SOMETHING KICKS
W
e did not see the Jordan 1 mid created until 2001, some fifteen years after the original releases. Is it because the silhouette wasn’t released when MJ was at the height of his fame that the mid hadn’t gained the same cult following?
AIR JORDAN 1 MID THE TIMELINE
J
ordan brand showed no sign of abandoning the new design honouring MJ, releasing a further two colourways of the sneaker in 2002 and 2003. The 2003 version was surely going to be the silhouette to take the sneaker to the dizzying heights of the highs, dressed in the famous ‘Bulls’ colourway. But up until this year, you could still grab the sneaker on resale
sites for around £200. The 2020 boom has hit all mids, however, and this shoe now sells for about £500. We saw some lacklustre mids release in the years to come under the ‘Phat mid’ and ‘Alpha’ banners. For whatever reason, despite being unable to miss with high releases, Jordan brand could not garner the same interest from sneaker enthusiasts for the mids. Another last-ditch effort in 2013 saw Jordan don the mid in the famous ‘UNC’ colourway. This sneaker was surely going to catapult the mid into the conversation with Jordan fanatics finally. Unfortunately not. The sneaker was
available on the resale market for a little over retail until this year. The silhouette now goes for around £300-£350 in 2020. This price is confirmation that 2020 is the year the mid gets the respect it deserves.
SO WHY NOW?
I think that part of the reason that the mid is having a massive boost in popularity is down to the great designs Jordan are putting out for the mids. They aren’t just using retro colourways and hoping for the best. The mid is its own silhouette and deserves the respect of designs specifically for the shoe. The mid also seems to have become a fan favourite amongst female sneakerheads. Sleek designs and colourways only coming in smaller sizes may be the reason that women are leaning towards mids. Many incredible women sneakerheads are using social media currently to showcase just how good you can make a mid look; this is most definitely impacting the popularity of the shoe right now.
13
