In June 2024, two new iterations of Travis Scott’s ever-popular Nike Air Jordan sneaker collaborations popped up on the timeline like a Cactus Jack in the box. And like that toy, this new release played an all-too familiar Air Jordan 1 Low song and dance.
Images of Travis Scott’s Air Jordan 1 Low “Velvet Brown” with a black backwards Swoosh have surfaced on sneaker sites along with a rumored release date. Alongside that leak was the unveiling of yet another Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 Low, this time all-white and encased inside a suitcase only being gifted to 350 attendees of Michael Rubin’s inimitable celeb-studded “White Party.”
Yes, it’s a celeb-designed Nike sneaker collaboration that’s likely only being gifted for celebs to wear with other celebs as they celeb at a celeb party organized by the CEO of Fanatics in the Hamptons. Tell the DJ to cue the “Straight up” ad-lib.
But the reveal of two Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 Low sneaker collaborations, back to back in the span of one week — over a year before they’re even rumored to drop in Spring 2025 — has me questioning if we really need more of these specific shoes.
Maybe it’s just because these two colorways surfaced shortly after a “Canary Yellow” Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 Low hit SNKRS in May 2024. But if the resale value tells us anything about hype, it’s that those Canary Yellow Cactus Jack Jordans aren’t really coveted by sneakerheads much at all.
As of June 2024, over 10 different colorways of Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 Low sneakers have been released or at least unveiled since Scott debuted the original colorway at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Soon after, Travis Scott x fragment design Air Jordan 1 Lows became a proper sneaker grail.
Yet with so many different iterations of these low-top basketball sneakers with a backwards Swoosh, it feels like the La Flame is burning out. At least on this specific silhouette.
There are two concerns to consider here.
On one hand, the Air Jordan 1 Low is starting to fall into the overused Nike silhouette grave that zapped out Dunks and is pushing sneakerheads to move towards newer basketball shoes like the adidas AE1. On the other, this silhouette is only further blowing up a merch bubble that’s set to burst — how many Cactus Jack-branded items do even Scott’s own fans need?
And what does it say about a shoe that was once singularly indicative of culture that it’s now being merchified as VIP party swag?
The always-spinning wheels of hype will keep even Scott’s most saturated Nike shoes selling as long as he remains relevant, regardless of what the culture says about oversaturation.
I’ll personally always tune into his music but, for me, the rodeo around Scott’s Air Jordan 1 Lows is over.