AIR JORDAN 1

The introduction of the Air Jordan 1 turned the athletic shoe industry upside down. Before the Air Jordan 1, most basketball shoes were white, but the bold black and red styling of the Air Jordan 1 flouted this convention. The NBA banned the shoe from the league in response, but Michael Jordan wore them anyway, racking up serious fines of up to $5000 a game. Nike, of course, was more than happy to pay these to keep the shoes in the game and in the public eye. All this controversy and Jordan’s spectacular performance that year served to put the Air Jordan line on the road to becoming a household name. Air Jordan have consistently been among the best selling basketball shoes since their creation in 1985. Fans have been lining up at stores nationwide to get their feet on these creations. The designers take his ideas, hobbies, and life into account and incorporate these themes into the shoes.

Designed by Peter Moore and released in 1985, the Air Jordan I pair of sneakers was considered a breakthrough in basketball shoe design, although its design was improved upon later with the Nike Dunk. The shoe initially gained a great deal of publicity and interest when the National Basketball Association disallowed usage of the shoe during games because its vibrant black and red color violated the league's uniform rules and fined Michael Jordan five thousand dollars every time he wore the shoes during a game. Nonetheless, other shoe companies scrambled to emulate the design and introducing knock-off brands of the Air Jordan line.

When the Air Jordan I model was reintroduced in 2001, they sold out instantly. The first colors unveiled were the banned black/red design, due to a violation within the leagues uniform policy regarding its lack of support. On March 29, 2008, a Retro 1 tribute to Jordan's baseball days with the Birmingham Barons were released. The shoes were a quick strike release