THE JUMPMAN IS BACK AT OFF THE HOOK
WORDS BY: ALEX JONES
There are around 11,000,000 people named Michael in the world, but if we say we like Mike, you know the exact one we’re talking about. If you need some hints, he’s got 6 rings, 5 MVPS, 2 Olympic gold medals, and somehow has a more famous jump than Super Mario. Now, after 10 long years, we’re proud to announce that finally, Air Jordan is landing back on the shelves of Off the Hook.
The world was already wearing Jordan XIVs back in 1999 when Off the Hook first opened. Setting up shop 14 generations into the shoes that invented hype might make it sound like we were late to the game, but the truth is that we were right on time.
It took all of the 90s for streetwear to reach a tipping point and enter popular culture. Buoyed by the rise in popularity of basketball, hip-hop, and skateboarding (Steve Cabellero thrashed in Jordans!), New York City was on the cutting edge of streetwear. It’s where the cultural touchstones of fashion, music, and sport were coming together and legendary shops like Clientele, Dave’s Quality Meats (it’s not a deli), and Alife started popping up, quickly becoming destination stores to find the hottest sneakers.
We glossed over quite a bit to start our Jordan story in 1999, so let’s jump back to 1984/85, when Nike signed a newly drafted Michael Jordan to a sneaker deal that changed sneaker deals forever. With a $65 price tag, Nike pessimistically anticipated selling 100,000 pairs in the first year and were off by a million or so. Kids wanted to be like Mike, and as one Nike commercial put it, you had to have the shoes to be like Mike.
One great shoe doesn’t make an industry, and Nike’s Jordan brand rolled out the II, the III, and many more (high, mid, and low top versions) to keep the hype train rolling year after year. It didn’t take long until they broke through to the mainstream and Air Jordans became as household a name as the man who made them famous. They weren’t all hits, but now even some of the worst-selling editions from decades ago are worth big money to collectors.
Jordan Brand is back at Off The Hook, and it’s about time! Releasing in-store at 11:00 AM and online & in-app at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
