Oct 18

Oct 18 Women’s Air Jordan: Flying high - The Story of Women's Air Jordan

Women’s Air Jordan: A Sport x Fashion Story

Matchroom Boxing’s Caitlin Bennett tells the short, concise story of Women’s Air Jordan.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded in April 1996 as the women’s parallel to the men’s game, 50 years after the formation of the National Basketball Association, now one of the world’s most powerful sporting brands.

We warmly welcome Caitlin Bennett to the Sporting Blog team, and she makes her debut by continuing our Sport meets Fashion series with a piece about the Women’s version of one of the world’s most iconic brands.

The WNBA: The starting point for Women’s Air Jordan

The first eight WNBA teams were located in cities that were also homes to NBA sides, often associated with the male organisations, right down to the team names and shirt colours.

Each women’s franchise was owned by the NBA until 2002 when they began to be sold to ownership groups in cities not necessarily affiliated with their male counterparts.

The play began in 1997 and by the early 21st century, was the most successful American women’s professional sports league ever.

Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and Lauren Jackson are among the most popular names in women’s basketball, each playing a significant role in the rise of the sport with their outstanding talent.

The WNBA was challenging the norm in one of the world’s most popular sports.

The Women’s Jordan OG: An Introduction

The development of the women’s game saw the birth of the first-ever women’s Air Jordan silhouette in 1998 and the shoe was designed for the female players who were breaking boundaries and owning the game across the world.

The Nike Air Jordan brand had transcended the sport of basketball and gone mainstream, and it was about time a female-inspired version reflected the growing importance of the WNBA and its stars.

The original release incorporated the dimpled leather of the Air Jordan XIII and herringbone traction sole to ensure the player sporting the shoe could do exactly what Michael Jordan did himself - fly.

New styles and releases of the Women’s Air Jordan: A Timeline.

January 2020: Re-issue - Women’s Air Jordan makes a comeback

A re-issue of the shoe was released in January 2020 and sold out quickly among sneaker lovers who were eager to get their hands on the historic shoe, celebrating a new generation and the continued growth of the WNBA, and the inspirational athletes it helped create.

With an original “White Black” colourway, the mesh is what made the shoe stand out from its similarity to the AJ13 and a thick white trim created dimensions that added to the shoe’s individuality.

Of course, the silhouette was complete with red Jumpman logos on the tongue, the black midsole and the embroidered “W” logo on the heel of the shoe.

February 2020: ‘Barely Rose’

Following the success of the January launch, a pink-toned Air Jordan OG dropped just a month after, under the name ‘Barely Rose’.

The usual leather was replaced with a blush-coloured suede - still dimpled - and the black mesh became black plastic, which built on the shoe’s dimensions.

The Women’s Nike Air Jordan - Barely Rose

A Jumpman was again embroidered on the tongue and the heel, whilst also appearing on the midsole, which matched the pink tone of the shoe.

This time the iconic logo was black along with the piping and laces, creating an attention-grabbing contrast.

The silver Jordan shoebox first made an appearance in 1998 - the same year as the release of the first Women’s Air Jordan OG - and it housed the Jordan XIII.

This was the first Jordan box that didn’t feature the Nike Swoosh or Air logo, which represented Michael Jordan as the CEO.

“Barely Rose” was released in this famous box and inside holds a card that partly reads:

“Two decades later, the Women’s Air Jordan returns to inspire a new generation of women to claim their spot and own the game.”

Basketball hoop in a dark arena with the text '120+ Basketbal Quotes'

March 2020: Melody Ehsani’s Jordan OG

Following the success of the re-release, popular Los Angeles designer Melody Ehsani partnered with Jordan to put her own spin on the shoe that means so much to the women’s game and this was the brand’s first collaboration with an outside designer.

Released in March 2020, the ‘Black Infrared’ again drew influence from the powerful women in the WNBA and wider basketball.

This time around, the Jordan OG was inspired by cherries as a symbol of protection for women and fertility.

Ehsani’s collaboration incorporated traditional elements of the Jordan OG trainer such as dimpled panels, thick piping and a herringbone traction sole.

At first glance, the shoe is black with red accents including the outsole, but when the lights go out, they glow - the piping on this silhouette is crafted from 3M, allowing them to reflect light and give the shoe an extra something special.

The launch of this shoe took place during Women’s History Month, making the eye-catching cherry features an even more significant talking point.

At the front of the shoe, red metal cherries are weaved into the lacing system, placing the main theme of the shoe front and centre.

Along with this, a red Jumpman is embroidered onto the tongue and again on the heel above the word “ME.” - also in red embroidering.

April 2020: University Blue

Ehsani’s contemporary take on the Women’s Air Jordan OG encouraged another launch in April 2020, in a classic “University Blue” colourway.

Although this shoe evidently takes a lot of inspiration from Michael Jordan’s time with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball programme, it also embraces the modern-day.

The recognisable “University Blue” colour is subtle, with small splashes on the shoe visible around the outsoles and on the collar trim.

As a nod to the AJ14, a reflective badge sits on the tongue, which is complete with a Jumpman in the centre.

This shoe goes back to its origins with dimpled white leather and white leather high-cuts that are surrounded by the familiar thick piping.

Another Jordan brand colour “Midnight Navy” makes a small feature as the colour of the Jumpman on the midsole and the heel, again, above the silver embroidered letter “W”, which pays homage to the significance of the women’s game.

The Impact of “influencer” culture on the Women’s Air Jordan

It is hard to deny the impact of “influencer” culture in the sneaker world. Instagram brands send Air Jordan shoes to popular influencers for them to post and credit.

Therefore, traffic is sent to the page and these sneakers become popular amongst a new audience, as opposed to traditional “sneakerheads”.

Women’s Jordan’s - More models keep coming

Even those who don’t consider themselves to be sneaker lovers feel it is necessary to be involved in the wave, and Air Jordan for women has boomed since the AJ1 hit the influencer age in 2020.

The Jordan brand is taking it to the next level, releasing more feminine colourways, but also advocating all people to wear all colourways and all silhouettes - the Air Jordan doesn’t discriminate.

The Women’s Jordan OG was the pioneer shoe for women in basketball and has transcended Jordan as a fashion brand for women, massively promoted by social media influencers.

Resale prices for a pair of Air Jordans are sky-high due to influencers making them “must-have” shoes in a new market.

The crossover between basketball and fashion is as strong as it ever was but looks set to continue its growth due to brands like Air Jordan.

Women wearing Air Jordan shoes to play in or as a fashion statement has become mainstream and it all started with the OG.