The Jordan OG: Breaking the Rules
The Air Jordan brand and the iconic "Jumpman" silhouette helped define sneaker culture. Those early Air Jordans, designed by Peter G. Moore with their simple Nike high-top design, have never really lost their popularity, even as the designs evolved with each iteration. That's what the Jordan OG collection pays tribute to — the first-ever Air Jordans, straight from the mid-1980s into the present day.
The Jordan 1 OG collection is available in high-and low-top designs for men, women and children. The OG has a broader-than-usual price range, from as low as $50 to over $12,500 for the most sought-after colorways.
Air Jordan OG: Old School Design
To create the Jordan OG Collection, Jordan Brand's design team dissected one of the original Jordan 1s piece-by-piece and collaborated with 1980s footwear developers who actually worked in the factories. They dug deep into the Nike archives, too.
The design team focused on the shape, construction and materials of the original silhouette, from the collar height to the leather's thickness. They paid particular attention to the texture of the sidewall pattern on the outsole, which had to be drawn by hand to be properly recreated.
The elevated collar height, which is taller than recent retro collections, better imitates the original release. The toebox uses full-grain leather, which is two times thicker than the modern Air Jordan construction, with adjusted forefoot width, stitch margins and toe volume.
Back in 1985, the midsole was hand-tooled, resulting in pattern irregularities. That hand-tooling process was digitally recreated in Jordan's OG collection, which meant each pattern had to be drawn and scanned.
Jordan OG 1 Collectibility: It's All About The Trophy
The Jordan 1 Retro Low OG "SP Travis Scott" (CQ4277-001) is a sought-after design, with some pairs going for more than $3,000. And given the limited run of 12,000 and the Jordan signature on the heel, the "Trophy Room Chicago" Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG became one of the rarest and most collectible Jordan OG 1 sneakers the moment it was released. New pairs can fetch up to $10,000 on eBay.
Classic Schemes and Colorways of the Jordan 1 OG
The colorways of the Jordan 1 OG collection are nostalgic and mostly low-key. The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG "University Blue" scheme (555088-134) pays homage to Jordan's college days in Chapel Hill, adopting the classic Tar Heel blue with a white leather base, accented with "University Blue" overlays and outsoles. The Air Jordan 1 "Obsidian UNC" (555088-140) colorway is a slight variation on "University Blue" with team-inspired color blocking on the leather upper.
The Air Jordan 1 High OG "Silver Toe" (CD0461-001) mixes a white panel and insole with the classic black Swoosh resting on top and contrasting black covering the tongue, laces and Swoosh insignias. The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG "Royal Toe" colorway (555088-041) has a white base on an all-leather upper with contrasting black overlays and pops of Game Royal at the collar, toebox and rubber outsole. A lightly padded nylon tongue is topped with a Nike Air tongue tag, and the classic Jordan Wings logo appears in white on the lateral collar flap.
The "Trophy Room Chicago" Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG (DA2728-100), limited to a run of 12,000, features a red, white and black upper with a bit of a weathered look, a translucent bottom and Jordan's signature on the heel.
The Air Jordan 1 Retro Low OG "Chinese New Year" colorway (DD2233-001) is one of the bolder schemes, combining Black and University Red with cultural Chinese graphics and embroidery plus a gold tassel. The J Balvin x Air Jordan 1 High OG (DC3481-900), a collaboration between Jordan Brand and Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin, is another vivid scheme, with a tie-dyed upper and signature detailing including J Balvin's smiley face.
The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG in Black/Metallic Gold (555088-032) is as classic as those previous colorways are bold, with a simple scheme that draws inspiration from a 2003 retro design with patent leather on the AJ1 Mid. The Air Jordan 1 High OG COJP "Midnight Navy" colorway (DC1788-100) similarly keeps things classic, with a white and navy upper featuring the silver Swoosh and Jordan's wings logo.
The Air Jordan 1 High OG "Tokyo Bio Hack" (555088-201) was inspired by a 2005 collaboration between Undefeated and Nike Dunk High. It features colored suede and leather panels, including a palette of Baroque Brown, Racer Pink and Black. A pink liner, orange tongue, and mint green midsole and rubber outsole finish the striking look.
The Air Jordan 1 High OG "Hyper Royal" scheme (555088-402) again harkens back to Jordan's days at UNC, but with a softer mix of grey, light blue and white, plus a white midsole and Wings logo. The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG "Patina" (555088-033) is an equally subtle colorway, with shades of "Light Army" brown traversing the upper, while the heel is painted in a muted green.
The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG "Light Fusion Red" scheme (555088-603) brightens things up with a primarily white look mixed with Light Fusion Red and Laser Orange. The similarly bright Air Jordan 1 High OG "Electro Orange" colorway (555088-180) commemorates the night Jordan broke down the glass with a shattering dunk on a Nike Europe tour in 1985. The OG design features black laces, a black Swoosh and a black toe with the signature orange hue on the outsole, collar and heel.
Jordans Release Dates, News and Articles
Attention all sneakerheads and basketball fans! Read all about the oldest and latest Jordan releases on the eBay Sneaker Hub. From iconic retro styles to new collaborations, you'll find everything you need to know to complete your Jordan collection.