In 2020, Jordan Brand gave OG collectors something they had wanted for decades: a one-to-one remake of the iconic 1985 Air Jordan 1 High to date. What started as an annual tradition has extended to multiple releases a year and even includes a low version. The next ’85 colorway may be the rarest one yet. The “Metallic Burgundy” AJ1 debuted as part of a metallic pack in the late 1980s, and while they may have never graced the feet of Michael Jordan during a game, there is a reason to assume college basketball teams around the country may have adopted them as a team shoe.
In those days, the concept of a signature sneaker athlete was still fairly new, and NIL wouldn’t arrive until well into the next millennium. Instead, head coaches were signed to Nike, and in exchange for payment, their players would wear team-colored sneakers provided by their Swoosh sales rep. Since then, the “Metallic Burgundy” has become one of the hardest OG colorways to track down, suggesting it was a limited production run. It is also the first colorway from the metallic pack to get an ’85 cut retro. The “Metallic Red” and “Metallic Blue” have received multiple High and Low retros, and a “Metallic Purple” version was released as a women’s exclusive in 2021. A “Metallic Green” released alongside the red in a noticeably non-OG style in 2009’s “Do The Right Thing” pack.
The ’85 cut is considered the most premium and true to the original Air Jordan 1 on the market. The ’85 design separates itself from general release AJ1s with OG details like a higher collar, thicker leather, narrower toe box, and original hangtag. OG Sneakerheads and collectors can only hope that the “Metallic Burgundy” Air Jordan 1 High ’85 release will open the door for the return of other rare colorways like the “Metallic Orange” and “Metallic Black”. The Air Jordan 1 High ’85 “Metallic Burgundy” will be released on June 22 at 7 AM PST for $200.
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