AIR JORDAN 1 HIGH OG ‘UNC TOE’

Sneakers_

18 July 2023

Words by Community member @sheggzzz

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name’s Segun but most commonly known as Shegz and @sheggzzz on Instagram. I have a passion for trainers and all things ‘style.’ Like most, my love for the culture stemmed from growing up and observing my sports, music, and style heroes rocking the flyest pairs, at a time where trainers were unattainable for me. I vividly recall envying my older cousins and siblings’ pairs and promising myself I will be an owner one day.

I brought my first pair, a black and blue Nike Air Trainer Huarache when I was 11 and hundreds of pairs later, I still have a great appreciation for the creative inventions and innovations incorporated into new pairs. I started a sneaker blog page in 2015 (@sneakertalkonly), which now is somewhat inactive; alongside that with a few Google searches you might find some sneaker reviews on YouTube.

Currently I’ve taken a year out and left the creative world of content creation, to head back into science, pursuing a masters in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry, all in the hope of one day either going into space or curing cancer.

Growing up in the heart of London, ‘clean’ trainers and ‘looking fly’ were one of my primary forms of creative expression. Jordans have been synonymous with the idea of being ‘kool’ and so as a natural progression, I developed an interest in collecting and wearing the brand. Possessing a love for basketball and watching MJ’s greatest highlights furthered my love for the brand. The release of retros presented an opportunity to obtain pairs I coveted for years and collaborations have only taken the brand to even new heights. My first pair was actual a fake pair of Jordan 5 (my favourite Jordan silhouette) bought from a shady site back when I was 14.

Once I realised, they were unauthentic I was triggered, and came for the game, grabbing up every released pair I could primary OG colourways, Jordan 1 through 14; Offspring Camden saw me weekly, and now with 80+ pairs of J’s, the love is still strong.

‘UNC’ is among the most iconic colourways in the Nike and Air Jordan roster. Where did the UNC colour scheme originate from and what does it represent?

Second to only the iconic Bred (Black and Red) colourway, the UNC colourway is undoubtably one of the most prominent colourways amongst the Jordan brand offerings and has developed into a fan-favourite in recent years. UNC refers to the University of North Carolina, where MJ spent 3 years in colleges playing basketball. Whilst playing for the Tar Heels, Michael Jordan’s name rose to prominence within the sport, with him being named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1982, college Player of the Year in 1984 and crowned number the 1 male athlete in ACC history.

After showing exceptional potential, MJ left UNC a year ahead of his expected graduation and entered the NBA draft selected as the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. MJ returned to complete his degree (BA in geography) at UNC in ‘86, so stay in school kids.

What’s your thoughts on the Air Jordan 1 ‘UNC Toe’?

We’ve seen a ton of different iterations of the UNC colourway from Jordan brand with my favourite being the OG from 1985. Since then, we have seen a variety of low, mid, high, suede, SB, KO, patent leather, deconstructed and several other variations of the iconic colourway on the renown Jordan 1 silhouette.

The latest addition to this family comes in the form of the Air Jordan 1 ‘University Blue’ (UNC) toe. At a first glance, this pair is highly comparable to the 2019’s Air Jordan 1 ‘Obsidian’ and is pretty much a full-grain leather version of the Jordan 1 ‘Blue Chill.’ This pair features an all leather upper supported by a white rubber midsole and University blue outsole. The leather upper features a familiar colour blocking similar to other ‘toe’ Jordan 1 pairs, such as the highly coveted ‘Shattered Backboard’ colourway and ‘Taxi’ pair we saw at the tail-end of last year.

UNC-inspired ‘University Blue’ accents are present on the soft leather toe-box, ankle flaps, tongue logo and lower heel overlay whilst both medial and lateral quarter panels are white. The rest is made up of a leather swoosh, nylon tongue, laces and toe cap all dressed in black. This truly is a stunning pair.

People love a black toe Air Jordan 1, how does this release stack up to the previous?

The original 1985 released Jordan 1 ‘Black toe’ remains undefeated, at the forefront of all ‘Black toe-derived’ pairs and has allowed the birth of updated coloured-toe pairs. For many the superior leather quality featured on the ‘Shattered Backboard’, places them at the top of the list regarding Jordan 1 pairs featuring a similar colour blocking. The ‘Bred toe’ and this new ‘UNC toe’ pair come in as a close second and third. Honourable mentions include the ‘Court Purple 1.0’ and ‘Pine Green’ from 2018.

The ‘UNC’ colourway has been used in various combinations and on a plethora of models over the years. What has been your favourite and why?

In recent years we have seen a plethora of models featuring the ‘UNC’ colourway and I’ve been lucky enough to obtain a few of the publicly released pairs. My favourite unreleased pair is the Air Jordan 5 ‘UNC’ football PE. The superior build and unique, premium materials used on the Jordan 1 Retro High PE ‘UNC’ PE are also worth mentioning.

It is worth highlighting collaboration such as Virgil takes on the ‘UNC’ Jordan 1 and Travis Scott Jordan 4 (his first official Jordan Brand collab) on the Jordan 4, which features a University Blue smooth suede, however, is said to be inspired by the Texan’s childhood favourite American football team, the Houston Oilers.

As for general releases I do like the Jordan 4 ‘University blue’ and the Jordan 6 ‘UNC,’ although my favourite is the Jordan 3 ‘UNC.’ This pair was originally a player exclusive (PE) given to the university’s players and coaches. Thankfully back in 2020, Jordan brand blessed us with a general release that left many fans content. The tumbled white leather upper, iconic Jordan 3 ‘elephant print’ and the hits of University Blue on the embroidered Jumpman logo on the tongue, lace eyelets and midsole, are a handful of features that make this pair my favourite. All round clean pair and perfect for turning heads in the summer months.

As a Jordan enthusiast, what would you love to see next for the Jordan Brand and/or the AJ1 silhouette?

I love when Jordan brand push the boundaries of their creations, whether through incorporating new technologies into older silhouettes or even in minor details like special packaging for releases. I love seeing alteration to iconic silhouettes, such as adding a woven panel commonly seen on the footscape to a Jordan 1, as seen on the upcoming Union collaboration.

From collecting Jordans over the years, I’ve amassed several different colourways of the same silhouettes. I still enjoy them, but you can only have so many colourways of the same shoe.

Producing unique creative adaptations may come at a risk, but it may also provide a breath of fresh air and a new lease of life for classic styles. The success of the reimagined series, CMFT projects and the creative freedoms given in collaborations, such as the Off-White x Jordan 5 or Union x Jordan 4, are all testament to endless possibilities made possible by altering iconic models.

P.S. Jordan brand, the people are asking for the return of the Jordan 5 ‘Fire Red’ (black tongue), Jordan 6 ‘White infrared’, Jordan 12 ‘Cherry’ and maybe retro cards!