An Inside Look Into The Dior x Nike Jordan Collection!
Photo Sourced From Dior.com
Our streetwear hearts are screaming at the news that the iconic Dior x Nike collection is finally out!
One of the most hotly anticipated launches of 2020, Dior’s collaboration with Air Jordan was unveiled at the Dior pre-fall 2020 show in Miami in December, and was scheduled to go on sale in March. But, like many things, the coronavirus pandemic forced the brand to postpone. Now, four months later and tons of fashion enthusiasts waiting patiently, the Air Dior Collection is out and up for grabs – if you’re so lucky.
The sneakers will be sold exclusively in selected Dior pop-in stores. A limited number will be allocated to each boutique, and those who register before the inventory runs out will be invited to visit the store of their choice to buy their sneakers. Kim Jones, Creative Director of Men’s Wear at Dior, said he wants to make sure the shoes don’t get snapped up by resellers. Those eligible to buy the sneakers will receive a unique QR code, and matching ID will be required at the time of purchase.
Photo Sourced From Dior.com
The capsule collection dropped and sold out quicker than we could blink. The real question is whether or not Dior and Nike are planning a relaunch. And when looking at the success, they’d be crazy not to. Five million people registered for a chance to buy the limited-edition Air Jordan 1 OG Dior sneakers, Pietro Beccari, President and Chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, told Women’s Wear Daily. The executive said 13,000 pairs of the iconic shoes were produced, with 5,000 pairs offered to Dior’s top clients, each of whom received a personal invitation. That left 8,000 pairs for the rest of the world, and Beccari said Dior collected the names of willing buyers in the span of about nine hours.
On June 25, Dior launched a dedicated microsite for the Air Jordan 1 by Dior drop. There, customers had an opportunity to buy the limited-edition shoes on a first-come, first-served basis. The shoes are priced at $2,000 for the low-top version and $2,200 for the high-top model.
Photo Sourced From Dior.com
It doesn’t stop there. Dior is expanding its sneaker collaboration with the Jordan Brand to a full collection of ready-to-wear and accessories, making this the Nike’s first step into the “luxury streetwear” category. “The clothes are based on Michael Jordan’s off-court style. He wore suits all the time — I love that,” said Kim Jones, Creative Director of Men’s Wear at Dior, noting that the collection has an upscale feel, with a palette of navy blue, white and gray and will be sporting the new collaborative Air Dior logo. “I like the fact that we’re doing something that’s extremely unexpected in terms of clothing.”
The collaboration marks the first time that the Nike Jordan brand has partnered with a luxury fashion brand, though it has produced shoes with designer labels including Off-White, Fragment Design, Dover Street Market and Comme des Garçons. It’s also the first time it has tampered with its signature Wings logo.
“That wings logo, we will use going forward as kind of positioning the more luxury world for Jordan. So this is not one collaboration, in and out — it’s kind of positioning the brand also in this luxury streetwear zone, so you’ll see more of that coming in the future,” Martin Lotti, vice president of design at Jordan Brand told Women’s Wear Daily.
Photo Sourced From Dior.com
“It’s one of those collaborations made in heaven, in many ways, both on a personal side but also from a brand perspective,” Lotti enthused. “It comes from a genuine place. It helps ultimately to expand the dimension of each brand, which is what we’re looking for.” The collection includes a gray suit with Air Dior logo buttons, and silk shorts featuring an archival CD graphic created by Marc Bohan. “We’re selling huge amounts of suits — it’s doubled — so it’s kind of nice to celebrate it. People want to look smart, they want to feel good. It’s kind of cool to do that,” said Jones. Among the most luxurious pieces is a gray suede hoodie, handmade in Italy, with a lining featuring the Dior Oblique motif, and the Air Dior logo perforated on the back. But the line also includes smaller items like socks, silk squares, a sweatband, chain pendants, a tie, a bucket hat and four leather goods pieces.
I am so excited to see these two worlds colliding and making our streetwear dreams come true. Sportswear and luxury have been courting each other for a while now, and I’m loving that it’s evolving even more and leading a way for the new-new. I hope this capsule collection sticks around for a bit and is used as inspiration for other streetwear brands.
