It is no surprise that Tokyo, Japan is lauded as one of the holy meccas of modern sneaker culture. As home to labels such as COMME des GARÇONS, Undercover, fragment design, Sacai, and many others, some of the most coveted collaboration sneakers of all time have ties to the country known for its endless dedication to detail.
Initially timed to coincide with the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Nike and Jordan Brand intended to celebrate the momentous occasion by retro’ing sneakers with striking ties to the host city. Models such as the Dunk Low “Samba” and a reverse flip version of atmos’ Air Max 90 “Duck Camo” saw a global release to help long-time enthusiasts add to their collections and acquaint newer sneakerheads with the offerings of Japan’s legendary catalog.
Despite the current worldwide appeal of Japanese fashion and design, Tokyo’s rise to prominence is surprisingly recent – with its foundational blocks being set into place merely two decades ago during the mid-1990s Dot-com boom.
During this period in sneaker history, collaborations with shops and celebrities were far and few between. Instead, store exclusive colorways were launched via a special make-up (SMU) model which became the de facto way for top accounts to work closely with brands to quickly ideate and deploy their designs.
With the world beginning to truly globalize thanks to the Internet, collectors such as Himmyo Hidefumi would find himself bringing back these US store exclusive Nike releases en masse to the Japanese market in order to serve the insatiable appetite of the steadily growing underground sneaker community.
Hidefumi’s constant flights between the two countries would pay off – with him eventually being able to distribute through his new store, Chapter, where Nike Japan employees would look to Hidefumi and his contemporaries in order to complete the company archives. What Hidefumi did, however, was not independent just to Japan.
For like-minded individuals in the U.S. and European markets, Japanese regional exclusive sneakers were purchased in bulk and subsequently resold in their respective markets. This cross-pollination of material and culture helped lay the groundwork for what would become the global sneaker game. Nearing the turn of the millennia, Hidefumi’s ambitions manifested in the form of his second store, atmos.
“The message has always been clear – the sneaker world wanted CO.JP kicks back then, and they want them now.”
Through the help of Marcus Tayui, a pioneer for Nike’s NRG marketing concept, Hidefumi was given opportunities to curate and push out small batches of exclusive silhouettes and SMU of existing sneakers which became extremely desirable for sneakerheads in other parts of the world due to its rarity. This project gradually became the sub-line that would evolve into the Concept Japan (CO.JP) program. As more peers of Hidefumi became part of this ecosystem, the fervent demand for these limited sneakers grew louder and louder.
As we look into the archives now, the timeless designs of the classics such as the Air Force 1 Low “Linen” and Air Force 1 Low ‘”atmos” are some of the most memorable sneakers of the era and still resonate with OG collectors to this day. With the resurgence of the Dunk Low in 2020, the retro release of the “Ugly Duckling” CO.JP pack consisting of the “Plum“, “Veneer“, and “Ceramic” colorways are being ushered in with fanfare to a new generation of sneakerheads.
Amongst the many grail kicks released during this Renaissance, the legendary Air Jordan 1 Japan pack is one of the biggest standouts. Initially released in 2001 as a regional CO.JP exclusive, it marked the first time Jordan Brand released non-original colorways of the iconic silhouette. Packaged in a unique metal briefcase like the Air Jordan 17, the 2001 Japan Pack was highly elusive. The “Neutral Grey” CO.JP version was limited to 2,001 pairs while the “Midnight Navy” CO.JP Jordan 1 and two other colorways dropped with 3,000 pairs each.
Now, for the first time in 19 years, sneaker enthusiasts are able to experience a piece of history through this year’s recently retro’d AJ 1 “Neutral Grey” and the upcoming launch of Air Jordan 1 Retro High CO.JP “Midnight Navy” on November 14th. The message has always been clear – the sneaker world wanted CO.JP kicks back then, and they want them now.
Image via StockX
Image via Sole Supplier
Image via KITH
Images of Hommyo Hidefumi via Grailed (left) / Marcus Tayui via Wagti (right)
Image via Nike Japan
Image via Nike
