An Up Close Look at the 2016 Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’

This weekend marks one of the most anticipated releases of the year: the Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’. Although it’s not like the previous ‘Banned’ colorway, it is still one of the most iconic colorways from the Air Jordan line. WearTesters was able to get a pair in hand early and we wanted to give you a look at the upcoming release.

The Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ should not disappoint in terms of quality of the materials used. Like a majority of Air Jordan 1s, the Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ has a full leather upper. The leather used has both smooth and tumbled finishes, utilized in similar ways to the Air Jordan 1 ‘Shattered Backboard’. The toebox and heel areas showcase the tumbled leather while the overlays in black are smooth leather. Underfoot is the usual Air Jordan 1 midsole in white, along with the Air Jordan 1 outsole in red that matches the upper.

The Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ also features iconic detailing such as the Nike Air logos on the tongue, insole, and outsole. On the medial side of the inner collar there are various numbers placed. The first two numbers, on this pair 10, represent the size of the shoe. The following numbers, which will be the same on every pair, read 841018X to represent the date on or around when Michael Jordan violated the NBA’s rules regarding footwear being in uniform with the team’s uniforms and teammates footwear. To give some additional variety, the Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ comes with two extra sets of laces in red and white.

One thing to note is that the color of the leather is darker than the previous releases of any black/red Air Jordan 1 colorway. We weren’t able to get any comparison pictures of the different shades of red, but the red on the upcoming pair is closer to a deep red, like blood, rather than the vibrant red that was seen on releases such as the 2013 Air Jordan 1 ‘Bred’.

This Saturday, September 3, will mark the return of the Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’. Retail price is $160 for men’s sizes and $120 for grade school. Best of luck to all who are pursuing a pair this weekend.