- 5,247
- 4,069
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2008
The 2s didn't deviate from the original design. I mentioned earlier that lows DO in fact 'count', but the ones that changed the design do not 'count'.
And the real reason I use the term "true" is because it means authentic. As in an authentic Jordan numbered shoe. You can have derivatives and they may be nice to some people, but the 11 IEs aren't the original design hence the term "true". People went up in arms because they think I'm saying the shoe ain't legit, and that's not what I'm saying.
I hear what you are saying, though I generally disagree.
You distinguish between the "design" of the shoe and the "cut" of the shoe - saying that the low II, for example, "counts," but the XI IE does not. A counterargument would be that there is little more fundamental to characterizing the "design" of a shoe than its cut. We venture into semantic territory really quickly here, but I don't think the low II and the high II have the same design, but rather the same "look." "Design" also subsumes "structure" in this case, IMO.
...That said, it seems weird to extrapolate that argument to other lines. Like, the Air Force 1 low wouldn't be a true AF1? ...That doesn't pass the sniff test and is an argument in your favor. Maybe this isn't such a hard and fast axiom.
Here are a few other questions that test this assumption -
- What about the patent low XIs. Same design, but not OG? They would be original designs - but that model was not released to the public at the time of the OG. So, do they count?
- You mention material changes. I can't stand a lot of the either. What about jewel swoosh AF1s? Where do you stand on those being "true" AF1s?
Perhaps, this is a topic best reserved for the old Potter Stewart defense of "I'll know it when I see it."
Basically there are a number of things that come into play for me -
Is it an original CW? If not, 99% chance I don't care about it.
Did MJ wear it on the court? If yes, that's a strong point toward being a "true" MJ shoe
If a variation of a numbered sig, did it drop at the same time as the original? Here, the IE passes muster, but the patent low XI does not.
Last edited: