Brand: Off-White™ x Nike
Model: Air Jordan 2 Low "Black Royal," "White Red," and matching apparel
Release Date: November 12
Price: $190 for the sneakers, $90-$300 for the clothing
Buy: Nike SNKRS and select retailers including END.
Editor’s Notes: Following Virgil Abloh’s clap-back at haters of his upcoming Off-White™ x Nike Air Jordan 2 Low (more on that later), Nike has officially announced the sneaker on its SNKRS app.
The sneaker, which arrives in two colorways, is directly based off of archival pairs in Jordan Brand’s DNA archive. That’s why Off-White™’s version features a faux-crumbled midsole, to mimic Michael Jordan’s own pairs from the late ’80s. The Air Jordan 2 is also a love-it-or-hate-it silhouette, as it was always going to be a tough task to follow from the AJ1.
MJ’s second signature sneaker was the first that took a luxury-inspired design, being made in Italy and crafted in a way that other performance sneakers weren't at the time. It’s clear, by the number of details, how much attention went into designing the Off-White™ x Nike Air Jordan 2 Low.
Following a post by @scollard23 (below), Abloh engaged with the commenters and explained the reasoning behind several of those design details.
In response to a question about why Michael Jordan’s signature is in a different location on each colorway, Abloh confirmed that this was done to simulate the fact that MJ would have signed two different shoes in different locations. Abloh also revealed that the project is based on signed pairs of OG Air Jordan 2s that are sitting in Jordan Brand’s archives.
He wrote: “y’all are aware that Jordan before every game had box fresh pairs. and after the games he would sign pairs and sometimes give to fans. this Off-White™ pair is made from an actual pair of that stock, that today is crumbling in Jordan DNA archives.”
One user lamented that they would be more interested in a general release version of the same shoe that paid as much attention to detail as Abloh and his team did. To that, Abloh replied that “the internal team there is killing it without me tho. they are all kids like us. best company.”
Another user commented that the blue and black colorway was “garbage” because it wasn’t an OG colorway. Abloh laughed that off by replying: “being completely stuck in the past is scary...if not criminal.”
The Off-White™ x Nike Air Jordan 2 Low is releasing on November 12 in two colorways — the model’s OG colorway, and an alternate black and blue colorway. Raffles are now open at online retailers including END.
Both colorways feature a midsole design that resembles crumbling, an exposed sock liner and tongue, and MJ’s signature — a first for Off-White™ x Nike sneakers.
Both sneakers were initially leaked back in June. The duo of Air Jordan 2 Lows marks Virgil Abloh’s fourth collaborative retro Air Jordan model. Abloh has already worked on the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 4, and Air Jordan 5, two of which arrived in multiple colorways.
The Off-White™ x Nike partnership shows no signs of slowing down. What started as ten silhouettes in 2017 has spiraled into a collection that comprises well over 100 pairs, if all colorways are counted separately.
If the signature wasn't enough, Off-White™ and Nike created a selection of thematic apparel that's also partially inspired by Jordan. Specifically, oversized warm-up T-shirts and pants recall Jordan's pre-game attire, while loose-fitting hoodies and tees put his logo, again, front and center.
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