MICHAEL JORDAN, THE MOST TALENTED BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME
Jordan , an iconic name for an iconic brand. To fully understand what the brand represents, you have to know the man who is at the origin of its foundation: Michael Jordan . Perhaps the world's best-known athlete, nicknamed " The GOAT " is one of the most admired sportsmen in the history of the basketball , but also sports in general! In 1984 , still at the beginning of what was to become a more than remarkable career, he signed a sponsorship contract with the equipment manufacturer Nike . For the anecdote, the brand Swoosh was not the player's first choice. Wearing Converse in his university years, and more specifically the Chuck Taylor 70 model, Michael Jordan wanted to be sponsored by the starry brand... Not judging it "promising" enough, it refused. Nike then makes an offer to the young athlete, which he decides to decline, before trying his luck with long-time competitor: Adidas . Not being satisfied with the proposal of the German mark, he finally accepts that of the mark of Beaverton . Nike had indeed returned to the charge with a financial offer that the future Hall of Famer could not refuse: $2.5 million over 5 years as well as the creation of a clothing line in his image and the payment of royalties for each item sold .
AIR JORDAN 1, AIR JORDAN 3, JORDAN 4, ICONIC SILHOUETTES
In 1985 , the first silhouette of this partnership was born, the Air Jordan 1 . It was immediately a resounding commercial success, fueled by the controversy that the model creates in the field: every time GM wore the pair in matches, he was fined $5,000 for violation of the dress policy of the NBA . A fine that Nike settled without problem given the popularity of the pair.
A second model of Air Jordan was released a year later, but its success was more mixed, mainly due to a price that was too high resulting from handmade production in Italy. For the Air Jordan 3 is Tinker Hatfield who takes over the design of the pair following the failure of the Air Jordan 2 and Michael Jordan's departure desires. At Nike since 1981 , the footwear designer behind the Air Max 1 is entrusted with a most important mission: to convince the growing star of Chicago Bulls to continue its partnership with the Beaverton brand. The third edition of Michael Jordan's signature model at Nike is released in 1987 and seduced quickly, allowing this collaboration to take off again thanks to the ideas of the new designer in charge of the project. He then imagines the most emblematic pairs of the collection such as the Air Jordan 5 or the Air Jordan 6 ...
A real success, the agreement then took a completely different turn a few years later since the athlete created his own brand at Nike in 1997 . A fact that marks the history of sport, making it the highest paid athlete in the world . Therefore Air Jordan is born, and its logo, the Jumpman . More than 100 models will then emerge from this association. The brand acquires an unprecedented global resonance, becoming THE reference in terms of sports equipment. For the rest… The rest is history! More recently, the Jumpman brand has relied on the success of several silhouettes to shape its image. We note the multiplication of colors of its very trendy Air Jordan 1 Mid , several reissues of the iconic Air Jordan 1 High as well as numerous editions of the Air Jordan 1 Low . Other less prominent silhouettes such as the Air Jordan 11 and the Air Jordan 4 have also been revisited in different versions for a few years and continue to gain notoriety.
OFF-WHITE, TRAVIS SCOTT, KAWS, UNIQUE COLLABORATIONS
Today among the most coveted sneaker brands, Jordan Brand does not hesitate to decline its models by creating major partnerships. For example, the Air Jordan 1 Retro High in collaboration with the late Virgil Abloh and Off-White , with Dior or even that of the film Spider-Man , paying homage to the mythical Marvel hero. For several years, the " His Airness " brand has also sponsored basketball players and their teams and has gone beyond borders. It invests in films, artists and also has a partnership with the PSG Since 2018 . Air Jordan thus continues to be deeply rooted in urban culture. We can also note the now legendary collaboration with the rapper of Houston , Travis Scott . The singer notably revisited the iconic Air Jordan 1 in several variations making reverse swoosh His trademark. More than a brand, Jordan is today a universal symbol.