We pick the ten best Air Jordan 1 colorways of all time, plus five bonus picks of the best Jordan 1 colorways released so far this year.
The Air Jordan 1 is the greatest sneaker of all time. It’s the shoe most responsible for helping the hobby of sneaker collecting go mainstream in the 1980s, and the first shoe worn by the greatest basketball player and athlete in history, Michael Jordan, in the NBA. The Jordan 1 is also a shoe that has only gotten more popular as the years have gone by thanks to all of the great colorways—both old school and new school—that have continued its legacy with each new release.
While all Jordan 1 colorways offer something unique and exciting, there are undoubtedly some that stand above the rest as the most significant in the history of the model. Today we’ll be taking a look at what those colorways are and what makes each one an essential part of the Jordan 1’s legacy.
In no particular order, these are the best Air Jordan 1 colorways of all time, plus five more of the sneaker’s top releases of 2023 so far.
The OGs
Few sneakers have had more hype—and more controversy surrounding them—than the Air Jordan 1 High OG “Bred.” An original colorway of the first Jordan sneaker, the “Bred” was supposedly “banned” by the NBA when Michael Jordan wore it early in his career with the Chicago Bulls. At least that’s what Nike would have you believe with its famous “Banned” campaign centered around the sneaker. In actuality, it was the Nike Air Ship “Bred” that was outlawed by the NBA, not the Air Jordan 1. Still, even in spite of Nike’s revisionist history of the shoe, the Jordan 1 “Bred” is an all-time great sneaker, and one of the best Jordan 1s ever, hands down.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Chicago”
The Air Jordan 1 High OG “Chicago,” perhaps more than any other shoe, is responsible for turning sneaker collecting into a mainstream hobby. Worn by Jordan in his rookie season in the NBA, the “Chicago” was part of some of the greatest moments of “Money’s” Hall of Fame career. The Jordan 1 “Chicago” was on Jordan’s feet when he scored an NBA Playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the 1986 Playoffs. The “Bred” Jordan 1 may have been the colorway that Nike centered its iconic “Banned” campaign around, but the “Chicago” is what most think of when it comes to the shoe that put Jordan—and Nike—on the map.
The Air Jordan 1 High OG “Royal” was never worn by Jordan while he played for the Bulls, but it is still regarded as one of the greatest sneakers ever released by Nike. Done up in the same two-tone color block as the “Bred” Jordan 1, the “Royal” debuted as an early “lifestyle” colorway. Its popularity inspired Nike to release future Jordan models in colors that aren’t associated with the Bulls.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black Toe”
Somewhat overlooked compared to other original Air Jordan 1 colorways like the “Chicago,” “Bred,” and “Royal,” the “Black Toe” had just as significant of an impact in creating excitement for the Jordan 1 back in the day. The sneaker was worn by Jordan in the NBA. It was also more or less an alternate version of the “Chicago” colorway, but with black detailing on the eyelets and toe panels.
One of its most versatile Air Jordan 1s, the “Shadow” is another colorway that was released by Nike to be worn casually back in the day. Before the “Shadow,” sneaker companies just didn’t release performance models in non-performance colors. After the “Shadow?” Almost every athlete’s signature shoes have been released in lifestyle-friendly colors for everyone to enjoy.
The Air Jordan 1 High OG “UNC” was the first-ever college-inspired colorway of a professional athlete’s signature shoe. Inspired by Jordan’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina, and the NCAA Men’s College Basketball championship that Jordan helped lead the Tar Heels to in 1982, the “UNC” set the standard for sneaker storytelling with just a simple white-and-blue color block.
The Greatest Air Jordan 1 Collabs
Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago”
The best sneaker from the best sneaker project in history, the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” was the late fashion and sneaker designer Virgil Abloh’s greatest work of art. Debuted as part of Off-White and Nike’s “The 10” collaboration from 2017, the “Chicago” updated the Jordan 1 with industrial-inspired details like unstitched overlays, modified branding, zip-ties, and more. The unique features inspired countless other shoes with a similar “do-it-yourself” ethos in the months and years to come. In other words, the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” just might be the most influential Jordan 1 of all time.
Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Mocha”
At one point, Travis Scott was known more for his popular hip-hop music than for his sneaker collaborations with Nike. That changed when “La Flame” debuted his Air Jordan 1 High OG “Mocha” in 2019. Featured with coffee-colored overlays and a freaked out, reversed Swoosh, Scott’s Jordan 1’s collaboration set the precedent for the hip-hop star’s future Air Jordan colorways.
Fragment x Air Jordan 1 High OG
Debuted in 2015, Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design’s Air Jordan 1 was based on an original, unreleased sample Jordan 1 that never saw the light of day in 1985. It was also a shoe that unexpectedly surfaced at Marshall’s with a heavily discounted price soon after it was released by Nike. Sneaker collectors who were around at the time of the event won’t soon forget the mad scramble to find pairs of the legendary shoe.
2020 was an exciting year in sneakers. Not only did Joe Freshgoods and Ben & Jerry’s, yes, that Ben & Jerry’s release their debut collaborations, but so did Dior, the acclaimed high fashion house that had previously been an outsider in the sneaker world. Featuring the brand’s famous monogram print on the Jordan 1’s Swoosh, the Dior x Jordan 1 was the most hyped sneaker in a stellar year of releases.
Best 2023 Air Jordan 1 Releases
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Washed Black”
Based on the Air Jordan 1’s original “Black/White” colorway, the Jordan 1 High OG “Washed Black” features the same black-and-white look as the OG style, but with washed black suede overlays instead of black leather panels. The results? One fresh shoe that can be worn anywhere, and will only look better with age.
Teyana Taylor x Air Jordan 1 High Zoom Comfort 2 “A Rose From Harlem”
It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to make a sneaker collaboration stand out from the crowd in today’s landscape, but Teyana Taylor managed to do exactly that with her debut Air Jordan 1 High Zoom Comfort 2 “A Rose From Harlem.” Featuring an oversized black leather Swoosh with zig-zag stitching on one shoe and a red embroidered Swoosh with thorn-like details on the other shoe, the “A Rose From Harlem” looks unlike any other shoe available right now.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
In life, sequels hardly ever live up to the original, except in the case of the Air Jordan 1 High OG “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” The flashy colorway celebrates the Marvel movie of the same name and, more specifically, actor Miles Morales’s Spider-Man suit, and the animation style of the popular movie. As you can see, the shoe also shows appreciation to another pop culture icon: the Air Jordan 1 “Chicago.”
Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 “Black/White”
Before “Panda” Nike Dunks and other sneakers with a black-and-white color scheme dominated the sneaker world, there was the Air Jordan 1 High “Black/White,” an original, lifestyle-inspired colorway of the retro basketball shoe. The Jordan 1 “Black/White” was never worn by Jordan in the NBA, but is nonetheless one of the most popular Jordan 1s in history. It returned on the Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 model in February, the “Black/White’s” first release since it was remixed as the Women’s Air Jordan 1 “Twist” in 2019.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Elephant Print”
The Air Jordan 3’s iconic elephant print has appeared on several other sneakers since it debuted on the model in 1988, including on the Nike SB Dunk thanks to a Supreme collaboration back in the day. Amazingly, though, the patterning hadn’t been seen on the Air Jordan 1 until the aptly named “Elephant Print” colorway debuted in May. The colorway features the Jordan 3’s legendary accenting pattern on its overlays, which pop against the crisp white leather base. The Jordan 1 High OG “Elephant Print” is not only one of 2023’s best Jordan 1s, but also one of the year’s most nostalgic.