John Kim Angelo Baque is opening the vault. Coinciding with the announcement of his appointment to the Jordan Design Studio, the Awake NY founder shared a never-before-seen sample of his acclaimed Air Jordan 5 collaboration, giving sneaker enthusiasts a glimpse at an alternate direction for one of Jordan Brand’s standout partnerships.
Unlike the retail release, this unreleased Air Jordan 5 swaps its darker palette for a crisp white leather upper accented by teal green along the midsole. While Awake NY has yet to reveal the inspiration behind the sample, the color combination immediately evokes New York City’s most iconic landmark — the Statue Of Liberty. This is clearly an earlier sample as the brand’s A logo appears stitched on the collar before being infused with the AJ5’s upper netting.
Baque’s post included another surprise as well: an alternate sample of the upcoming Awake NY x Air Jordan 6. The unreleased version replaces the familiar slanted “A” branding with Awake’s signature crown logo, offering an early look at another possible direction for the collaboration. Sneaker News can confirm that this crown logo version also exists with the pink pair.
Again, this first look at samples coincides with Jordan Brand’s announcement of Baque as one of the creatives participating in the Jordan Design Studio, a new initiative dedicated to mentoring the next generation of designers. In sharing the news, Baque wrote, “Jordan Design Studio, mentoring the next generation. Can’t wait to work with new creatives, share ideas, and participate in a space to help the next generation of innovators. Looking forward to bringing this project to fruition.” The Jordan Design Studio also includes Chris Gibbs, owner of Union Los Angeles.
