Air Jordan 1 'White Royal'

On Saturday 9th May a new addition was made to the Air Jordan collection with the ‘White Royal’. This was an adaption of the ‘Black Royal’ released a year earlier, the only adaption being the side panel changed to white as has the Jordan logo on the upper section.

The sneaker originally retailed for £134.95 but sold out in around 20 minutes. It was initially reselling for upwards of £250. However each day since the release, the reselling value has decreased to the point where you would be lucky to receive £190 12 days on from the release. On StockX however, the asking prices vary and all still in excess of £230 although sales at that price look rare and bids made by viewers are significantly less.

In 1985 the first Joran 1 was released, but it wasn’t without controversy. When it was debuted by Michael Jordan himself, the NBA banned the shoe expecting all players to wear identical footwear. Nike then paid every fine for players wearing Jordan’s on the court eventually making the sneaker one of the most iconic models of all time. Recently that very same pair of 1985 sneakers signed by MJ sold at auction for $560,000, the most expensive pair of sneakers sold of all time and in the top ten for most valuable sports memorabilia.

The shoe itself is made from ‘premium’ leather, the latest take on the classic model features a white and dark blue base accented by black framing panels, ankle collar and midfoot Swooshes. Additional branding elements come in the form of contrasting white Jordan Brand Wings at the ankle and “Nike Air” tongue tags that continue the two-tone effect. Concluding the design of the shoe are black laces, although you do also receive blue laces when purchasing, matching nylon tongue, sockliner and white midsole paired with a “White Royal” rubber outsole.

Personally, I think this colour combination is more appealing than the black royal version because the white panels on the side make the rest of the shoe lighter and more noticeable. Apart from that however, I think there are far more interesting Jordan’s available which much more character. They are however probably the best shoe available at the moment for £135 at retail value. A number of individuals elsewhere on the internet say that we now have too many versions of the Jordan 1 and that it is an exhausted design. This is probably due to the fact that there is only one feature of this shoe different to a previous shoe which could suggest that Nike themselves are running out of either ideas in inspiration. The large number of similarities to an older shoe is also why the ‘White Royal’ resells for a fairly low amount compared to other Jordan’s percentage wise. Overall, I think it was a nice shoe and would be a great addition to any collection especially if you do not have the ‘Black Royal’.