“YOO!!! Are you Duke?” If you have never been asked if you are somebody by a stranger in a strange city, well, it can be a little…strange.
If you follow me on IG (@Duke4005), you know I was in New Orleans for All-Star 2017 these past couple of days. One of the major events every year is the Jordan Brand space. Always known for fire releases, hot music, and artists, Jordan never spares expense on extravagance. This year was no different.
First off, the shoes. Not the All-Star releases, but the gold editions of Jordans I-XVIII. Situated in a wall-length display case, the shoes were top to bottom all gold everything. Not sure about the safety of wearing these out, but for the pure aesthetic, so cool.
Now, for the real shoes, only one word can describe the 2017 All-Star editions: shiny. The AJ I, VI, and XXXI all released in iridescent, chameleon paint that changed colors with change of angles and lighting (personally, even though the VI is my favorite Jordan model, the XXXI looked the best).
Then, of course, there were the restocks. From the Trophy Room XVI to the Space Jam and 72-10s, even pairs of the Motor Sport IV, Jordan found stashes of its hottest releases and brought them to the public.
Fans of the brand were even allowed to design their own shirts using on-site screenprinters. All you had to do was pick a design out of the coloring book, color it up with your size and style (black or white, long or short sleeve), and wait on the printers to come through (mine wasn’t done until after I left so it’s in the mail).
Then, of course, there was the best pair in the place: an original 1985 pair of Air Jordan Is, black/red, in the original box. Like Mike, this was my first pair of Js, and to say I was drooling and jealous would be an understatement. Something about that first silhouette is still beautiful to this day.
The space, inspired by the art of New Orleans, both the music and the painting, Jordan Brand celebrated NOLA in classic style with walls adorned by photos of Mike in various stages of his career. There were pictures and action shots of the Jordan athletes in this year’s All-Star festivities, and non-stop DJ’ing and hip-hop coming at you from all angles. And of course, the motorcycle — no celebration of Jordan Motor Sport would be complete without the bike.
Courtesy of Jordan Brand
Courtesy of Jordan Brand
Courtesy of Jordan Brand
Courtesy of Jordan Brand
Hope you all enjoy the photos (all except the last four were taken by us at the event) and if you ever get the chance to go to All-Star events, make the trip. The atmosphere alone is worth it, along with the chance to get your hands on merchandise you may never see again. Until next year, that’s all folks.
