Unless you track the world of sneakers closely, you probably missed a new “lifestyle” sneaker model that was released almost a year ago in May of 2023, dubbed the Jordan Stadium 90. I would have, too, if I didn’t live with someone who, in full disclosure, works for Jordan Brand and regularly comes home wearing new releases I’ve never casually come across online or clocked in person.
Even if you did spot these shoes, you wouldn’t immediately guess they were Jordans.
When spied from a distance, the silhouette looks nothing like the brand’s most iconic and coveted sneakers, the so-called “game shoes,” especially the earlier iterations designed for basketball and made iconic by Jordan playing in them throughout his career.
For those who know what to look for, though, there are many small nods to the Jordan brand’s heritage speckled throughout the Stadium 90’s design. The AJ5, in particular, appears to be a strong muse for the shoe. It was initially released in 1990 and featured the same flame outline and padded collar found on the Stadium 90.
For a brand responsible in large part for creating the sneaker-collecting boom and so steeped in streetwear tradition, launching any new model, let alone one that strays so far from its tried and true formula, is a risk.
And while it’s still relatively early days in the lifespan of a sneaker design, I’m hoping Jordan’s bet on the Stadium 90 is paying off.
