Air Jordan 1 High, Mid, and Low
Air Jordan 1: history, design, and sneaker culture
The Air Jordan 1 is the model from which the history of the Jordan line originates. Launched in 1985 and designed by Peter Moore, it was born as a basketball shoe tied to Michael Jordan but quickly transcended the sports context, becoming one of the most recognizable silhouettes in sneaker culture.
Within the Air Jordan family, the Jordan 1 still maintains many aesthetic elements linked to the basketball shoes of the eighties: a leather upper, side Swoosh, overlapping panels, and the characteristic Wings Logo. Over time, the original structure has been reinterpreted through High, Mid, and Low versions, new colorways, Retro reissues, and collaborations.
The longevity of the AJ1 also stems from the silhouette's ability to take on very different identities. A historic colorway like Chicago tells the story of the model's origins, while contemporary collaborations and Low or Mid versions show how well the original design has managed to adapt to different periods and languages.
Air Jordan 1 High, Mid, and Low: the differences
The Jordan 1 family includes three main constructions, which differ in height, proportions, and relationship to the original model.
The Air Jordan 1 High is the one most directly linked to the 1985 silhouette. Retro High OG versions incorporate numerous elements from the original model and are often used for the return of historic colorways, as well as for some of the most important collaborations in Jordan's recent history.
The Air Jordan 1 Mid features a mid-cut profile and its own unique construction. While it maintains many of the characteristic visual elements of the Jordan 1, it should not be considered simply a lower High: its proportions, details, branding, and color range follow a distinct path.
The Air Jordan 1 Low, on the other hand, brings the design to a low-top structure. Within the Low family, standard and Low OG versions coexist; the latter are more directly connected to the silhouette's historical references and have become particularly important, also thanks to contemporary collaborations.
High, Mid, and Low therefore share the identity of the Jordan 1 but represent three different branches of the same family.
Air Jordan 1 Retro, OG, High OG, and Low OG
Terms like Retro and OG frequently appear in the names of Jordan 1s and help describe the relationship between a contemporary release and the history of the model.
OG, an abbreviation of “Original,” is used to refer to features linked to the first configurations of the silhouette. In the case of the Jordan 1, designations like Retro High OG identify releases that maintain a particularly direct link to the historical construction and branding of the High version.
The same logic applies to the Air Jordan 1 Low OG, which reinterprets the low format while maintaining details and proportions closer to the original heritage compared to other Jordan 1 Lows.
The term Retro instead indicates the return of a silhouette or a colorway from the past. A Jordan 1 Retro can therefore revive a historic color combination or use the classic structure as a base for a new interpretation.
Chicago, Bred, Royal, and the historic colorways of the Jordan 1
A fundamental part of the Air Jordan 1's identity is tied to its colorways.
Chicago has become one of the most important visual references for the silhouette thanks to the combination of white, red, and black associated with the Chicago Bulls. Over time, this color scheme has returned through various reissues and reinterpretations, including Lost & Found.
Bred, Black Toe, Royal, Shadow, and UNC also belong to the historical language of the Jordan 1 and have helped build the imagery that still accompanies the model today.
The periodic return of these colorings demonstrates how central the archive is to the history of the AJ1: new releases may change materials, leather treatment, or small details while still maintaining an evident connection to the original versions.
Travis Scott and Air Jordan 1
Among contemporary collaborations, the relationship between Travis Scott and Jordan has had a particularly significant impact on the Jordan 1.
The 2019 Air Jordan 1 High Travis Scott made the Reverse Swoosh one of the most recognizable elements of the Cactus Jack universe. The language developed on the High was subsequently brought, above all, to the Jordan 1 Low through different colorways and projects.
Mocha, Reverse Mocha, Black Phantom, Olive, Canary, and other interpretations show how the Jordan 1 Low has become one of the silhouettes most closely associated with the collaboration with Travis Scott.
Fragment Design has also joined this path through projects that combine Fragment branding, the Reverse Swoosh, and Cactus Jack language, creating a further connection between the history of the Jordan 1 and contemporary collaborations.
Off-White, Union, and Fragment on the Air Jordan 1
Another fundamental chapter is represented by Nike x Off-White. Virgil Abloh reinterpreted the Air Jordan 1 through his own deconstructed language, intervening on the sneaker's structure with exposed materials, visible stitching, technical lettering, and intentionally reworked components.
The Off-White Jordan 1s helped transform the silhouette into a symbol of the meeting between sneaker culture and contemporary fashion, keeping the original model recognizable while profoundly modifying the way it is read.
Union Los Angeles and Fragment Design have also built an important relationship with the Jordan 1. A recent example is the Air Jordan 1 High x Union LA x Fragment Design, which brings together three different languages starting from the structure of the AJ1 High.
These collaborations show how the Jordan 1 can be reinterpreted in very different ways without losing the elements that make its silhouette instantly recognizable.
Alongside collaborations distributed to the public, there are also Air Jordan Player Exclusive (PE), versions developed for athletes, teams, or specific programs that are not normally intended for retail sale. These include rare Jordan 1s dedicated to the collegiate world, such as the Air Jordan 1 Low OG Michigan PE.
Men's and Women's Air Jordan 1
Air Jordan 1s are produced in various size ranges and releases. Some colorways are launched in Men's sizing, others in Women's, while numerous models are also available in sizes dedicated to younger fans.
The fit may vary slightly based on the construction and materials used. A High, a Mid, and a Low share the same aesthetic DNA but have different proportions, while some OG releases may have specific features compared to standard versions.
Colorways are not necessarily tied to a single audience: releases created in Women's sizing can also be worn through size conversions, while many Jordan 1s are distributed in very wide ranges.
Original Air Jordan 1s and pre-owned models
The quantity of colorways, reissues, and collaborations produced over the years makes authenticity particularly important in the Jordan 1 market, especially for limited releases and models coming from the secondary market.
At ResellZone, every product undergoes a verification process to check its authenticity and correspondence with the original model. The method used is explained in detail on the page dedicated to product authenticity.
Jordan 1s coming from the second-hand market are organized in the Pre-owned Air Jordan 1 section, separate from the main High, Mid, and Low hierarchy and dedicated to pre-owned models.