Jordan 1 High x Off-White™

This Jordan 1 High x Off-White™ is Virgil Abloh’s deconstructed version of the 1980’s classic that takes on the familiar tones of the iconic Chicago colorway. While most of the shoe’s components have been altered in some way, the Varsity Red outsole is the same, retaining the circular grip formations under the forefoot to allow easy twists and turns, as well as the lugs beneath the heel that facilitate a solid planting of the foot. It also has the familiar white midsole, though this one has thick black lettering that spells the word “Air” upon its lateral side to indicate the use of this bouncy cushioning inside it.

Meanwhile, the upper has been furnished with a series of distinctive elements that give this Chicago design a strong character all of its own. White tones fill out the toe box and midfoot panels, but while the medial flank features smooth leather, the lateral one has a thin mesh fabric in front of a triangle of off-white material that connects to the white leather at the heel. The toe box is made of the same material as the lateral flank, with small dimples still visible as the AJ1’s typical perforations. Wrapping around it is a Varsity Red leather mudguard which attaches to a pair of additional overlays at its rear edge. These reach upwards from the midsole to rest over the bottom of the eyestay, where they have been left without stitching so that they float over it slightly. The same effect has also been achieved on the Varsity Red collar wrap, which has double lines of small holes to accommodate the black thread that can be found on the other overlays, only its are empty.

At the bottom of the heel, more Varsity Red tones can be seen in a semi-circular section that appears to have been cut away from the overlay above it. The material left behind strongly supports the heel, just as the black, high-cut collar protects the ankle. Exposed foam lines the top of the collar and tongue, adding to the handcrafted effect forged by many of the shoe’s other deconstructed features, and a dual line of Varsity Red stitching reaches from one side of the white tongue to the other. On its lateral side, there is a white label with Nike Air text in the same bold shade of red. The inner lining is black and the insole white, with more black branding on its surface, this time referring to Off-White™ via the brand’s criss-crossed arrows logo. Next to it is a black rectangle with the words “The Ten” written into it in reference to the stunning collection of sneakers designed by Abloh in his first Nike collaboration.

More branding effects are displayed on the outer, some similar to those on other AJ1 sneakers, others unique to the Off-White™ partnership. On the lateral collar is a pair of black Air Jordan Wings, and the laces, of which there are several different-colored sets, have the word “Shoelaces” printed on them in Abloh’s favored Helvetica font. This textual arrangement occurs again on the medial sidewall, which, instead of a swoosh, hosts four lines of black text detailing the companies involved, the name of the shoe, the location of Nike’s headquarters and the year 1985 – the date that the original Air Jordan 1 came out. Over on the lateral flank, there is a swoosh made of smooth black leather. Like the collar wrap, it has been left floating and is only attached by vivid blue thread at the front and the tail end. Below this last set of stitching is a characteristic orange tag, before a branded red zip tie rounds off this eye-catching sneaker with another of Off-White™ and Abloh’s stylish signature details.