What will it take for JB to bring you back: vol. 1st Gen.

[supermanblue79]

I haven't posted in the JB forum regularly for years due to a lack of innovative products from Brand Jordan.
Being a 1st generation Nike/Jordan customer,  I can remember how huge the leap in innovation was from year
to year with each new Jordan release with design, technology, ect.  Fast forward to the present and it seems
that the only thing that we are getting now is gimmick peep holes, limited releases, and a tsunami of retros.  Being able to relive my
childhood through shoe purchases is great, but there's only so many times that you can spend money on the same thing.

At this point, I'm looking for a reason for JB to bring me back.  I need a signature shoe that's a game changer in the shoe market
all wrapped in a clean silhouette made of high quality materials.

Simple question NT. 
For those of you that have fallen away from Brand Jordan, what will it take to bring you back?

 

[supermanblue79]

I haven't posted in the JB forum regularly for years due to a lack of innovative products from Brand Jordan.
Being a 1st generation Nike/Jordan customer,  I can remember how huge the leap in innovation was from year
to year with each new Jordan release with design, technology, ect.  Fast forward to the present and it seems
that the only thing that we are getting now is gimmick peep holes, limited releases, and a tsunami of retros.  Being able to relive my
childhood through shoe purchases is great, but there's only so many times that you can spend money on the same thing.

At this point, I'm looking for a reason for JB to bring me back.  I need a signature shoe that's a game changer in the shoe market
all wrapped in a clean silhouette made of high quality materials.

Simple question NT. 
For those of you that have fallen away from Brand Jordan, what will it take to bring you back?

 

[rob1ne]

As you said , something new and exciting! And if they bring out retros , dont do it as often as today and of course , stated thousands of times..make them with supreme quality materials and almost identical to the OG's. But it wont happen, the company is to big nowadays and they dont have to convince customers anymore. /RIP greatest shoeline of all time/

 

[rob1ne]

As you said , something new and exciting! And if they bring out retros , dont do it as often as today and of course , stated thousands of times..make them with supreme quality materials and almost identical to the OG's. But it wont happen, the company is to big nowadays and they dont have to convince customers anymore. /RIP greatest shoeline of all time/

 

[luminescent]

Quality, no more pack bs, and that's just about it. They can keep releasing garbage as long as there's a decent shoe of good construction interspersed every now and then.

 

[luminescent]

Quality, no more pack bs, and that's just about it. They can keep releasing garbage as long as there's a decent shoe of good construction interspersed every now and then.

 

[3thaman]

I'm with you, haven't been in here in forever.  Still love Jordans just not todays Jordans. Release retro's made the right way and I'd be back in an instant but how it stands now I don't even look for them on discount anymore.

Quality like this JB.

 

[3thaman]

I'm with you, haven't been in here in forever.  Still love Jordans just not todays Jordans. Release retro's made the right way and I'd be back in an instant but how it stands now I don't even look for them on discount anymore.

Quality like this JB.

 

[dtb00201]

That's what the Lebron line is for. The only thing I want from JB is quality and accurate retros.

 

[dtb00201]

That's what the Lebron line is for. The only thing I want from JB is quality and accurate retros.

 

[cortes21]

As long as JB is making decent j's I'm buying..

 

[cortes21]

As long as JB is making decent j's I'm buying..

 

[anomaly]

1. Put out better quality retros that are on par, or at least close to the originals.  Stop skimping on the quality by reducing the grade of materials used, or the cut of certain shoes in order to use less of the expensive materials, the inaccurate molds, the painting of midsoles instead of injecting the paint into the foam, etc just because you can "get away with it".  The originals were classics because Tinker had a very specific vision in mind when he created them, and he brought that vision to life through the proportions, materials, etc, so yes, even the little annoyances we complain about can make a BIG difference.  It's those "little things" that made the shoes what they were.  To alter those things is to ruin the shoe.  It's not an issue of whether you can continue making a boat load more by continuing to sell out low grade products.  Obviously they will sell despite the piss-poor quality, but if you have even an ounce of pride in yourself, at some point you have to put legacy and heritage above sheer greed.  I know, I know....this is a foreign, hard to understand concept for most Americans today, but you can (just) do it!

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  It's his way of saying "f*ck you, Nike.  I made Nike what it is today.  It's all about ME!"  Even with the retros, he wants to clearly set apart JB from Nike to signify that Nike's success is due mostly to him and his line, even if it means making the shoes look off (and I don't mean just because it's not like the originals; I mean the placement of the Jumpman on older classics just doesn't fit).  Well news flash, Michael.  If it wasn't for Nike taking a HUGE gamble on you by giving you an unheard of offer in the amount you were paid as well as your own line with your actual name on it, you wouldn't have had jack sh*t.  Did you forget what you were told when you went to Adidas and Converse, your  preferred brands, and told them  you'd go with either if they could just match the offer?  They told you to go f*ck yourself.  There's no way they'd offer that to an athlete.  So try to be a bit more humble, and pay homage to those that helped launch your career.  You both benefited mutually.  After all, as brilliant of a basketball player as you were, let's not forget it's the true commercialism of the "Air Jordan" concept that really helped elevate (pun intended) your popularity and success.

3. Stop needlessly raising prices on retros.  And don't give me the *******t "inflation" excuse.  Inflation doesn't apply to reproductions of products from 10/15/20+ years ago.  You see, the majority of costs for retail goods comes not from the cost of the materials to make the product, but from the research and development process.  Paying people to come up with initial ideas and designs, paying for the molds, materials and labor to create those initial designs, testing them in real world applications, finding the flaws, designing fixes for those flaws, paying for molds, materials and labor to create the "revised" product, test the revised product again, and so on.  This process is repeated until the company feels satisfied with the results, and calls that last version the "final product".  THEN you can factor in the meager cost of actual materials, and the labor to put the final product together, which is usually nothing.  Well in the case of retro shoes, the R&D is completely removed from the equation, thus the cost has dropped IMMENSELY to recreate the shoes.  You are down to just the cost of materials and labor needed to create the shoe, so right off the bat, your profit margin even at original prices has grown exponentially.  Then factor in the fact that they're using even lower grade materials, less of the expensive trim on certain shoes, etc, and not only have you lost any credibility in raising prices, but there's no excuse for why the shoes aren't priced even LESS than when they were new!  It's sheer greed.

4. Stop the defamation of classics through horrible colorways, and the bastardized inbreeding of several classics to create "new shoes".  Things like the "Pistons" colorway of the VIs, or the BIN edition of the VIIs are nothing more than an atrocity to otherwise timeless classics.  With all the possibilities in color blocking, it boggles the mind that this is the crap that they come up with.  I've seen people Photoshop colorways that are 10x better than anything JB is coming up with these days, so why can't these "creative professionals" come up with something as good, or better?  And I'm not going to get into the abomination that is the Spiz'ikes, Fusions, True Flights, 6-Rings, AJFs, Dub-zeros, 60+, Ol'Schools, Flight 45s, etc.  I don't know who dreams up this stuff, but sometimes I wonder if the goal isn't to see how hideous they can make their products before they stop selling.  Seriously....how hard is it to come up with brand new shoes instead of offering rehashings of previous shoes by mashing together several editions, or "borrowing" concepts?  You are designers.  DESIGN!  Get back to the innovation that made the Air Jordan line the premium cream of the crop in basketball shoes.


Synopsis:  Pride, legacy and heritage above greed, please.

 

[anomaly]

1. Put out better quality retros that are on par, or at least close to the originals.  Stop skimping on the quality by reducing the grade of materials used, or the cut of certain shoes in order to use less of the expensive materials, the inaccurate molds, the painting of midsoles instead of injecting the paint into the foam, etc just because you can "get away with it".  The originals were classics because Tinker had a very specific vision in mind when he created them, and he brought that vision to life through the proportions, materials, etc, so yes, even the little annoyances we complain about can make a BIG difference.  It's those "little things" that made the shoes what they were.  To alter those things is to ruin the shoe.  It's not an issue of whether you can continue making a boat load more by continuing to sell out low grade products.  Obviously they will sell despite the piss-poor quality, but if you have even an ounce of pride in yourself, at some point you have to put legacy and heritage above sheer greed.  I know, I know....this is a foreign, hard to understand concept for most Americans today, but you can (just) do it!

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  It's his way of saying "f*ck you, Nike.  I made Nike what it is today.  It's all about ME!"  Even with the retros, he wants to clearly set apart JB from Nike to signify that Nike's success is due mostly to him and his line, even if it means making the shoes look off (and I don't mean just because it's not like the originals; I mean the placement of the Jumpman on older classics just doesn't fit).  Well news flash, Michael.  If it wasn't for Nike taking a HUGE gamble on you by giving you an unheard of offer in the amount you were paid as well as your own line with your actual name on it, you wouldn't have had jack sh*t.  Did you forget what you were told when you went to Adidas and Converse, your  preferred brands, and told them  you'd go with either if they could just match the offer?  They told you to go f*ck yourself.  There's no way they'd offer that to an athlete.  So try to be a bit more humble, and pay homage to those that helped launch your career.  You both benefited mutually.  After all, as brilliant of a basketball player as you were, let's not forget it's the true commercialism of the "Air Jordan" concept that really helped elevate (pun intended) your popularity and success.

3. Stop needlessly raising prices on retros.  And don't give me the *******t "inflation" excuse.  Inflation doesn't apply to reproductions of products from 10/15/20+ years ago.  You see, the majority of costs for retail goods comes not from the cost of the materials to make the product, but from the research and development process.  Paying people to come up with initial ideas and designs, paying for the molds, materials and labor to create those initial designs, testing them in real world applications, finding the flaws, designing fixes for those flaws, paying for molds, materials and labor to create the "revised" product, test the revised product again, and so on.  This process is repeated until the company feels satisfied with the results, and calls that last version the "final product".  THEN you can factor in the meager cost of actual materials, and the labor to put the final product together, which is usually nothing.  Well in the case of retro shoes, the R&D is completely removed from the equation, thus the cost has dropped IMMENSELY to recreate the shoes.  You are down to just the cost of materials and labor needed to create the shoe, so right off the bat, your profit margin even at original prices has grown exponentially.  Then factor in the fact that they're using even lower grade materials, less of the expensive trim on certain shoes, etc, and not only have you lost any credibility in raising prices, but there's no excuse for why the shoes aren't priced even LESS than when they were new!  It's sheer greed.

4. Stop the defamation of classics through horrible colorways, and the bastardized inbreeding of several classics to create "new shoes".  Things like the "Pistons" colorway of the VIs, or the BIN edition of the VIIs are nothing more than an atrocity to otherwise timeless classics.  With all the possibilities in color blocking, it boggles the mind that this is the crap that they come up with.  I've seen people Photoshop colorways that are 10x better than anything JB is coming up with these days, so why can't these "creative professionals" come up with something as good, or better?  And I'm not going to get into the abomination that is the Spiz'ikes, Fusions, True Flights, 6-Rings, AJFs, Dub-zeros, 60+, Ol'Schools, Flight 45s, etc.  I don't know who dreams up this stuff, but sometimes I wonder if the goal isn't to see how hideous they can make their products before they stop selling.  Seriously....how hard is it to come up with brand new shoes instead of offering rehashings of previous shoes by mashing together several editions, or "borrowing" concepts?  You are designers.  DESIGN!  Get back to the innovation that made the Air Jordan line the premium cream of the crop in basketball shoes.


Synopsis:  Pride, legacy and heritage above greed, please.

 

[bmore3800]

I'm coming back for XIIIs. They were my first and favorite Js. Where is the Black and Red pair though? I remember being like 8 or 9 and falling head over heels in love with them.

 

[bmore3800]

I'm coming back for XIIIs. They were my first and favorite Js. Where is the Black and Red pair though? I remember being like 8 or 9 and falling head over heels in love with them.

 

[ohdannyboy]

Originally Posted by Anomaly

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  

jordan became an actual brand under nike in 1997, thus the reason to remove nike from a jordan shoe...same reason chuck taylor's don't have a nike logo even though they are a nike brand now

 

[ohdannyboy]

Originally Posted by Anomaly

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  

jordan became an actual brand under nike in 1997, thus the reason to remove nike from a jordan shoe...same reason chuck taylor's don't have a nike logo even though they are a nike brand now

 

[justhotkicks]

Originally Posted by ohdannyboy

Originally Posted by Anomaly

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  

jordan became an actual brand under nike in 1997, thus the reason to remove nike from a jordan shoe...same reason chuck taylor's don't have a nike logo even though they are a nike brand now

Also, there's a pretty big rivalry between JB and Nike BBall out in Beaverton. They don't wanna give Nike any shine whatsoever if they don't need to.

 

[justhotkicks]

Originally Posted by ohdannyboy

Originally Posted by Anomaly

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  

jordan became an actual brand under nike in 1997, thus the reason to remove nike from a jordan shoe...same reason chuck taylor's don't have a nike logo even though they are a nike brand now

Also, there's a pretty big rivalry between JB and Nike BBall out in Beaverton. They don't wanna give Nike any shine whatsoever if they don't need to.

 

[norcalballgirl23]

Anomaly and Bmore hit the nail on the head for me.

I was at ntsf wearing the retro last shots (cuz I thought it was going to rain) and a worker tried to tell me they should be DS in the closet somewhere. I kindly reminded him of the velvet fur crap they used for the sockliner and the slightly off color red they used instead of keeping it OG.

I'll be grabbing the wht/red xiii and if they are on point, my faith could be restored and maybe I'll pick those 2010s I'm currently scoping lol

 

[norcalballgirl23]

Anomaly and Bmore hit the nail on the head for me.

I was at ntsf wearing the retro last shots (cuz I thought it was going to rain) and a worker tried to tell me they should be DS in the closet somewhere. I kindly reminded him of the velvet fur crap they used for the sockliner and the slightly off color red they used instead of keeping it OG.

I'll be grabbing the wht/red xiii and if they are on point, my faith could be restored and maybe I'll pick those 2010s I'm currently scoping lol

 

[anomaly]

Originally Posted by justhotkicks

Originally Posted by ohdannyboy

Originally Posted by Anomaly

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  

jordan became an actual brand under nike in 1997, thus the reason to remove nike from a jordan shoe...same reason chuck taylor's don't have a nike logo even though they are a nike brand now

Also, there's a pretty big rivalry between JB and Nike BBall out in Beaverton. They don't wanna give Nike any shine whatsoever if they don't need to.

Well that was exactly my point.  Putting a Jumpman on the retros of shoes that had Nike AIR on the originals is JB's way of saying f*ck you to Nike.  I know JB became an independent subsidiary of Nike in '97.  They also stopped putting Nike on the Air Jordans after the VIs, despite not having become JB yet.  But that has nothing to do with putting the NA on retros of shoes prior to that, or putting a Jumpan logo on those Nike Air plastic keychains some of them come with.  That WAS a Nike thing, as many shoes came with those.  Hell, it's even in the official Nike color.  I'm well aware it's basically a pissing match, which is what I went into detail with on my explanation.  I'm just saying it's downright stupid that the classics are suffering as innocent bystanders in all this.

 

[anomaly]

Originally Posted by justhotkicks

Originally Posted by ohdannyboy

Originally Posted by Anomaly

2. Put the Nike AIR back on the appropriate retros.  I have a pretty good idea why MJ puts the Jumpman on the back of the retros, and it revolves around his immense ego.  

jordan became an actual brand under nike in 1997, thus the reason to remove nike from a jordan shoe...same reason chuck taylor's don't have a nike logo even though they are a nike brand now

Also, there's a pretty big rivalry between JB and Nike BBall out in Beaverton. They don't wanna give Nike any shine whatsoever if they don't need to.

Well that was exactly my point.  Putting a Jumpman on the retros of shoes that had Nike AIR on the originals is JB's way of saying f*ck you to Nike.  I know JB became an independent subsidiary of Nike in '97.  They also stopped putting Nike on the Air Jordans after the VIs, despite not having become JB yet.  But that has nothing to do with putting the NA on retros of shoes prior to that, or putting a Jumpan logo on those Nike Air plastic keychains some of them come with.  That WAS a Nike thing, as many shoes came with those.  Hell, it's even in the official Nike color.  I'm well aware it's basically a pissing match, which is what I went into detail with on my explanation.  I'm just saying it's downright stupid that the classics are suffering as innocent bystanders in all this.

 

[beats05]

If you are going to retro something, bring back the same exact shoe.  You would think it is harder to actually change molds for a shoe, but Jordan Brand insists on doing it and making their classics ugly.  Then they use cheaper materials.  They are going out of their way to give us crappy products.  The market isn't holding them accountable because people buy whatever, but I'm doing my part to let them know this is stupid business by not buying.  The Cool Grey XI's are probably my favorite shoe of all time, but what they're bringing out in December looks like the variants that came out back in the early 2000's.  I'd rather not own the shoe again than pay for what they're giving me.  Will it make a difference?  No, they'll still sell out, but I don't personally care.

As for new designs, bring some fresh talent in.  I haven't been excited about a new Jordan design since the XIV's.  The XX3's were a step in the right direction--and if they weren't, that would have been a problem--but that's it.  If new Lebrons and Kobes and general Nike basketball shoes can be hot, the new Jordans should be hot too--not atrocious like the recent ones.  The line brand is staying afloat using ugly cheap retros, and with the time growing between Jordan actually playing and the present, I'm sure it will die in the near future unless they start executing properly.