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THE INSPIRATION
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE UNION AND JORDAN COLLECTION WAS REALLY “WHAT WOULD I WANT FROM JORDAN”? IN PARTICULAR I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE APPAREL AS, I FIND TOO OFTEN PEOPLE ONLY DO SHOEʼS WHEN THEY DO COLLABORATIONS LIKE THIS, BUT I FELT LIKE THIS REALLY ONLY ALLOWS ONE TO TELL HALF THE STORY AND I WANTED TO TELL THE WHOLE STORY. FURTHERMORE, I KNOW THAT BRAND JORDAN IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A SPORTS APPAREL AND FOOTWEAR COMPANY AND THEY ARE THE BEST AT THAT. BUT I FEEL LIKE THERE IS AN UNDER CURRENT, AT LEAST IN “STREETWEAR” OF PEOPLE WHO WEAR BRAND JORDAN OUTSIDE OF ITʼS INTENDED PURPOSE. MORE AS A FASHION STATEMENT AND LESS AS THE UTILITARIAN PURPOSE. ITʼS THIS SPACE THAT THE UNION COLLABORATION IS INTENDED TO OCCUPY.
IN PARTICULAR, ITʼS MY OPINION THE THERE IS AN INDELIBLE COOL. THERE ARE CERTAIN, LOOKS, DESIGNS, PRODUCTS THAT I CONSIDER TO BE TIMELESS. THE JORDAN I IN PARTICULAR IS ONE OF THE ALL TIME CLASSIC SHOE DESIGNS SO WE STARTED WITH THAT. FROM THERE WE TRIED TO THINK OF THE ULTIMATE EFFORTLESS COOL AND JUST FELT LIKE VINTAGE NEVER DIES. SO WE TRIED TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE COLLECTION THROUGH A VINTAGE LENS. WE CHOSE THE CLASSIC ICONOGRAPHY OF THE JORDAN BRAND AND MATCHED IT WITH UNION BRANDING AND THEN MADE IT LOOK WEATHERED AND WORN; VINTAGE.
WE RAN THE SNEAKER THROUGH THE SAME FILTER. WE WANTED THE SHOE TO LOOK LIKE “YOUR FAVORITE OLD PAIR OF SHOES” THAT YOU JUST CANʼT LET GO OF. WE STARTED BY GIVING THEM A VINTAGE LOOK BY YELLOWING THE SOLE AND THE LEATHER. WE THEN TOOK IT A STEP FURTHER AND STITCHED DIFFERENT UPPPERS AND LOWERS FROM DIFFERENT COLOR WAYS OF THE JORDAN IʼS TO MAKE IT LOOK AS THOUGH SOME KID MIGHT HAVE FIXED AND RESTITCHED THE SHOES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS…
FOR THE GEAR, INSTEAD OF FIXATING ON ONE YEAR, I JUST THOUGHT OF THE EARLY YEARS OF JORDAN AND TRIED TO IMAGINE IF I HAD FOUND SOME OLD VINTAGE JORDAN GEAR AT THE ROSE BOWL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, HOW EXCITED I WOULD BE TO FIND A PERFECTLY PATINAʼD T-SHIRT OR SWEATSHIRT! WE GAVE EVERYTHING A HEAVY WASH TREATMENT TO “PATINA” THE FABRIC AS WELL AS THE GRAPHICS…
I FEEL LIKE THE WHOLE CAPSULE LOOKS AND FEELS TIMELESS AND THAT WAS WHAT WE WERE GOING FOR. EVERYTHING IS PRETTY TRUE TO SIZE, EXCEPT FOR THE SWEATPANTS WHICH ARE OVERSIZED. BUT WE DID PLAY WITH THE SILHOUETTES TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING HAD A NATURAL “DRAPE” TO IT….
HOPE YOU LIKE IT!
CHRIS GIBBS