Athletes and A-list celebrities have been collaborating with designer brands to create their own personally branded shoes to sell to the general public, emphasizing fashion, color variety and comfortability.
These brands have inspired musical artists like Travis Scott and Eminem to make their own collaborations with Nike for the Jordan line to further expand and generate more publicity, though the most popular are the Jordans and Kayne West’s Yeezys.
Micheal Jordan, a six-time NBA Finals MVP, and arguably the best basketball player to ever step foot on this planet, collaborated with Nike in 1984 to create his own shoes he could play in. On April 1, 1985, the shoes were released to the public with a price tag of $65, although now pricing ranges anywhere from $100 to $400.
The classic appearance of the original Jordan 1 has not changed since the ’80s. The timeless look of the shoes has forever changed the style of athletic shoes. Although being banned in the NBA for the “51% rule”, meaning 51% of the shoe has to have the home team colors, the shoes kept increasing in popularity. The demand for the shoes led Nike shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield, to make more styles all falling under the Jordan category.
Personally, the most comfortable Jordans to wear are the Jordan 4’s. They have a wide range of colors and are very sturdy for people who have wider feet. Also, the Jordan 4’s are full of comfortable padding that makes a person’s feet feel as if they are walking on a bed.
Closely following the Jordan line in popularity is Kanye West’s line of Yeezy’s ranging from tennis shoes to more fashionable dress shoes. The shoes were given the name Yeezy because of a nickname made for Kanye, called Kanyeezy.
Though originally designed by Adidas in 2006, the Yeezy we know today was not released to the public until 2007. The most popular variation of the Yeezy line is the 350 Boost that uses the Adidas “Boost” technology which gives an extra “pep into your step.” Wearing the shoes is similar to wearing a fancy pair of slippers because of the boost technology, and feels like what I imagine walking on a cloud is like. The shoes come in a wide variety of colorways as well, giving people a plethora of choices.
The shoes are not very supportive with most of the shoe being loose fabric. The stitching that brings the fabric together is durable but it still has a middle stitch and with enough wear, it will tear.
The white colors on some of the fabrics lose the velocity of the original color quickly due to the shoes being attractions for mud and any dirt particles. Though the Yeezy shoes are very comfortable to wear and are great to wear on occasion, they do not make for sturdy everyday shoes due to how rapidly they deteriorate.
While both shoes are nice and comfortable, the Jordan 4 Retros come out on top because of their timeless design and classic style that comes with wearing them. Although the Yeezy 350 Boost are comfortable, the durability is not worth the money. On the other hand, the Jordans hold up well and are worth every penny. Overall, I highly recommend the Jordan 4’s over the Yeezy’s.