Awake NY’s Long-Anticipated Jordan Air Ship Sneaker Collaboration Is Releasing This Week
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Awake NY‘s long-teased Jordan Brand debut will finally touch down this week.
The New York City-based streetwear brand has confirmed the release of its Jordan Air Ship collaboration, which has been teased for nearly a year and began being promoted in earnest last week in a lead-up to a video billboard reveal at Penn Station.
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A bright red collar with a python texture sticks out on the white leather sneaker, and red also outlines a metallic silver Swoosh. Silver has been a through-line in Awake’s sneaker collaborations, which founder Angelo Baque says is a nod to his love of the Air Max 97 “Silver Bullet.”
A large silver-tone Jumpman charm is also included with the sneaker, while the outline of the “A” in the logo for Awake is stitched onto the overlay at midfoot. Awake’s name is tucked into the Jordan Wings logo on the collar to go along with another word hit on the heel, while a faux-aged midsole brings a sense of vintage atop a gum outsole.
Occasionally referred to as the “Pre-Jordan,” the Air Ship is the Nike sneaker Michael Jordan wore in his first several NBA games before the Air Jordan 1 was ready. Despite the story Nike and Jordan Brand have mostly favored since, it was actually the Air Ship that drew a ban from the NBA for not conforming to its uniform regulations. This bit of trivia didn’t start becoming well-known until recently, and Nike shifted the Air Ship to release under the Jordan Brand banner last year after the silhouette was only reissued for the first time in 2020.
With this backstory in mind, Baque said he wanted Awake’s Air Ship to highlight another lesser-known truth, which is that Jordan was born in Brooklyn before moving to North Carolina at a young age.
The Awake NY x Jordan Air Ship will launch Wednesday, March 6, through an early access raffle hosted by Awake. A broader Awake x Jordan Brand collection will then release Saturday, March 9. Pricing for the sneaker is set at $150.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
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