Beginning of the End

[nflowshoe]

Everything thats wrong with Jordan Brand and the Shoe Game was all started here.
This was the beginning to the end.
I wonder how the shoe industry would have been if they never started the Retro?
More  creativity? Less Hypebeast? Death of the Resellers? No Idiots Breaking thru malls to buy shoes?
I know when they first started they sat on shelves but once they became the "cool" thing to get prices went up and quality went down

words_Nick Engvall

You could make an argument for any era of basketball sneakers as being the greatest time period for sneakerheads. Thinking back always has a way of bringing up the debate but only when you start to look through the Eastbay Memory Lane can you really recall all of the shoes that may or may not have become classic from one collector to the next.

These two pages from the February 1995 catalog do a pretty decent job for arguing the case for the basketball shoes of the 1994-1995 NBA Season. We’ve seen some of these originals return in retro form many times like the Charles Barkley worn Nike Air Max 2 CB 94. While some like the Nike Air Go LWP made its first retro appearance ever this year. Still some, like the Nike Air Up or Nike Air Gone remain locked away in the Nike vault awaiting their chance to return once again.

One thing that was interesting however about the 1994-1995 NBA Season was the return of Michael Jordan from his short-lived minor league baseball career. For sneakerheads this year also marked a turning point in the sneaker culture in many ways as it was the first time that any of the Jordan shoes were brought back in retro form. The iconic Air Jordan 1 that started it all returned for the first time in classic Chicago colorways in late 1994 and changed the direction of sneaker culture forever.

Check out some of the memorable shoes from the February 1995 Eastbay Catalog below.

 

[nflowshoe]

Everything thats wrong with Jordan Brand and the Shoe Game was all started here.
This was the beginning to the end.
I wonder how the shoe industry would have been if they never started the Retro?
More  creativity? Less Hypebeast? Death of the Resellers? No Idiots Breaking thru malls to buy shoes?
I know when they first started they sat on shelves but once they became the "cool" thing to get prices went up and quality went down

words_Nick Engvall

You could make an argument for any era of basketball sneakers as being the greatest time period for sneakerheads. Thinking back always has a way of bringing up the debate but only when you start to look through the Eastbay Memory Lane can you really recall all of the shoes that may or may not have become classic from one collector to the next.

These two pages from the February 1995 catalog do a pretty decent job for arguing the case for the basketball shoes of the 1994-1995 NBA Season. We’ve seen some of these originals return in retro form many times like the Charles Barkley worn Nike Air Max 2 CB 94. While some like the Nike Air Go LWP made its first retro appearance ever this year. Still some, like the Nike Air Up or Nike Air Gone remain locked away in the Nike vault awaiting their chance to return once again.

One thing that was interesting however about the 1994-1995 NBA Season was the return of Michael Jordan from his short-lived minor league baseball career. For sneakerheads this year also marked a turning point in the sneaker culture in many ways as it was the first time that any of the Jordan shoes were brought back in retro form. The iconic Air Jordan 1 that started it all returned for the first time in classic Chicago colorways in late 1994 and changed the direction of sneaker culture forever.

Check out some of the memorable shoes from the February 1995 Eastbay Catalog below.

 

[dr813]

@ those shadow Xs with the toe cap. I never seen those before. I wonder who has a pair of those

 

[dr813]

@ those shadow Xs with the toe cap. I never seen those before. I wonder who has a pair of those

 

[dunks318ti]

In my opinion they should only retro with GR status of HIGH quantities once every blue moon. The fact that its sitting on shelves with the quantities available would deter resellers, but on the same token it would be "valuable" to those who want to keep the shoe knowing that it won't come out again within the next few years even though they're widely available.

 

[dunks318ti]

In my opinion they should only retro with GR status of HIGH quantities once every blue moon. The fact that its sitting on shelves with the quantities available would deter resellers, but on the same token it would be "valuable" to those who want to keep the shoe knowing that it won't come out again within the next few years even though they're widely available.

 

[rob1ne]

Love to see that Nike Air between the X's, reminds me of the days when Jordans were the dopest you could get from Nike.

 

[rob1ne]

Love to see that Nike Air between the X's, reminds me of the days when Jordans were the dopest you could get from Nike.

 

[philaflava1]

I'm wearing the b&w 10's today.

 

[philaflava1]

I'm wearing the b&w 10's today.

 

[swingshot]

Originally Posted by dunks318ti

In my opinion they should only retro with GR status of HIGH quantities once every blue moon. .

Nike don't give a crap. They're the only game in town and retailers basically have to take their product, however cheap or often the turn it out.



In the mid-nineties Nike upped their game and put the competition down. Now, their market dominance, their market abuse, is the price we're paying for the success in the nineties.


The Air Max 2 CB is a prime example. Retros look like the shoe in the picture above.

They feel nothing like it. OGs are supportive, but soft both on the upper and the midsole.

Retros feel like some of mishapen hiking boot. When they shrunk the air bubble they didn't even add extra material to the midsole, Retros sit on the ground like those strength shoes.
That just increases heel drag, which in turn wears the shoe out more quickly.

Nike really do not give a flying expletive anymore, they made me a sneaker head, but now they're driving me away.

 

[swingshot]

Originally Posted by dunks318ti

In my opinion they should only retro with GR status of HIGH quantities once every blue moon. .

Nike don't give a crap. They're the only game in town and retailers basically have to take their product, however cheap or often the turn it out.



In the mid-nineties Nike upped their game and put the competition down. Now, their market dominance, their market abuse, is the price we're paying for the success in the nineties.


The Air Max 2 CB is a prime example. Retros look like the shoe in the picture above.

They feel nothing like it. OGs are supportive, but soft both on the upper and the midsole.

Retros feel like some of mishapen hiking boot. When they shrunk the air bubble they didn't even add extra material to the midsole, Retros sit on the ground like those strength shoes.
That just increases heel drag, which in turn wears the shoe out more quickly.

Nike really do not give a flying expletive anymore, they made me a sneaker head, but now they're driving me away.

 

[frenchblue23]

Doesn't anyone get it?

Once people were referring to buying shoes as a "Shoe Game", that's when you fed Nike's ego even more.

People coming out of the blue who knew nothing about Jordan, started buying because it was the cool thing to do.
Lunch money was spent, mom and pops money, etc..

Nike Retro grew as well, I mean really, there's not much you can do now, but to not buy them anymore, and search for an "OG" or previous Retro to fill your need.

Nike only did what was right in their mind, make money at minimal production costs.

 

[frenchblue23]

Doesn't anyone get it?

Once people were referring to buying shoes as a "Shoe Game", that's when you fed Nike's ego even more.

People coming out of the blue who knew nothing about Jordan, started buying because it was the cool thing to do.
Lunch money was spent, mom and pops money, etc..

Nike Retro grew as well, I mean really, there's not much you can do now, but to not buy them anymore, and search for an "OG" or previous Retro to fill your need.

Nike only did what was right in their mind, make money at minimal production costs.

 

[green rhino123]

i thought you were gonna show a picture of the 'columbia' 4s
cause those marked the beginning of the end (birth of retro+)

 

[green rhino123]

i thought you were gonna show a picture of the 'columbia' 4s
cause those marked the beginning of the end (birth of retro+)

 

[nflowshoe]

Thats true about the columbia 4, here is the history of it for those who didnt know

The shoe was retroed in 1999 in a white/black colorway and a black/cement colorway, and stores were sold out of Air Jordan IV within hours of release. However, when Nike released the first Retro+ of the Air Jordan IV, many fans of the shoe claimed that the company had "destroyed a classic" by removing the nets on the shoe along with making some other subtle changes. One example being "NIKE AIR" logo featured on the back of the shoe being replaced with the Jumpman logo.

 

[nflowshoe]

Thats true about the columbia 4, here is the history of it for those who didnt know

The shoe was retroed in 1999 in a white/black colorway and a black/cement colorway, and stores were sold out of Air Jordan IV within hours of release. However, when Nike released the first Retro+ of the Air Jordan IV, many fans of the shoe claimed that the company had "destroyed a classic" by removing the nets on the shoe along with making some other subtle changes. One example being "NIKE AIR" logo featured on the back of the shoe being replaced with the Jumpman logo.

 

[23sole]

Consider the time period and for those who are old enough (myself 33yrs old) There was no such thing as that dreaded term "sneakerhead" or "sneaker game"... As I speak for myself I simply just liked shoes and bought whatever I liked and wished that I can buy more but I was a broke high school kid. But think about it back then styles were sooo different NOBODY really liked retro Jordans. I thought the AJ 1's and 2's were uglyyyy! I remember them being on the clearance rack for $29.99!!! Retros were not popular back then. From what I remember most people liked newest shoes and the only retros people wore were puma clydes/suedes and adidas shell toes along with the huge huge baggy pants and huge shirts..lol. And Internet was pretty much non-existent so Eastbay was the main source or watching MJ in his latest shoes.

 

[23sole]

Consider the time period and for those who are old enough (myself 33yrs old) There was no such thing as that dreaded term "sneakerhead" or "sneaker game"... As I speak for myself I simply just liked shoes and bought whatever I liked and wished that I can buy more but I was a broke high school kid. But think about it back then styles were sooo different NOBODY really liked retro Jordans. I thought the AJ 1's and 2's were uglyyyy! I remember them being on the clearance rack for $29.99!!! Retros were not popular back then. From what I remember most people liked newest shoes and the only retros people wore were puma clydes/suedes and adidas shell toes along with the huge huge baggy pants and huge shirts..lol. And Internet was pretty much non-existent so Eastbay was the main source or watching MJ in his latest shoes.

 

[uptownsdotnetstacky]

Those shadows have yet to be seen by my eyes

 

[uptownsdotnetstacky]

Those shadows have yet to be seen by my eyes

 

[SteveSteve72]

I like the X better with the toe cap

 

[SteveSteve72]

I like the X better with the toe cap

 

[stillin729]

if you use the term "shoe game" then you are what is wrong with it in my opinion