Jordan Brand Bringing Heat to 2024
In 2023 the sneaker marketplace experienced parity in preferred models and brands at a rate never seen before. Brands like New Balance, Asics, and Salomon all had strong years. This forced the traditionally preeminent brands to go into the archives and bring back shoes more in line with the mesh runner and trail shoe aesthetic consumers have recently gravitated towards. For Nike, their callback was the Vomero 5 and the P-6000. Of the two the Vomero was the uncontested favorite but the P-6000 was still a great option, especially for those looking for a less hyped/less expensive option. While Adidas didn’t dip into the mesh, they benefited from the resurgence of the Samba. One brand left out in the cold was Jordan Brand. Although Jordans accounted for half of the top 10 sneakers of 2023, upon reflecting on the previous year Jordan Brand does not jump out as having had a year to note. While many applaud the return of Jordans to the shelves in comparison to recent years as a win you can’t help but feel like the wide availability of Jordans is a result of lackluster product. If you happen to be a Jordan employee, 2023 ended on a weird note. At what was supposed to be a night of celebrating the year in footwear, the Footwear News Achievement Awards 2023 took a turn when Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden took a shot at Nike after his acceptance speech following being awarded the Shoe of the Year award for the Samba. As Gulden left the stage he had some remarks for Adidas’ number one competitor saying, “To the Nike people in the room, watch out. We have a lot in the pipeline… not a joke.” Deckers’ (who owns Hoka, which won the award for Brand of the Year) CEO Dave Powers had some similar remarks to share, “There’s a couple of things to say. First of all, Nike, Adidas, we have a lot in our pipeline too. So get ready.” While Nike CEO John Donohoe did not address the crowd during the event Jordan Brand chairman Larry Miller did take the stage and with his time left no doubt that they welcomed the challenge, “I want to say to the brands and folks that called us out earlier: Bring it on. We’re ready for you.”
With the holidays behind us and the new year upon us, the Jordan Brand release calendar for 2024 has begun to come into focus. What is readily apparent is that when Larry Miller took the FN Achievement Awards stage he was not simply posturing but was standing with intimidating firepower behind him. Taking into account only what has been rumored and or confirmed while I am writing this piece, it is clear Jordan Brand is bringing all the smoke this year and is intent on reminding the sneaker world why they have long held the throne in the market. A glance at the list as it currently sits several all-time pairs jump off the page. For example, the Military Blue 4s are returning and rumored to have a similar build to the SB 4s which was released last year. There are Reimagined Black Toe Jordan 1s as well as two Travis Scott Jordan 1 lows in the pipeline. The ‘Olive’ Jordan 5s and 9s are returning, as well as the ‘Black Cat’ Jordan 3. With all this and more slated to be released in 2024, Jordan Brand is gearing up to dominate the market this year. It seems that Jordan Brand is on their Principal Vernon of The Breakfast Club taking his iconic line “Don't mess with the bull, young man, you'll get the horns. The next time I have to come in here I'm crackin' skulls,” to heart in response to Adidas’ CEO Bjorn Gulden’s callout. It is still early in the year Jordan Brand has yet to have a release in 2024, however, as it is set up for now Adidas and sneaker brands in general may learn a very valuable lesson this year. Time will tell but it looks like 2024 will be a doozy.
Check out the current 2024 Jordan Brand lineup and comment which release you’re most looking forward to below!
