The Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”, also known as “Lost and Found”, was released back in 1985 under a collaboration between Nike and Michael Jordan. This highly-coveted pair dressed in red, white, and black is now more famous than ever.
When Michael Jordan and Nike joined hands to collaborate on a new lineage of sneakers, they were met with several critics who chanted against the Swoosh brand’s decision to give MJ a large sneaker deal even before he began his rookie season. The duo didn’t hesitate and went ahead with the deal, and the turn of events proved it to be one of their most significant decisions. The narrative of the critics flipped instantly when Jordan stepped off the court as the “Rookie of the Year”. This not only made MJ famous, but his court companion, the Air Jordan 1, also made it to the high road, becoming the nation’s number-one sneaker and a must-have for hoop heads.
The Original Colorway – Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”
The original Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” was designed by the luminary Peter Moore in late 1984 for the Hall of Fame former basketball player, Michael Jordan. The silhouette saw the light of day for the first time during his rookie season, was released to the public on April 1, 1985, and featured the Chicago Bulls’ signature red, black, and white colours. Constructed with a leather upper, it featured a white perforated toebox and quarter panels with red overlays, heel, and collar. Adding finishing touches are the black Swoosh, Air Jordan branding, and laces. The sneaker finishes off with a white midsole atop a red rubber outsole. It also featured a compressed air pocket in the heel and additional support on the ankle.
Every time Michael Jordan wore this sneaker to court, he was fined $5000 for violating the uniform policy – but the Swoosh brand was happy to pay this fine as a marketing tactic and which worked out pretty well.
AJ 1 Lost and Found 2022
As the name suggests, the pair hearkens back to a time when shoeboxes were often lost in basements and stockrooms, only to be found later. Back in the day, products were logged using paper and pen before having proper inventorial processes. Hence, the error probability was much higher, leading to mismatched boxes and lids.
The new Air Jordan 1 Chicago draws inspiration from the same concept as if an original Air Jordan 1 from the 1980s is to be found in a dusty old stock room. This silhouette is supposed to be a ‘time travel moment’, especially for the newer generations. This pair aims to capture the essence that’s been lost in the process, as sneaker shopping of the current day is entirely different compared to earlier periods. To completely mimic the original pair, the designers studied several vintage AJ1s to understand and see the sneaker in varying states of distress. The idea is to give consumers a feel of what an OG vintage AJ1 would be like being found in a lost-and-found box.
To enclose the gist of the original, the new pair features a distressed aged leather upper with a cracked and distressed faded collar. The Swoosh is also slightly more prominent, nodding toward the original design. Other details include an aged-looking midsole that gives an impression of having developed a yellow tone due to its age and wear. This silhouette features the same cushioning and old-school technology. But it doesn’t end here; they give you an aged, distressed-looking box with a mismatched lid, a paper invoice wrapped in customized paper, along with two pairs of shoe laces in black and white, respectively.
If you’re still wondering, what makes this pair so unique? Well, because of all of these details, each pair is uniquely designed to feature distinct elements and is reminiscent of the original shoe keeping up with the throwback theme.
The Air Jordan 1 “Chicago – Lost and Found” 2022 was released on November 19, 2022 and sold out instantly due to the insane level of hype surrounding the release. Due to the extremely high demand, the market value of the sneaker has already almost tripled. It undoubtedly takes the crown as the most sought-after sneaker drop of 2022.
