Like the iPhone, the Air Jordan 1 has gone through many evolutions. There’s the current day model, the Air Jordan 1 High, but also the Air Jordan 1 High OG, Air Jordan 1 KO, Air Jordan 1 Retro, Air Jordan 1 Zoom and Air Jordan 1 85. Despite how many variations there are, the differences between them are minute — slight changes to the collar, the addition or subtraction of a small curve on the center rubber cup midsole or switches to the finish on the Jordan Brand logo. Sneakerheads will argue otherwise, though — that they’re truly massive to the trained eye — and that’s what makes a few of these editions way more covetable than the rest.
The Air Jordan 1 85 is the holy grail for the sneaker-obsessed. It’s rarely reissued — ah, exclusivity. Plus, they think it’s the truest representation of what Jordan was really wearing all the way back in 1985: the insole is thick and made from polyurethane; there’s a board last beneath the insole; the tongue is puffy, made from nylon and filled with yellow stuffing instead of blue; and the leather is thicker but easier to break in.
But this kind of craftsmanship comes at a cost. The newest version, the Air Jordan 1 85 ‘Georgetown’ (or College Navy, as Nike calls it), will set you back a flat $200 dollars — $30 more than the Air Jordan 1 High. Why? Well, it’s better leather, and the 85s are surely made in smaller batches. Plus, there’s an air of mysticism about this pair. Jordan didn’t wear, well, Jordan when he was in college. He trusted Converse, because Jordan wasn’t around yet. (Duh.) This sneaker fuses his amateur and fully professional careers, and while there have been plenty of ‘UNC’ colorways, dozens of different assortments of baby blue and pearly white, there’s never been an ode to ‘Georgetown,’ the school UNC beat in the national championship during Jordan’s freshman year.
One nearly released, though. The Air Jordan 1 ‘Georgetown,’ which drops April 2nd, is based on a sample from 1985. It had, instead of the Jordan logo embossed on the uppers now, the word “HOYAS” stamped into the leather.
