The Union x Air Jordan 1 High OG 'Chicago/Shadow' Releases Via SNKRS on March 18

Union Los Angeles and Jordan Brand will rekindle their collaborative partnership in early 2025, and the powerhouse duo will join forces once more on the Air Jordan 1 High OG.

The duo Initially collaborated on the silhouette back in 2018, offering the original Air Jordan sneaker in two vintage-inspired colorways. In 2023, Chris Gibbs and his wife, Beth of Bephie's Beauty Supply, reimagined the shoe with woven material. For 2025, Union has reverted to the aesthetic set forth on its debut collaboration. A combination of the Air Jordan 1's OG 'Chicago' and 'Shadow' looks have come together for Gibbs and team's latest effort.

The retro has long been rumored and teased, but no official party involved had given credence to the release until right before NBA All-Star Weekend 2025. On Thursday, Feb. 6, Union Los Angeles' Instagram account posted several clips instructing spectators to "stay tuned." Graphics inspired by old school late night talk shows were accompanied by captions sharing a new landing page for Gibbs' brand: www.unionjordanimback.com. While seemingly random, the campaign material could reference an early moment in both Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan 1's history.

On May 19, 1986, a young Jordan appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. During his appearance, the 23-year-old spoke about his many endorsements and discussed why the NBA had "banned" his Nike-backed footwear.

Given the lengths Jordan Brand has gone through to tell the story of the original Air Jordan 1 'Bred,' it's possible Chris Gibbs and his Union label have focused on Mike's appearance on Letterman's show for their next retro. A full backstory should accompany official communication from Nike's longtime collaborator soon.

Pairs of the new Union x Air Jordan 1 High OG have been rumored to arrive on Wednesday, Feb. 12, ahead of All-Star Weekend. Chris Gibbs and team surprised many attendees of the various All-Star Weekend 2025 events with an early SNKRS Pass release for their latest Jordan Brand retro.

An earlier report from SoleSavy regarding the pair's launch date was put to rest by Union itself on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The boutique's official Instagram account shared that Air Jordan 1 'Varsity Red/Black' would release on Thursday, Feb. 27, exclusively online via the unionjordan2025.com microsite. A release has been scheduled for 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST.

On Thursday, Feb. 20, Union announced an early raffle for its Air Jordan 1 'Chicago/Shadow' collaboration.

The raffle is exclusively open to residents within LA County. An event will take place at Union's storefront (110 S La Brea Ave.) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST on Saturday, Feb. 22.

According to the boutique, "To ensure eligibility, a valid CA ID (NO EXCEPTIONS) must be presented during the event to verify your location within the LA County district. Once you obtain a raffle ticket, it is mandatory to enter the raffle before the deadline of 5:00 PM on 02/22."

Winners of the LA County raffle will be notified via email. They must follow additional steps to finalize their purchase of the next Jordan Brand project by Union.

Following the in-store raffle, Union LA will be releasing pairs at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET here, after they preview the products at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. Make sure you are refreshing the website as the release is expected to sell out quickly.

Gibbs and team's 'Chicago/Shadow' collaboration will see a wider release via Nike SNKRS on Tuesday, March 18. A full apparel collection will accompany the footwear.

For more from the Jumpman family, check out the Nigel Sylvester Jordan 4 'Brick by Brick' collaboration landing on Friday, March 14.