What’s going on ladies and gents? I never thought I’d win a raffle, especially from Nike, but voila. Low and behold, I was able to get my hands on a luxurious collaboration: the Air Jordan 2 Retro x Just Don.
In the words of Nike:
The Air Jordan II brought luxury to the hardwood. Originally crafted in Italy from the finest of materials, the storied silhouette’s level of luxury is now raised by Chicago’s own Don C. Hailing from the South Side of Chicago, Don C came up at a time when the Bulls, number 23 and his Air Jordan sneakers took over the city. Don C launched Just Don in 2011, helping bridge the gap between sportswear and luxury fashion with unique, upscale caps. Following their debut collaboration in 2015, Just Don and Jordan now present the new Air Jordan II by Don C. Complete with a matching Just Don x Jordan Cap in the pack, the Air Jordan II is draped in quilted leather for a luxurious take on the 1987 icon.
Jordan Brand took it up a notch with the execution of not only this release, but the collaboration in general. The fine grain leather, with a mixture of nubuck/suede along the midfoot, really screams out luxury. The Air Jordan 2 Retro x Just Don comes with metal aglets that screw on to the waxed laces to match the ‘Beach’ colorway of the shoe.
This particular model comes in a massive package (ha). Not only do you get the shoes in a big red box, but it’s almost the size of carry-on luggage. Once you open the box, you’re surprised with a gold Air Jordan wings logo pin, a Just Don all leather cap, and a white/gold Air Jordan Wings logo dust bag for the shoes. The attention to detail and precision execution on the packaging and extras is beyond what anybody would expect from JB. Jordan Brand wanted to give the “Ooh” and “Ahh” feeling when a person not only opens up the box, but admires the craftsmanship of the Air Jordan 2 Retro x Just Don. You get exactly what you pay for.
I exaggerate a little with the last sentence is because the price point of the shoe is quite high. The retail price for men’s sizes is $650 and that doesn’t include the tax. The GS release of the shoe is $350. I understand that the brand is bringing luxury to the hardwood, but not many individuals can afford to own such fine product(s). That is of course “NOT” a shot at the brand, because I can’t commend them enough for creating such a fascinating concept and executing it flawlessly. I hope that in future release products, the materials, quality, and craftsmanship utilized from the Air Jordan 2 Retro Just Don collaboration be implemented more into future legacy retro releases and/or fused into future performance models. I think the possibilities are endless; just when you think Jordan Brand is out of chips, the company whips out the trick up its sleeve and finds a way to win in the fourth quarter. Salute Just Don, salute Jordan Brand. Always #TakeFlight
[A note: None of the photos taken were filtered or edited, only watermarked. I wanted to give the users an authentic look at the product in its natural state]
Congrats on the Don’s. Thats some premium materials and the colorway is smooth.
Yesum!! Quality and execution was top notch.
“Fascinating” really is the key word here. The AJ 2 had its own share of inspired fashion to start. Other than maybe for BrandBlack, the craftsmanship aspect of basketball shoes kinda went out the window. I mean there’s fashionable sneakers, but I’d like it packaged with a dedicated, functional mindset.
Congrats on the pick up and thanks for writing up the feature.
Ventruck, no thank you for checking it out. Appreciate the support.