As seen on Unboxed Issue 58. The Unboxed newsletter covers the most important stories of the week across sneakers, sports, and fashion straight to your inbox on Mondays.
If you haven’t noticed by now, the Air Jordan 2 is about to take off like never before. Sure, the silhouette has seen energy through the likes of OG colorways, Carmelo Anthony PEs, and even collabs with Don C and Vashtie. But we’re about to enter a new era of the Air Jordan 2. With the recent OFF-WHITE x Air Jordan 2 drop and the upcoming collabs from J Balvin and Union, the often overlooked silhouette is going to be at the forefront of a cultural reintroduction. And that has some people upset.
Sneaker enthusiasts like to have things for themselves. Sure, we want to feel special and that certain trends belong to a certain group. But there’s a fascination, borderline obsession, that the Air Jordan 2 can only be desired if you liked it from the jump. Sorry to break it to the select few gatekeeping the AJ2, but that’s not how sneakers work. Certainly, there’s a level of understanding and respect you should have for the AJ2 or any silhouette for that matter if you’re going to “hop on the wave.” But the whole point of sneakers is to like what you like. If it takes an OFF-WHITE collab to get the ball rolling for the Air Jordan 2 to get the respect it deserves, isn’t that a win for everyone – especially AJ2 purists?
There’s no need to gatekeep. If anything, newcomers are an opportunity for us to educate the next group of sneakerheads. Speaking of educating, veteran sneaker journalist Ian Stonebrook broke down the history of the Air Jordan 2 and it’s packed with facts and stories that will give you a new found appreciation for MJ’s second signature shoe. And as far as gatekeeping goes, it’s not our job to tell people what they can and can’t wear – no matter how much of an OG you are. What’s the point of being part of the game and never putting people on game?
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