Even if you aren’t a sneakerhead, you’ve probably guessed that the 101 on sneaker culture begins with Jordans.
The shoes that put Nike on the map owe their clout to the royalty of basketball —Michael Jordan— whose name forever lives on the tongues of the shoes and the sneaker community.
Air Jordan 1s have dominated streetwear for decades, expanding across the globe to the point where ‘sneaker drops’ have become as hyped and cultivated (if not more) than album releases.
In fact, during the pandemic, it seemed not even COVID-19 could part sneakerheads and their kicks. The streets of Cape Town and Joburg buzzed with hopefuls dreaming of copping either the Air Jordan 1 “Hyper Royals” or the Jordan 4 “University Blues” in April 2021. Only 12 pairs of each were available.
Despite the controversy that came with the ‘camp out’, one thing was certain — Jordans are still at the top of sneaker culture, and people will camp, change addresses and put their health in the firing line to get them.
That’s exactly why the recent news of the soon-to-be-released “African Jordan” was so impactful.
Nike selected local sneaker store Shelflife to represent not just Mzansi, but the African continent for the Jordan ‘International Flight Club’ collaboration. This earmarks the first time Jordans will pay homage to Africa, as well as another international fighter, the Philippines.
According to the Founder and Creative Director of Shelflife, Nick Herbert, “Nike chose only three stores worldwide to do a special co-lab with the Jordan 2 shoe aptly named the “International Flight Club” pack. The idea was to shine a spotlight on areas of the world that are passionate about Jordan sneakers but traditionally aren’t represented in mainstream media. Nike selected the Titan Store in the Philippines, Shop Two 18 in Detroit, USA and us in South Africa,” he said.
Nick Herbert
Herbert added, “When they first called me, I was driving to a meeting. I actually couldn’t believe my ears and thought I was being pranked. Shelflife had been shortlisted to do a collab and we had to present to 30 members including top execs of Nike Jordan Global. It was a mad experience! I never thought that this would happen. Every sneaker store owner or sneakerhead dreams of the opportunity to work with Jordan to design a shoe.”
The drops will debut graphics for the insoles, ubuntu artistry, and suede workings, and will be on the 20 October in Cape Town and 21 October in Johannesburg, retailing at R 3899.
A melting pot of cultures and an ode to the people all over the world who have kept the shoe climbing to the top of the cop; if there’s one pair of Jordans you ever own, let it be the world’s sole.
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Feature Image:Nick Herbert
