When you think about Michael Jordan, words like ‘greatness’ and ‘excellence’ come to mind. What he did in his career as a basketball player is nothing short of legendary; what he’s accomplished as a businessman and owner of the Jordan Brand is generationally great. One of his most perennially successful collaborations has been with musician and producer Travis Scott, and with the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Chicago Bulls” custom colourway, that championship-calibre team-up stays lit.
Before discussing the shoe’s design, we should mention that, since Jordan, the Chicago Bulls haven’t been able to return to their top-level winning ways. Sure, they’ve had supremely talented players like Jamal Crawford, Elton Brand, Jalen Rose, and Derrick Rose suit up in the red and black, but it’s never really been as it was when His Airness was king there. As the Bleacher Report put it, “Six championships and five MVP awards are tough for anyone to follow, so by no means was it a simple task for whoever stood next”.
In that sense, the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Chicago Bulls” is poetic: it’s a celebration of a great past but a call to future greatness. While the city known as Chi-town might not see a talent as great as Jordan anytime soon, who’s to stop them from dreaming? Maybe the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Chicago Bulls” exists to embody that dream.
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Coming to the design of the shoe, the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Chicago Bulls” is inspired by the original colourway of the shoe that Michael Jordan wore during his rookie season in 1984-85; however, as always, it brings some unique twists that reflect Travis Scott’s style and personality.
The sneaker, in its base, overlays and accents, creates a striking and impressive contrast reminiscent of the Chicago Bulls’ red, white and black uniforms, all balanced beautifully. In true Travis Scott style, this “Chicago Bulls” colourway also has some distinctive design elements that set it apart from the original.
The most obvious of these is the reverse Swoosh logo on the lateral side, a much-loved signature of Travis Scott’s collaborations with Nike and Jordan. There’s a nice touch in the stitching underneath that reverse swoosh, though, where we can see the ‘original’ swoosh in the thread. On the inner collar of the sneaker is a hidden stash pocket, which is a nod to Travis Scott’s love for hidden details and surprises.
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What is interesting about this shoe is that, unlike many other Travis Scott collaborations with Jordan Brand, the Cactus Jack logo (Travis Scott’s record label and alter ego) that would typically be found on the tongue and the heel is nowhere to be found. Instead, we see the Nike Air logo on the tongue and the Air Jordan Wings logo on the foxing. This stays true to the original Air Jordan 1s, of course.
All in all, this custom sneaker by @chefhuyle is a beauty. Check out some of his other creations to see what he’s been cooking up in his sneaker kitchen.
