A limited-edition Air Jordan I High OG, the partnership’s first revealed product, debuted during Dior’s Fall 2020 presentation.
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Jordan Brand collabs are often celebrated because they fuse together two different worlds to create a product that has value across categories. It would seem that any alignment would work, but last year Jordan Brand found that they couldn’t simply slap new materials on a model and expect it to sell through.
Air Jordan 3 AWOK Shows The Limitations of Influencers and the Reality of the Women’s Market
The Anna Wintour Vogue Jordan Collection was partially successful, but the most Cardinal occurrence from the release was that pairs of the shoes continue to show up at Nike Clearance stores almost a year and a half after they were first introduced to the public. The AWOK drop consisted of two Jordan 3s and two Jordan 1s. The Air Jordan 1 drops were more accepted. The current resale of the Jordan 3 AWOK hovers at about 40% below retail. This is important because Nike is entering into another high profile luxury collab.
The Dior x Jordan 1 shows that Nike paid attention and this time around the drop isn’t a women’s release. It is also not relying on the name to drive engagement. The Air Jordan 1 Retro High is the darling of both resale and retail for Jordan Brand. Like the annual holiday release of the Air Jordan 11, the High OG is almost bulletproof, when it is limited. Jordan Brand is making sure to deliver on its relationship with Dior as the Nike stands to lose in luxury collaboration department as adidas is dropping a Prada pack and Puma is rising quickly via their work with an intriguing roster of actresses and entertainers and a luxury release with Balmain.
Jordan Brand’s decision to move Dior towards the men’s market is obviously calculated and the decision to step away from other Jordan retro models and rely on the 1 isn’t a bold decision, it’s risk aversion. Introducing the shoe four months prior to the release is consistent with other leaks, but also applies to preventative maintenance. It’s an Cardinal strategy, but it’s also playing the uncomfortable game of time. The Jordan 1 has at the tail end of cycle. The shoe has been hot for two years. The previous cycle for Jordan Brand happened with GS sizes. Now GS Jordans sit on shelves and are marked down on almost every release. It would be wise to pay attention to the Jordan 1 releases heading into the new year. If cycles hold true the Dior Jordan 1 may not be the hit that it appears it will be.