Like pretty much everything from Michael Jordan’s career, his time spent with the Minor League’s Birmingham Barons has served as inspiration for his signature footwear lineage. 2008’s Air Jordan 1 “Home and Away” pack was the first — and still arguably the best — to do so, with the two-pack of baseball-glove Air Jordan 9s from 2017 the last. Smack bang in the middle of the two is by far the most popular, 2014’s Air Jordan 1 “Barons”, a pair that still fetches upwards of $500 on the aftermarket. The monochromatic mix of team colors closely aligns to the OG Air Jordan 1 “Shadow”, which in itself automatically puts it into fan-favorite status despite its historical connection. The popularity of the black, white, and grey colorways was ramped up by 2020’s Dior x Air Jordan 1 High OG and subsequent sell-out Air Jordan 1 Mid and Lows in matching hues which begs the question — why do we rarely see it hit general releases? Perhaps it’s time for one more — an Air Jordan 1 High “Barons 2.0” maybe?
That’s exactly what we’ve done in the Lab today, and with it, we’ve brought some SB Dunk-inspired blocking and some on-trend contrast stitching. Though inverted, the latter tributes the Baron’s pinstripe fits across the black midsole. White leather mid panels work in between black leather collars and toes, while suede Swooshes split its middle. Overlays of grey suede provide a softer feel than straight leather to mimic the visual of baseball pant textile, while grey liners, laces, and outsole trim complete the exterior. Without mocking up an interior view, we’d also love to include pinstriped insoles and — what would be really cool — is translucent insoles loaded with red clay underfoot.
Wanna see more of our sneaker concept work? You can check out every single one of them right here.
Air Jordan 1 High OG “Barons 2.0”
From the HOUSE OF HEAT Concept Lab
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