried. While we have seen other 1985 shaped Jordan 1’s, we have never seen the term “reimagined”. The vintage look to sneakers has become very popular and Nike has started to release shoes that look “vintage” with yellowed soles and aged leather. Many people are worried that Nike and Jordan Brand are going to make major changes to the shoe and ruin the release as they have time and time again. I guess everyone is going to have to wait for official images and confirmation from Nike, but I am just happy to see this shoe being released again.

Tomorrow, March 5th, the Air Jordan 6 “university blue” is set to release. A week prior to the official release Nike shock dropped an estimated 70,000 men’s pairs on the SNKRS app. Shock drops and exclusive access is nothing new for Nike, but it is usually a very small number of pairs compared to this release. Now with the release right around the corner Nike announced that the Air Jordan 6 ‘university blue” will not release on Nike at all on the release day. Another interesting thing with this release is that there were no grade school or toddler pairs available during the shock drop. The problem goes further than Nike as many people is reporting that Footlocker and Champs have been canceling people’s reservations for Saturday.

Nike recently put out a statement claiming to improve the way shoes are released in order to prevent bots. These shock drops could be their way of preventing bots and allowing more people to purchase shoes. However, a lot of people are unhappy and frustrated with how the release of this shoes was handled. A lot of people who do not have a mall in their area rely primarily on Nike SNKRS to buy shoes. I’m not sure if this was a mistake of releasing too many pairs during the shock drop or if it was intentional on Nike’s part. It is beginning to seem like this is going to be the new norm as several Jordan releases scheduled for this month are still not loading on the SNKRS app. One thing is for sure it doesn’t look like it will get easier to cop shoes anytime soon.

With no major releases coming from Nike and Jordan Brand this weekend is pretty in terms or new sneakers. However, March will be starting off strong with two major releases on March 1st. First being the highly anticipated “playoff” Jordan 12. For new sneaker heads or people who are unaware, the playoff color way gets its name as it was worn by Michael Jordan originally in the 1997 NBA playoffs where he won his fifth NBA championship.

In addition to the old school Air Jordan retro, Finishline and JD Sports have also confirmed the release of two Nike Dunk colorways releasing on March 1st. Nike Dunks became one of the most popular sneakers in 2021. With the low price point and simplistic design everyone is trying to get their hands on Dunks either to wear or to resell. Most Nike Dunks resell for over $200 which is double the retail price.

With all three of these releases coming on the 1st, March is shaping up to be a crazy month for sneakers. I know for sure I want all three of these pairs for myself. That is if my wallet can handle it. If you are looking to buy any of these shoes, be prepared to wait in line as there will be many people waiting for each shoe releasing.

For sneakerheads, the Air Jordan 1 will always be special. It is the original Jordan after all. On Wednesday 2/16, the Air Jordan 1 Marina Blue releases to the public. Months prior to the release there was a lot of hype and controversy around the shoe as it closely resembled the Jordan 1 Royals, an original color from 1985. A few days after release however it is evident that the hype died down. This could be due to several reasons.

• Stock Numbers: there was an increased stock for this release compared to other Jordan 1 releases at around 200,000-250,000 US pairs
• Too many releases: In the upcoming weeks there are many sought after shoes releasing including the Jordan 6 UNC and the Jordan 12 playoff
• Loss of interest in Jordan 1: Ever since 2019 Jordan brand has been throwing colorways of the Jordan 1 at us seemingly every couple weeks.

We are used to seeing every Jordan 1 reselling for $300 out the gate after release. With a wearable colorway like the Jordan 1 Marina Blue, it is surprisingly reselling for around $220. In my opinion if this shoe released in 2019 it would easily be a $300 shoe. Part of me likes this as it makes it easier for people like me who actually want to buy and wear the shoe for myself. On the other hand, it bothers me to see Nike treat a historic silhouette like the Jordan 1 this way. What do you think is Nike slowly killing the Jordan 1?

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