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The awkward love-hate with the Air Jordan follow-up 2022 is the 35th anniversary of the Air Jordan 2. And since its inception, the Air Jordan 2 has been surrounded with controversy, shrouded in obscurity and has earned quite the unique love-hate relationship with sneakerheads across the globe. But the signature has also developed a niche fanbase in its decades long existence that has come with its ups and downs. So why has the Air Jordan 2 garnered such an awkward relationship – lets dive deeper: Rocky Origins Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore's joint effort served as the follow-up to the wildly popular and game-changing, Air Jordan 1 – and while the street release did not come until in 1987, the silhouette debuted in 1986. The Air Jordan 2 was daring, it was a high build constructed from faux reptilian leather crafted in Italy ... unheard of for the performance sneaker industry at the time. Its sleek lines and contouring was matched by the absence of a Swoosh, a first for Nike and only featured the text on the heel and outsole. But for the advancements of the Air Jordan 2 and the boundaries pushed by Moore and Kilgore; Michael Jordan nearly left Nike after the signature, prior to the Air Jordan 3 as the story famously goes. Ever since, there has been an ominous cloud looming over the Air Jordan 2. However, MJ went on to have an incredible run in the Air Jordan 2 between 1986-87; 23-straight points (a league record), posting the league's second 3,000-point season in history and the first of back-to-back All-Star Saturday Slam Dunk Contest crowns. Tough Act to Follow The Air Jordan 2's run was cut short in-part to MJ's broken foot in October – upon returning MJ donned the Air Jordan 1 in multiple iterations; including the Dunk outsole AJ1 where he famously hung 63 on the Boston Celtics. A single-game playoff record that still stands to this day. On top of that, the AJ2 only came in two colorways during that original run – a white, black and red and a white, grey and red; both to combat the NBA's uniform rule which fueled the success of the Air Jordan 2's predecessor. And matching low-cut iterations of the same two color schemes. At virtually every level, the Air Jordan 2 proved that the sequel tends to struggle compared to the original. Where the Air Jordan 1 came in multiple colorways and styles; from its daring black and red based colorway that challenged the very NBA itself, to the metallic Swoosh versions, the AJKO (Knock Off) and low-cut ... the Air Jordan 2 simply could not rekindle the same lightning in a bottle. Breaking the Stigma "Half people hate them and then the other half of people love it. I think that's what provocation is, right?" - Israel Mateo, Jordan Brand Footwear NRG Design The Air Jordan 2 became the black sheep of the Air Jordan 2 signature line over time. With many sneakerheads of the belief, "if MJ didn't like 'em, why should I?" It is rhetoric such as that which has hindered the signature's popularity and place among the line. But it is that very reasoning for why collaborators tend to gravitate toward the signature, in an attempt to essentially break the stigma and validate the model. The question always persists; even GQ questioned in 2021, "can Virgil Abloh make the Air Jordan 2 cool?" upon the release of the late-visionary's collaboration. A release that ultimately pushed the bounds of design with its 3D-printed midsole, replicating the cracking of an Air Jordan 2 in the brand's department of archives. We saw Vashtie be one of the firsts to take on the challenge in 2010 with her pastel GS-exclusive collaboration. Don C in 2015 took on the silhouette and returned it to its luxury roots in the first of his three projects on the AJ2. Utilizing premium quilted leather and suede in an all Varsity Royal motif and red/gold touches. Don C cited the origins of the AJ2's Italian constructed to his approach toward the model ... which is has probably become the most coveted AJ2 to date. Jordan Brand also took their swing at this with the now-defunct BIN 23 collection which included the Air Jordan 2 in a brown leather and reptilian leather. The release served as the first drop in the collection which included the AJ5, AJ6, AJ7, AJ9 and AJ13. And we periodically see the silhouette make returns as if the Brand is testing the waters with fans to see if this release will be the one where they finally bite. But in most cases, the AJ2 ends up being marked down or reaching outlets and subject to scrutiny and even slander from the casual sneakerhead. The Untold Truth Here is a bit of information that may be difficult for certain sneakerheads to digest ... the Air Jordan 2 was simply ahead of its time. The direction in which sneaker culture and streetwear culture has headed in the time since the AJ2's initial release has been a transition into luxury. "I think that the Air Jordan II was the first thing to do that in popular culture – producing it in Italy and making it a luxury basketball shoe was so ahead of its time that people weren't quite ready for it." – Don C to Complex in 2016 We've seen with the aforementioned Just Don x Air Jordan 2 and OFF-WHITE x Air Jordan 2, but also we've seen with the challenging of streetwear's stigma of "cheap" or "lesser than" compared to its luxury branded counterparts. Luxury is not just limited to the designer brands of the world in 2022 ... Virgil Abloh was a vital figure in showing us that, just as Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore were vital in showing us that for performance sneakers in 1986. In order to break new ground, you must first challenge what exists. The Air Jordan 2 in reality, should only age gracefully as streetwear becomes luxury items in their own right and as we've seen with footwear most recently in this last decade. Therefore, we ought to appreciate the AJ2, but admittedly it is a one hell of an ominous dark cloud to outrun. So what is the solution? ... The Solution The one Air Jordan model from MJ's run with the Bulls that Jordan Brand has yet to truly give the remastered treatment to is the AJ2. And with the 35th anniversary currently in play and expected collaborations with Union and A Ma Maniére waiting in the wings; it would be the proper time to thrust the AJ2 back to 1986. Re-release the original two colorways in bo their high and low iterations with genuine Italian leather and release a limited allotment to NRG accounts to an elevated price point. Seems audacious given what we've outlined about the shaky relationship between sneakerheads and the signature – but as we've seen with the Air Jordan 1 High '85 and Nike Air Ship, there is a sector that truly longs for a return to yesteryear. And the nostalgic element is never to be understated, after all ... this is why retro releases are a thing. In this scenario, presumably – those who are on the side of the fence that love the AJ2 will look to own a piece of history, just as we've seen the aforementioned AJ1 High '85 and Air Ship, both speaking to a particular moment in the story of Jordan Brand. And if we've seen one thing lately, backstories matter more now than ever with the brand.

Twin Sacai drops At long last we may have the elusive Sacai x Nike Vaporwaffle could be releasing in the 'White/Gum' and 'Black/Gum' motifs. The colorways were expected to release last summer and then ... the summer came-and-went, no release. The fall and winter came-and-went, no release. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Official images have landed of the silhouette in those two palettes but a recently deleted tweet from a particular sneaker boutique touted a release for February 1st. It remains to be seen if the release will be on the table for 2/1 but we'll keep an eye out for the official launch info whenever it takes place. Stay tuned to our Twitter channel for official release info. Update: The paternal twin Sacai x Nike Vaporwaffles will release globally on March 10th at select Nike Sportswear retailers. Sacai x Nike Vaporwaffle White/White-Sail 3. 10. 22. $180 Sacai x Nike Vaporwaffle Black/Black-Sail 3. 10. 22. $180

Nearly three decades in the making The mid-'90s are coming back with a vengeance, as another Nike Basketball classic is poised to make a return in 2022. Joining the gauntlet is the Nike Air Zoom Flight 95. Popularized by Jason Kidd in its day, the silhouette returns its timeless 'Black Metallic' color scheme and is true to its OG form. Having last being released seven years ago, in 2015 for its 20th anniversary – there's no milestone to tie this release to, and that's perfectly fine either way. Scroll through the official images below and keep it locked to our Twitter channel for updates. Nike Air Zoom Flight 95 OG Black/White-Metallic Silver DM0523-001 x. xx. 22.

Nearly two decades in the making Unholy Cumulus, Brutal Honey, Shady Milkman ... all sound familiar? They ought to. If you were around at the turn of the millennium, you witness the "T-shirt for your feet" aka the Nike Air Presto. Each of the colorways came with a corky nickname, thanks to Dylan Lee of Wieden+Kennedy. The 13 launch dropped simultaneously and proved to be lucky for the brand until the silhouette was squeezed out by the advent of Nike Free. Also coincidentally designed by Tobie Hatfield (awkward much??) So maybe it proved to be unlucky 13, especially considering Steven Smith's design for the Hello Kitty collaboration never reached full production. Five-hundred pairs were meant to release across four-five colorways featuring the lovable and iconic Hello Kitty logo repeating across the one-piece base layer of the Presto. Instead, the release, co-designed by Hiroshi Fujiwara ended up as a friends-and-family drop ... thus never truly seeing the intended light of day. Since then, the release has gotten out sparingly; from a thrift store find to thousands of dollars on the resale market. And as rumor has it, the Prestos are finally on their way – what they'll look like upon launch, we don't know. Could be the original set, could be a whole new batch ... but something is coming soon, as evident by official imagery of a collaborated t-shirt. Keep it locked to our Twitter channel for updates.

Stamp your passports Union is riding high off the continued success of their recent collaborations. Over the last four years we've seen the LA-based shop crank out two Air Jordan 1 High classic projects, four Air Jordan 4 drops, a mega-collaboration with numerous partners as part of their 30th anniversary celebration in 2021 and more. Now in 2022, Union is poised to mirror the success and keep the ball rolling with their upcoming Nike Dunk 'Passport Pack'. Official images of one of the colorways has already surfaced, and now a teaser video. So we're not too far away from the first leg of our travels on this collaborative journey. As Union placed it, "your ticket to the world" is coming soon – as told by the teaser that takes us from Tokyo to New York and finally to Los Angeles. Get ready to get your stamps! Watch the teaser after the jump and stick with Sole-U for more information as it comes forth.

High rollers only Las Vegas boutique FEATURE is set to release the forth installment in their Saucony 'High Roller' collaboration. The first in the near decade long partnership was 2014's Saucony G9 Shadow joint effort that gathered inspiration from the $100 casino chip; a Vegas staple. The subsequent releases would each mirror casino chips in intervals of $500, $1000 and now $5000. The capsule collection features the Saucony Shadow 6000 and is accompanied by a tee in two color pallets, heavyweight hoodie and twin trucker hats. Smooth and textured nubuck with varying shades of brown and a chocolate woven mesh toe box and leather that strategically picks its spots at various points on the silhouette. Release of the entire collection is exclusive to FEATURE and releasing on Saturday, January 29th. FEATURE x Saucony Shadow 6000 ‘Chocolate Chip’ 1. 29. 22.

Going strong since 2015 December 2015 – Now in year seven, Jordan Brand has zero plans to stop the Remastered initiative, as a matter of fact; they've doubled and tripled down time and time again over the years. From what began earlier that year with a couple test drops featuring new colorways of the Air Jordan 4 to celebrate the signature line's 30th anniversary – the initiative has brought back highly detailed re-releases of beloved OG favorites. Whether that it the 'White Cement' Air Jordan 4 (2016), 'Maroon' Air Jordan 6 (2015), 'Bred' Air Jordan 4 (2019), and 'True Blue' Air Jordan 3 (2016) to name a few ... the project still has more room to grow with more fan friendly drops in the tuck. "While we were focused on the external appearance of the shoe and being historically accurate in year one, we are now diving into the internal part: innovation of the fit, feel and comfort of the shoes." – Yuron White, Jordan Brand VP of Footwear (2015) While being rooted in product, the decision to reference the original releases to produce upcoming retros was ultimately approved by MJ himself. And we've seen the meticulous attention to detail the brand has paid to the drops. From shape and contouring to material sourcing, stitching, silhouette heights, colors – even down to factoring in age and wear into the color shading. It has been a science to deliver such products. And an added component being storytelling – continually digging deeper and deeper into the vault and bringing out unreleased samples, original toolings of the Air Jordan 1 with the AJ 1 High '85, PEs and even the fabled Nike Air Ship. There was a level of excitement that came in early 2013 when Jordan Brand returned the Air Jordan 1 to its original make-up to include Nike Air on the tongue tag and remove the Jumpman logo from the heel. But since then the brand doubled down with the previously mentioned AJ 1 High '85, featuring the original shape and tooling of the Air Jordan 1 from its birth year. Now, with the upcoming release of the 'Georgetown' Air Jordan 1 High '85 expected to land in April, the storyelling takes a deeper dive with a story four decades in the making; ranging back to MJ's 1982 game-winning jumpshot in the NCAA Championship that year. The unreleased sample which has been confined to the vault since 1985 will finally at long last see a release. Beginning officially in December 2015 – have a look through most of the OG and sample-turned-release over the last seven years.

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries That all started with the big bang! Leo is now entering your night sky ... because a LeBron signature classic is returning a decade removed from its original release. The 'Big Bang' LeBron 9 is set to retro in the near future ... perhaps entering your orbit around All-Star Weekend. (👀) With its blistering two toned orange upper, intergalactic lining – space suit tongue patch, blinding 3M hits and glow in the dark outsole, it's reminiscent of 2012 all over again. The re-release will also mark the first from the 'Galaxy' collection a decade ago, as it will be releasing outside of the others. No 'Galaxy' Foamposite however, sorry. Scroll through the official images below and for official release info. Nike LeBron 9 Retro "Big Bang" Total Orange/Metallic Silver-Team Orange-Mango DH8006-800 2. 18. 22. $240

Fast and furious On your mark, get set ... go! The Air Jordan 5 is getting a brand new colorway this spring 2022 season with the 'Racer Blue' motif. Borrowing the 'Metallic' Air Jordan 5's body kit and swapping out the side skirts along the midsole, headlights and taillights with blue Jumpman branding on the tongue and heel; the AJ5 moves at the speed of sound just like the fighter jet it gathers its inspiration from. Wrapped with a fully kitted out black nubuck around the upper, this new-look Air Jordan 5 will have you breaking your neck to keep up with it as it takes flight. Scroll through for the official images after the jump. Will you be looking to hop in the driver's seat to cop in February? Air Jordan 5 "Racer Blue" Black/Racer Blue-Reflective Silver CT4838-004 2. 12. 22. $200

Opening the forbidden door Friday – Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) attempted to break the internet and all of the sneaker blogosphere with one Instagram carousel ... and he damn well succeeded in his venture. In what can only be described as looking to open the forbidden door, Ye is looking to do the unthinkable and that is collaborate with Jordan Brand ... while still a collaborating partner with adidas. Insane, we know. But if there is anyone who could break down sneaker industry party lines, presumably it would be Ye. We'll explore what elements of a Ye x Jordan Brand collaboration could looks like and what stories could be chronicled. Let's start at the obvious: Air Jordan 3 x Yeezy x adidas Collaboration As legend has it and also detailed by Michael and Deloris Jordan themselves, a young MJ initially wanted to sign an endorsement deal with adidas. After all, Jordan did wear the Three Stripes in the Olympic Games in 1984. Just prior to his faithful visit with Sonny Vaccaro and subsequently Nike, which led to the eventual birth of the Air Jordan signature line. But at the urging of Michael's mother Deloris, MJ took the meeting with Phil Knight's brand. Additionally, after the mixed feelings that arose post the Air Jordan 2, MJ wanted out of his Nike deal, presumably with intentions to switch sides to adidas. Such a move would have forever flipped the balance of performance basketball footwear and perhaps the sneaker industry as a whole. Now, it is completely inconceivable to believe that nearly 40 years later, MJ would even consider any of his signature models to have adidas' Three Stripe branding on it ... but for the sake of pure speculation and exploration – this is the obvious starting point in terms of storytelling. It is with the Air Jordan 3 presentation and design from Tinker Hatfield that ultimately saved the Air Jordan signature line and preserved Nike's relationship with MJ. It lends itself to being the perfect silhouette to up-cycle and create a Yeezy touched Air Jordan 3 that perhaps features a mixture of Air and BOOST technologies. Again, it's completely inconceivable to believe that this could even happen. But perhaps it is more likely too if Yeezy is acting as its own party with Jordan Brand and not Yeezy x adidas x Jordan Brand. Yeezy x Jordan Collaborative Apparel Option 2 – Ye infamously said on his 2016 track, Facts, "Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman." That is the takeaway line from the song however, Ye also said, "I done told y'all, all I needed was the infrastructure." And that line proved to be true. With the proper infrastructure, Yeezy is a global brand which has Ye's reported net worth over $1 billion. Extremely impressive considering what Ye and adidas has been able to piece together in only seven years of production. If you remember, it was 2013 when the Ye x adidas partnership was officially announced and formed – we later see the Yeezy Boost 750 and Yeezy Season 1 apparel collection. With there being an added focus on Nike and Jordan Brand's fronts to elevate their apparel thanks to Nike Tech and Engineered 23, to name two initiatives; and working with design-centric collaborators such as Virgil Abloh, Don C and Aleali May ... the clothing component has become equally as important as the footwear. And treated with such quality; from Virgil's meticulous approach with the stitching on a t-shirt, to Don C's usage of premium leathers on his Air Jordan 2 and the matching hat and Aleali's attention to flow with her pants and jackets – it is no longer just a drop of a retro but it has become a 360-degree experience to a Jordan Brand collaboration. This is an area where Ye flourishes, and now in 2022 Yeezy is acting as its own brand in the fashion space, with adidas no longer heading the production of the Yeezy branded clothing and the collaboration of Yeezy x Gap and the forthcoming Yeezy x Gap x Balenciaga project. Here we could see Ye and Jordan Brand on the same page of a new level of athleisure or a venture deep into streetwear and bringing Jordan Brand into uncharted waters from a clothing standpoint. After all, the infrastructure is there for Ye to do so. Yeezy x Jordan for Chicago Option 3 – Ye for quite some time has spoken of initiatives within his home of Chicago. Whether that is Donda's House, the nonprofit youth arts organization named after his late mother or Got Bars, a free music writing program for youth in the city. Jordan himself, pledged a 10-year, $100 million commitment to various initiatives and charities focused on education, social justice, equity and equality. Ye could follow suit and put his resources to use to aid in Jordan's commitment to community and create something for Chicago that serves the city, its youth and underprivileged. Two titans of Chicago who perhaps mean more to the city than any public figures have – their combined powers, resources, influence would go a long way toward helping those who need it most and also positioning and empowering the next designers, visionaries, businessmen and women of Chicago. This could also include the expansion of Ye's Donda Academy vision in Chicago, and not Southern California. It also would speak to Ye's public declaration of his desire to design uniforms for his high school, Polaris High School (Polaris Charter Academy). No matter what – there is still plenty that would need to take place before Yeezy x Jordan Brand could take shape in any capacity. Will it happen; maybe, maybe not ... but it's certainly fun to speculate just what the ultimate breaking of the fourth wall would look like.

Friendly foes Michael Jordan's history with Georgetown University dates back to his freshman season at the University of North Carolina with MJ besting the Hoyas in the 1982 National Championship game, when he sealed the title for the Tar Heels. Fast forward 40 years, Jordan Brand is the official sponsoring outfitter for the Georgetown basketball program ... and Patrick Ewing who played against MJ then is the coach. Check-and-mate. But that decades long history sets the stage for this upcoming release of the Air Jordan 1 High '85. Originally perceived to be an unreleased colorway from the AJ1's initial run – the timing is perfect to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the shot heard throughout the New Orleans Superdome. A crisp texture leather of a shaded white provides the base to a rich and deep College Navy elegantly contorting the upper and flooding the outsole. All housed on the Air Jordan 1's original shape and cut. Release is expected for April. Air Jordan 1 High '85 "Georgetown" College Navy/Summit White-Tech Grey BQ4422-400 4. 2. 22. $200

Cleveland. All-Star Weekend. 25 years later Initially previewed in Jordan Brand's spring 2022 lineup detailing; the 'Playoff' Air Jordan 12 makes its long awaited return to the marketplace. Last released in 2012, the colorway finds itself tied to this year's NBA All-Star Weekend in February, in the same city and arena where MJ wore it a quarter-century earlier. With this storytelling element and ode to yesteryear, this year's retro iteration returns all of the colorway's original aspects. From the tumbled leather black upper to the offsetting white pebbled leather mudguard ... down to the metallic silver eyelets and the black Jumpman logo at the outsole's toe. No red Jumpman on the outsole and text on the heel tab like the 2012 release. A victory for fans of the original iteration. Original release was slated for All-Star Saturday, but delays have pushed the launch to March. See the official images after the jump. Air Jordan 12 "Playoff" Black/Varsity Red-White CT8013-006 3. 11. 22. $210