March 14 update: According to sneaker designer Frank Cooke, who worked on Nigel Sylvester’s 2018 Air Jordan 1 collaboration, this version of the Air Ship will not be released. Sources tell SoleSavy that this is a special pair made for Nigel using an upcoming in-line colorway of the Air Ship. Look for the retail pair to be stripped of the “Bike” messaging and “Go” insoles. Hopefully, the positive response to this PE pair leads to a retail drop in the future. See Frank Cooke’s full comments here.
Original story:
Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 1 was an absolute banger, and now BMX’s sneaker king will soon take on the “Pre-Jordan.”
Sylvester has taken to Instagram to give a better look at his collaboration on the Nike Air Ship, the predecessor to the Air Jordan 1. A baby blue suede is used for the collar and Swoosh, while the color repeats on the outsole. The rest of the sneaker then makes use of a variety of shades of white, and the greatest flourish of all comes with “Bike Air” replacing the typical “Nike Air” logo hit on the heel. On the insole you’ll also see the logo for Sylvester’s brand GO.
“This sneaker is about origins and proving yourself,” Sylvester said on Instagram. “I’ve had to prove myself my entire career, justify my value to the sport of BMX, not be afraid to go against the grain, and create a new blueprint. I’m grateful for everything thus far, but I have much further to GO.”
The Air Ship was the very first sneaker Michael Jordan wore in the NBA, and it was actually a red and black pair of this shoe that drew a ban from the NBA. The shape’s influence on the Air Jordan 1 is clear, although one would go on to become legendary while the other was more an answer to a trivia than anything until recent and modest recent resurgence. In 2021, a pair of Air Ships worn in-game by Jordan sold for $1.5 million at auction, breaking the record for game-worn shoes.
While Sylvester has now given us a more robust look at the Air Ship, release details are still to come. Download the DROPS by SoleSavy app for any updates on this sneaker and more.
