First teased in February ahead of his Super Bowl LIV half-time show, J Balvin and NIKE, Inc. are finally launching their eye-catching Air Jordan 1 “Colores Y Vibras” collaboration on December 8th.
At both quick and thorough glances, the Colombian artist’s take on Michael Jordan’s first signature sneaker is unlike any retro before it, and that was by design.
“I was thinking about how I could have a disruptive [Jordan 1],” said Balvin. But even if the “Mi Gente” creator had simply added subtle changes to the beloved silhouette, his partnership with Jordan Brand alone would’ve been noteworthy, as he’s the first Latino artist to collaborate with the subsidiary.
The pair’s upper is constructed from canvas, which is dipped in a rainbow palette and seemingly haphazardly trimmed. Rounded ankle flaps and jagged-edges throughout, however, represent Balvin’s energy.
Elsewhere, the artist’s smiley-face logo replaces standard Jumpman branding on the left shoe’s tongue; it also arrives in patch-form alongside interchangeable Jumpman, basketball and lightning bolt options that enable wearers to express themselves uniquely.
Rounding out the pair, sole units opt into an uncommon pink arrangement further inspired by Balvin’s design approach and names of his last two albums: “colores” and “vibras” (“colors” and “vibes”).
(November 19, 2020 by Jovani Hernandez of Sneaker News)