The Decline of the Air Jordan Brand

The Air Jordan basketball sneaker, a worldwide standard for performance footwear excellence, is about to release its 23^rd edition in the mainline Jordan series. Known for its cutting-edge design, its cultural cues in appearance, and the man for its named, the Air Jordan has survived the test of times since its initial release in 1985. Though Michael Jordan himself has been retired from basketball for four years (the third time in 19 years) and while the younger generations are moving away from the remembrance of the No. 23 that played in his own shoes, millions of shoes in the Jordan line continue to sell big all across the world, including the continents of Europe and Asia; there are even Team, lifestyle, and Retro lines of Air Jordan, made possible by the Brand Jordan division of Nike. Slowly but surely, though, the shoes have lost their cache.

Since Michael's retirement after winning his sixth NBA championship in 1998, the main Air Jordan line (characterized by Roman and/or Arabic numerals) has lost some of the confidence of shoe buyers. One reason is due to the exposure of Jordan himself-by retiring from the team that helped make him iconic, the Chicago Bulls, many chose to leave his shoes by the wayside, seeing as he was not playing; the results didn't fair that much better when he returned in 2001, sans the Chicago Bulls but with the Washington Wizards.

Another reason was that the head of the design operation switched after his retirement, when Tinker Hatfield, the lead man on all Jordan mainline sneakers, opted to leave with Michael as well. Because of this, the way of the Air Jordan's appearance shifted in various ways. The prior 14 installments of the Air Jordan had a distinct forward shift into the future, making the shoe stand up among all competing brands. With new direction and Michael stepping away from his prominent influence, Nos. 15 through 22 in the Jordan series have had interesting results that didn't always measure up to progressive variance between models.

With the latter models showing tinkering into near-impossible concepts (seamless one-piece leather shoes), colors that didn't necessarily reflect his team palates (mustard yellow and chutney browns), as well as new technologies that moved away from Nike's bread-and-butter Air concepts (lack of true laces, multi-cushioned foam pods, overabundance of straps), the premium Air Jordan line has suffered among true fans. Combine the inflation of Air Jordan price tags (from $110 to $200), and parents and kids alike have become disgruntled. But there's hope.

For the Air Jordan XX3 (that is the aforementioned Roman/Arabic character for "23"), due early in 2008, the Jordan Brand intends to leave Jordan's fingerprints literally on the basketball sneaker world (as top-secret Nike catalog and documents have shown blacked-out plans displaying an enlarged Jordan fingerprint). The event intends to lend itself to the expansion of Jordan Brand's mark on basketball and pop culture together, as high school teams (Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony's alma maters, Montrose Christian Academy and Oak Hill Academy, respectively) and rappers (Eminem and Common) alike have been later endorsers of the Jumpman enterprise. Add to that the growth of Nike in growing economies such as China and its attaining the gold standard of street culture, expect the Air Jordan to celebrate its heritage and impact come next February.