Following the successful release of the Nike SB x Air Jordan 1, Nike SB and Jordan Brand is preparing to release the second edition of the Nike SB x Jordan I. Who knew that a basketball shoe was even an option for skaters? But if you think about the moves, tricks and turns skaters make, a basketball sneaker only made sense because of the “high ankle coverage, padding, Nike Air technology and durable premium leather” that make up the shoe.
Born in Pasadena, Lance Mountain represented the new movement spawned from Craig Stecyk’s Santa Monica-based crew in the 1970s; Stecyk even drew graphics on boards for Mountain. In 1987, a Mountain video appearance had global audiences fixated on his feet as well as his feats on his oversized board. Wearing a royal blue AJI on his left foot and white/carolina blue on his right foot, he embodied the skater style of the time — with an added abstraction. That deliberately asymmetrical combination would become a pinnacle moment in skate shoe history.
Mountain wasn’t the only unofficial endorsee of the Air Jordan I — other legends in the making proudly wore the shoe in its most iconic Chicago colorway, giving them an individual touch by drawing and painting on symbols and slogans or swapping the laces for added contrast. The silhouette became the inspiration for several skate-centric shoe designs that followed, down to the unconventional use of color.
More literal with his designs, Mountain chose to emphasize how skaters of the era mismatched pairs in order to extend the life of their Jordans. To create uniformity they would then paint over each shoe. The two Lance Mountain Nike SB x AJIs recreate this aesthetic by mismatching both a black/red and black/royal colorway in one pair and then covering the colors, DIY-style, with black or white paint. As each pair is worn and the paint wears away to reveal the colors underneath, they will become unique to their wearer. Lastly, Mountain created a “Paint shoes not walls” graphic that emblazons his attitude on the insoles.
After many years of hard work and sweat, the Nike SB x Air Jordan I designed by Lance Mountain will be available in limited quantities at select Nike SB retailers and nike.com beginning June 7. Continue to check back with Sneakerfiles for more information.
Photos via Nike, Inc.