Jordan Brand Reveals the Eight Jordan Design Studio City Winners

Jordan Brand has revealed the eight city winners from its inaugural Jordan Design Studio, bringing together emerging creatives from Seoul, Tokyo, Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Beijing and Shanghai.

Launched this summer, the global initiative gave artists, designers and storytellers the opportunity to reinterpret the Air Jordan 1 “Love Letter” through their own backgrounds, communities and creative practices. Each city hosted a three-day workshop led by local mentors, with participants developing original AJ1 prototypes built around themes of identity, heritage, ambition and personal experience.

A panel consisting of each city’s creative mentor alongside members of Jordan Brand’s Design and Product teams selected one winner from every location.

The eight winners are:

Chicago — Chelsea B
A crochet artist, designer and founder of House of Chelsea B, Chelsea brings traditional fiber craftsmanship into contemporary streetwear, with work rooted in storytelling and Chicago’s South Side.

New York — Alaia Ryan
The designer, stylist and founder of NAYR Studio is known for her heart-shaped bags, material experimentation and hands-on approach to fashion and product design.

Los Angeles — Cheikh Tall
Through his work with Royal.2, Tall uses fashion, design and storytelling to celebrate African culture and heritage while creating space for underrepresented voices.

Seoul — Jisoon Kim
Kim’s practice centers around repurposing overlooked materials through a mix of 3D printing and traditional craftsmanship. His previous Jordan work includes a custom Air Jordan 6 boot worn by Tyla during the WNBA Halftime Show.

Tokyo — Yuji Wada
A graphic designer, art director, DJ and assistant buyer at Jackpot, Wada’s work moves between fashion, music, branding and visual communication.

Mexico City — Carlos “Calo” Eduardo Lopez Velasco
The Guadalajara-born, Mexico City-based creative works across graphic design, tattooing and fine art, bringing a longstanding personal connection to the Air Jordan 1 into his prototype.

Beijing — Syn Zhuang
A freelance footwear designer, Zhuang reworked the AJ1 through the lens of women’s everyday experiences, focusing on comfort, versatility and self-expression while maintaining the silhouette’s recognizable DNA.

Shanghai — GG Wu
The founder of GG in Red approached the project from an apparel designer’s perspective, incorporating handcrafted elements, embroidery and textile experimentation into the Air Jordan 1.

The eight winners will now come together in Shanghai during The One Global Finals, where their Air Jordan 1 concepts will be showcased on a global stage. One prototype will ultimately be selected as the overall winner.

Jordan Brand notes that all of the footwear shown as part of the project remains in prototype form and does not represent final retail product.