5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
This Nike Air Jordan is a wearable data viz for your foot
After you wear it enough, Nike's latest Air Jordan 1 eventually becomes a one-of-one sneaker in a colorful, custom colorway just for you.
The Air Jordan 1 High OG 'Self-Expression,' which will be released July 31 and retail for $185, comes in a shoebox that looks as if it was made from sanded down rainbow scratch paper, and it's a preview of what happens when you wear the shoes inside. At first the sneaker is black, but its finish is designed to flake off with time, revealing blue, green, and yellow panels underneath. It give each pair a unique pattern that's special to the wearer. Think of it as a data visualization of your walking patterns.
AJ purists may be used to leaving their purchase in the box to keep it in mint condition, but the concept of scratch-off shoes flips scuff marks from a negative to a plus. The Air Jordan 1 High OG Self-Expression gives scuff marks value: wearing in the shoe so it doesn't look the same as when you bought it is intrinsic to the design. It's an innovative alternative to typical product customization.
Nike has previously put out rub away Air Max 1s and Nike SB x Air Jordan 1s with wear-away uppers, while their Air Force 1 Low Dirty Triple White ages backwards to reveal a brighter, whiter, cleaner layer underneath an outer layer that already looks worn. Dr. Martens got in on the trend last year with color-changing shoes with brown and black topcoats that wore off to reveal bright green and blue as part of a collaboration with Supreme.
For Nike, bringing the effect to the Air Jordan adds a fun new way to experience one of the company's signature shoes. 'The Air Jordan 1 transcended its basketball origins to become a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s, influencing diverse subcultures such as hip-hop, rock, skateboarding, and youth culture,' Air Jordan's Kenlyn Tyree tells Fast Company. 'Its blend of style, comfort, and performance made it a symbol of self-expression and status for a generation of young people.'
Typically, apparel made from materials like raw denim or leather are thought to get better with wear, but with rub-away shoes, that idea is taken to another level. The imperfections are the point, and with Nike's color-changing Air Jordan 1s, the bold, bright colors draw attention to them even more.
