OFFICIAL: Air Trainer 1 Mid Premium aka "Chlorophylls"... paging Wallyhop....

I had the "Chlorophylls" in mid and lows before I was really into sneakers. Must have been the 2000's because they def did not have the checked logo on the tongue.... wow, the memories that are coming back after seeing these! Loved them, and wore them everyday, beat the hell out of em and grew out of them.

If these come back I will do whatever it takes to get at least two pairs.

 

FYI on a couple of things...

1. Bowerman Trainer 1's will be available at select Champs Sports locations on 9.21.12...including, Nike Yardline by Champs Sports (Willowbrook Mall...Wayne, NJ)

2. The OG Trainer 1's will launch on 10.20.12...don't expect them to pop up too many places...looks to be a fairly limited release...

JM

 

Big ups to JM for the info.

Big downs to Nike for yet another limited release.

Hopefully these end up like the SC II QS--limited but fairly easy to track down. I'll be doing my homework on these for sure. At least 2 pairs need to be had.

 

JM... seems either you have inside, or work for Nike, is there any reason that Nike limits these type of releases? Yeezys, or other gimmicky stuff I can understand, but when there is an almost cult following for true classics, it soesnt seem logical to limit things like trainers.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Chlorophylls will be copped

 

I think you hit is on the head when you wrote "cult" following...

Trainer 1 has not been a successful style in the US for sometime now...they really only do well in boutique type settings and really only Sneakerheads know enough about the history to care about them...

JM

 

I just really hope NDC gets the Chlorophyll's...either way, 3 pairs will be copped for discount or not.

 

Yeah. It's funny how some people jump down my throat when I say that a "limited release" makes sense for certain sneakers. When I say that, I'm really talking about two main categories of shoes --

-extremely wild CWs of more widely popular shoes that are unlikely to be as popular with the overall fanbase of the shoe. ...Basically, shoes that have no chance of being an "everyday shoe." Think like the crazy animal AM 95 joints

- Cult following retros. There are a whole ton of models that have enough demand to do really well in a limited release, but would brick as full releases. Carnivores, Pillars, Ultramarine 180s, Medicine Ball Trainer IIIs, AM 93a, second tier OG CWs of classic models ... there are really tons of them. What's weird is that sometimes Nike anticipates this correctly - Trainer SC II QSes (a few still made it to outlets, but overall, this was probably a success for Nike), and then other times they overproduce in relation to the demand altogether - Carnivores, for example.

Part of it has to do with economies of scale, for sure. To go through the internal production process to simply make a limited run of one CW of one model is certainly diminishing returns on Nike's end. So, sometimes they just push the scale up on the OG and make a bunch of Retro+ CWs and hope they catch a bit of lightning in a bottle and the demand begins to expand a bit, new-wave, organically. ...Like offset printing for example, I assume that a big portion of the cost of putting out a retro is in "turning the machine on" so to speak. So, if Nike gets stuck with a bunch of extras, they'd rather do that than not make enough because the cost of producing more is far from linear - in fact, it's the reverse. Dollar-cost averaging dictates that the more they make the cheaper the cost per unit is. The ultimate goal isn't just to sell out - if you sell out, you're leaving demand on the table. The goal is find the sweet spot between not making enough and making too many. (This goes for run of the mill retros - once you get into shoes are intended to be brand builders, the equation gets a little more abstract)

All that said, I still think they make some weird choices. Overproducing the Auburn SCs a while ago - I think I would have made the same mistake. The Carnivores - anybody should have been able to see they'd be be way off on the demand curve there if they didn't limit that shoe severely.

What I'd like to know is the extent to which Nike does any sort of demand forecasting for their retros. By now, I'd hope somebody iternal would have built a mathematical model based on years of proprietary data - or at least had the mind to hire outside consultants to do this for them.

 

it all makes sence I guess... it probably wouldnt be such a problem 2-3 years ago, because those that wanted em would probably have no problem getting em with a connect (if no where near them had them), or doing some homework... now, anything with the limited tag, or low production #s sells out instantly to mostly resellers and prices get out of whack. Then with the limited tag, they automatically get labeled as "heat" by the hypebeasts... terrible cycle this has turned in to.

 

JM, can you tell us whether or not some Champs will be getting these?

Thanks.

 

I managed to scrounge up 2 pairs of the Safari Trainer 1 earlier this summer, I'm fully confident in my abilities on these unless they make them ridiculously limited.

 

Were things really that different 2 or 3 years ago, Dubl?

I think it's pretty much been like this since the SB Dunk, Bape Shark hoody days. Maybe a bit worse now, but not a total 180.

You know what is strange though - often it does happen the way you say, but sometimes it just doesn't. The SC Trainer II release, for example.

 

I had a big time blowout on a pair of 2000 retros just this past weekend. So to see this news today.. Tragic.... and sad..Many around here know my stance on these already, so I don't need to waste my time and others by writing 10 paragraphs...

RE cult classic: These have never had a second chance since that 2000 retro... Everything since then has seemingly been a boutique shop QS of some sort. Name the last time you've seen these in FTL, Eastbay, or NDC.. The model just lives on the edge of a true breakout.. I guess it's never meant to be....... And the last GR you ask? 2001.. So yeah, it will remain under the radar without that opportunity to explode.. Hell you got Mcenroe doing commericals for Nike and it's not this model? Wasted opporutnity. He's in movies. Olympic coverage. His relevancy has lasted much longer than his shoes.. They could be equals.. But I digress

I'd rather glue some old tire treads onto my old at1s before giving Nike any new money on what will be a shoe with an artificially lowered supply, and higher MSRP, for what will be lower quality. That's three strikes in my book.

It's a terrible decision and my time talking about the future of this c/w is DONE..... Nike should rot in hell for this decision.

 

great that nike is going to release these, but the quality is most likely going to be lacking on these. the green seems to have evolved to nearly being an olive shade.

sidenote: i've always found it interesting that nike's "savier trainer" maintained the split leather seam on the heel cup of the OG trainer

 

But, John McEnroe retired 20 years ago - real retirement, not his cocaine sabbaticals in the 80s. I got love for Johnny Mac, but the idea that he'd be able to give currency to this shoe among today's generation of sneakerheads is a complete longshot.

This shoe is a niche classic - there's nothing wrong with that.

One of the things holding this shoe back in the mainstream is that it looks dated. It's a classic, and if you know or experienced its history, you have love for it. But, it looks like a product of its era, IMO. That's not a problem for many of us, but it's a problem if you want to go mainstream.

 

Can't disagree with your statements one bit, but i also see where Wally is coming from. Any way you stack it up, this doesn't appear to be headed in a good direction. Hopefully we are all wrong, but the trainer sc2 from last year was really a great and welcome surprise. I still rock the heck out of em regardless of what "mainstream" sneakerheads or current "new school" sneakerheads think. I will do the very same with whatever average, subpar, or ridiculous awful rendition we get. I am not as picky as Wally, but I just can't say no to this shoe given its place in my original sneaker history growing up.

 

iz want dem chlorophyll joints

 

Wait! What decision?!These aint going quickstrike super limited are they????

OH LORD JESUS NOOOOoo!!!

 

I want these

 

I love you Wally, but I'm gonna sell out .

I know they're far from perfect but if the materials are decent I just want a pair of these to wear. They won't be a keepsake or anything.

 

no official pics yet & a month away? huh

hope it will be like the SCII QS' in terms of availability after release

 

Someone remind me how AT1s fit please. Last pair I had was the aqua SB joints back in '06 and I sold them a long time ago.

If I remember right, true to size?

 

Yep, true to size.

 

For me, I usually go a .5 size up, but these things aren't always the same for everybody.

 

Thanks for the info brahs. Yeah, I think I remember the old burgundy Prep Pack joints I had back in '03/'04 being TTS too.

Now that I think about it, it sucks that Nike hasn't released many good colorways of the AT1 for so damn long. Such a great shoe.