John Kim Timeless color-blocking on the most iconic Air Jordan ever made. Sounds great on paper, but it’s been drawing nothing but ire from the Jumpman community. The Air Jordan 11 “Bred Velvet” has all the right note-hitting ingredients, but why isn’t it music to our ears?
It starts with patent leather. It’s the cheese to the pizza. One can’t really go without the other, and despite the few moments in its nearly three-decade history that have shown otherwise, an Air Jordan 11 without patent leather won’t pique the interests of core Jordan enthusiasts. Although velvet shares the same elegant, luxurious, red-carpet-ready aesthetic as glossy leather does, it lacks the flashy pop that made the Air Jordan 11 steal the TV screens when it first emerged during the 1995 NBA Playoffs.
Secondly, the “Bred Velvet” is a women’s exclusive release. That limits the interest to those who can fit into a 10.5 M, which cuts off a significant portion of the men’s demographic. And despite how significant the Air Jordan 11 is to the history of sneaker culture, it’s still largely unknown to the mainstream audience that have their primary sights set on all-leather low-tops like the Air Jordan 1, Dunk, adidas Samba, and so on.
Finally, the original Air Jordan 11 “Bred” was such a revolutionary sneaker, that anything attempting to replicate it will pale in comparison. Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to an epic 72-10 regular season and capped it off with his fourth NBA Championship. Going a different route with the color would’ve been a better choice, although every women’s exclusive Air Jordan 11 that launched since the WMNS-only sizing launched in 2018 has been a relative flop. This goes for all OG colorways across all models; the recent Jordan Reimagined concept line has seen more disappointments that hits.
Although the Air Jordan 11 in Mid and Low form don’t come that frequently, it’s time to re-establish history. There’s no doubt that the Air Jordan 11 “Bred Velvet” will see good movement on release day, but it won’t be remembered in history.
