From the Vault: Air Jordan 1 High OG "Storm Blue"

We reminisce about one of the lesser-known, but equally amazing, OG Air Jordan 1 colorways.

By AP Sneaker

Imagine this: it’s 1984 and you’re Nike and you’ve signed Michael Jordan to a shoe deal. You’re mortgaging your future on Jordan’s success in the NBA, despite the fact that he’s just a rookie. An NCAA National Championship and a few dozen “Did he just do that!?” college highlights convinced you this is the right move. But to be sure, you’re releasing his first signature shoe, the “Air Jordan,” in an unprecedented amount of colorways that’ll hopefully appeal to basketball fans—and a few million more people who don’t watch basketball, too.

Sounds crazy? It may have been, but Nike was willing to do whatever it took to get the original “Air Jordan” on as many feet as possible. The more colors, the more likely it was that the shoe would appeal to more people. And it did. With some ingenious marketing by Nike centered around a certain “Banned” shoe, and plenty of high-flying moves from the design’s namesake, the Air Jordan 1 was everywhere after its debut. Some colorways were beloved because Jordan wore them with the Chicago Bulls. Others, like the “Storm Blue,” never appeared in the NBA, but were desirable in the ‘80s, and are no less important to the Air Jordan 1’s legacy.

No, the “Storm Blue” didn’t have the good fortune of having a big marketing campaign behind it like, say, the “Bred” (AKA “Banned”) colorway. And unlike the Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” or “Royal,” it didn’t re-release in the ‘90s or first decade of the 2000s. But that actually helped the shoe’s popularity in time. You always want what you can’t have, and Jordan collectors sorely wanted the “Storm Blue” for nostalgia and completionist purposes. Finally, in 2016, the Air Jordan 1 High OG “Storm Blue” received its first-ever retro release.

That being said, when the “Storm Blue” released in 2016, it was a very different time in sneakers. Some pairs actually sat and went on sale at retailers. Looking back, it’s hard to believe. An original Air Jordan 1 High colorway going on sale? Insert exploding brain emoji here.

In 2018, the “Storm Blue” popped up again. Well, some of it did. The white-and-blue shoe was referenced by Los Angeles clothing boutique Union when it combined the shoe with the Air Jordan 1’s “Bred” colorway. The “do-it-yourself” look helped bring even more attention to the slept-on, original Air Jordan 1. Union’s collaboration made even more of us that slept on the 2016 retro frustrated that we didn’t pick up a pair. So until the OG “Storm Blue” returns again—if it ever does—you have Stadium Goods here to help you cop a pair of the 2016 release.