As an 80s baby, I’m in heaven – seeing release upon release of sneakers that I grew up craving but were way out of reach. As I walked through the basketball stadiums of Melbourne in the 80s and 90s, I was forever eyeing off the footwear choices of all the players my senior… wondering if I’d one day get to wear some of my very own. And, growing up watching the NBA in what is almost universally known as its peak – the 90s – it never occurred to me that one day I’d have the chance to fulfil my dreams of owning my very own Jordans or Air Max.
I played basketball from around ‘89 to ‘02… and in that time, I was at least able to rock some great hand-me-downs including the Olympic Jordan VIIs, Jordan V Black/Metallics and Reebok Pump Omni Zone IIs to name a few. However, as the youngest of nine children, I never thought I’d have the chance to move from Aerosports (look them up) to Aqua 8s.
And all this got me thinking, although new models and new technology garner their fair share of attention with each release, in recent decades it’s retros that are flying off shelves and into our Instagram feeds. Since Jordan Brand re-released the Air Jordan III in 1994, brands have been reaching into their back catalogues with the aim to recapture some nostalgia. Although it all began with OG silhouettes and colourways returning to the sneaker world, it’s now a sea of innumerous colourways and collabs, with the Jordan III receiving over 50 iterations, the Jordan IV around 100, and the Jordan I, well… I can’t even begin to count.
I don’t hate it. I’m glad to see classic models in their OG colourway re-released every few years, sometimes up to 30 years after they initially dropped, but also appreciate it’s a hell of a market out there and I love that brands continue to experiment with colourways and designs. Saying that, I think sometimes it can be to the detriment of the quality. Sometimes retros stand up to the original, and sometimes it’s a complete miss. Sometimes you wonder why certain models were chosen for a collaboration, why a certain colourway was made, and wonder what brands can do to breathe new life into old sneakers.
What is a retro
Oh and we should probably define that first; what is a retro? I would define a retro as a re-release of an original sneaker. Sounds simple enough, but when you think about Air Force Ones, adidas Superstars, Stan Smiths, Puma Clydes and Converse All-Stars… these sneakers have been around for decades and are still gracing our shelves. Should they count as retros? I suppose so, although it’s hard to say definitively whether they all in fact left the shelves and returned. Regardless, I think they still count simply due to there being a set of original colourways and silhouettes which still release again year after year. And long may that continue.
Collaborate and listen
Another major aspect of the sneaker scene is the collaboration between brands and designers on retro models. These collabs are based on original models, but sometimes receive some significant changes by the designer. Collabs are on the increase and I love it. In recent years we’ve seen the Hot Wings Reebok Shaqnosis, Travis Scott Jordans, Billie Eilish Jordan Is and XVs, and Nike Air More Uptempos – which does bring me to one of my main points; the interest that these sorts of releases can bring to the original pairs. Although the Air Jordan I has a long history of market busting sales, someone like Travis Scott releasing his own colourways of the famed grail helps those figures rise even more. And remarkably, artists like Billie Eilish, even with such a young fan base, can make quite a dent in the market by collaborating on Jordans that released in 1986 and 1999. These sorts of marketing moves also help bring forgotten pairs back to life – such as the XVs Eilish collaborated on; which were generally regarded as a bit of a miss when it comes to Jordans. They would surely see a spike in sales of the original colourways, and maybe even a release of the OGs at some point following this collab. Some collabs even seem to encourage Nike/Jordan Brand to release remarkably similar (but MUCH cheaper) colourways that are more readily available to the public; think the Travis Scott Jordan 1 Dark Mocha and the Jordan 1 Dark Mocha. I know which one I can afford.
#bringbackthe2s
The same can be said for Virgil Abloh’s Jordan 2; there will be a generation of sneakerheads who’ve probably never watched a full game starring MJ, especially one from 1986 when he was playing in the 2s, but they’re out there paying top dollar when it releases. I just hope that this particular release encouraged them to learn more about the original, its design and where it was made. And, it’s been great to see it trigger the brand to re-release the original colourways too, and more collaborations.
Keeping it fresh
Although Nike are good at matching collabs with retro models, they’re also famous for releasing retros that trigger nostalgia, or a love of something bigger than the sneakers themselves. The Air Max 1 originally released in 1987, and we’ve seen re-releases of the original colourways, and there have been a plethora of collabs and new colourways, which of course helps reinvigorate a model that’s over 30 years old. However, a stand-out for me is the Air Max 1 London. Absolutely beautiful use of colours, materials and a few nods to the city; the Thames and the London Eye, and the grey/blue hues representing the smoggy city skyline and dreary weather. You feel like you have a brand-new sneaker, when essentially, you’re wearing a design created in 1987.
Close but no cigar
There are also stories that rise to the surface from time to time when sneakers are re-released that aren’t quite on the money. For a while now, a theory has floated about that brands purposely release retros that aren’t quite right, but close enough for people to snap them up (especially if the sneaker hasn’t been released in a long time), only for a version closer to the OG to be released a while later. This forces a lot of sneakerheads to end up with both releases. Most recently, this has happened with the Jordan 11 Low IE. Originally released in 1995, it was retroed again in 2020, but it featured elephant print that never actually appeared on the OG. It sold well, only to be outdone by the release of the 2021 model that is almost spot on for the 95 version (although still different to the Jordan XI Low PE). Whether or not this is true, we don’t know, but if it is, it makes complete sense from a sales perspective.
However, I’m not sure that theory was what Converse had in mind when they released the Chuck Taylor All Star II. We all make mistakes from time to time, but Converse thought they were on to a winner when they answered the requests of sneakerheads worldwide by creating a Chuck Taylor All Star that had more cushioning. We all love Chucks, but we all wish they had more support than just a vulcanized rubber outsole, and in came the All Star II. I was completely hyped… until I saw they had changed the upper… only slightly… but what everyone wanted was the original upper, simply with some more cushioning in the midsole. Poor Converse. They never stood a chance. The All Star II hit the shelves fast, but the sales shelves even faster.
So, in the end, it’s the more the merrier for me. Variety is the spice of life and brands are going to continue to push the boat out when it comes to new silhouettes, new technology and new signature shoes; I love that too – but I’m still here for all the classics hitting our shelves, feeds, and of course, feet. As a lover of sneaker history, I hope retros continue to be a big thing in the sneaker world, and that they encourage all the young sneakerheads out there to learn more about what came before them.
