The OG Banned meets the OG Jordan.
Conceptualized in 1984 by designer Peter Moore, the NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm hit the hardwood the following year and gained instant notoriety. All eyes were on MJ as he took to the court in his very own black and red sneaker. But there is a hell of a lot of confusion surrounding the NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm Bred and it’s banned status. We’re pretty sure that the NBA fined Mike for wearing it, but it wasn’t the sneaker that caused the initial ruckus with the League heads.
The Nike Womens Air Jordan 4 Retro Nike Jordan Spizike GS 317321-405 Air Jordan V Shanghai, a sneaker that Mike first wore in a 1984 practice match at Madison Square Garden. The NBA notified Nike and the Bulls that the black and red sneaker from the October 18th game broke the “uniformity of uniform rule.” He would immediately have to stop wearing the colorway on court.
So even though the “Black/Red” AKA “Bred” NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm wasn’t the first banned sneaker, it’s since taken on the title due to its fine-attracting resemblance to the mysterious Air Ship — a sneaker that is still yet to retro, almost 35 years on (seen below)
Michael Jordan circa 1984/85 in the NBA-banned Air Jordan V Shanghai, complete with “Air Jordan” branding on the heels.
A side by side comparison of the Air Jordan V Shanghai (reconstructed custom) and the NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm “Bred” via @mjo23dan
Over the years, the sneaker has gained a holy first status. It’s become a myth of sorts, a sneaker that’s only spoken about in folklore like it’s some historical tall tale; a rare treasure that may or may not have ever existed. And we may not live to see the day the sneaker gets a retrospective release — but hey, October 2019 marks 35 years since Mike’s Air Ship was given the ban hammer — so we’re holding on to hope that something might actually fall our way this year.
But considering the connection between the two sneakers, why have we not seen the Air Ship make its way into the NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm series? Here we pay tribute to both banned sneakers; the NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm Bred as it’s base, but flipped blocking to resemble the mythical Air Ship. And, like the recent emergence of the “Bred Toe”blocking, this new “Air Ship” NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm2 15 NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm to so 29cm more colorway options in the future.
the pairs link-up on the Air Jordan 4 HERE!
NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 MID ROYAL 28.5cm “Air Ship”
From the Air Jordan 8 Doernbecher Concept Lab
