The “Retro High 85” has so far dropped in two colorways: the “New Beginnings,” based on a player-exclusive version worn by MJ, and the “Neutral Gray” (an update to Elliott’s “Natural Gray” from 1985). With the originals in such high demand, it’s no surprise that Jordan Brand has introduced retro versions of Air Jordan 1s that attempt to mimic the exact shape and style of 1985s. The price for this service? $1,000, which seems like a lot-until you remember how much original 1985s fetch. (He is also supplied materials by leather paint and sneaker cleaner manufacturer Angelus.) Lee's process, meanwhile, usually starts with a new pair of Jordan 1s in the “Bloodlines” colorway from 2019, and completely overhauls them until they look just like…old.
Though the channel is free to watch, he makes money from people watching through monetized ads. Today, his YouTube page shows off his truly impressive restoration techniques: some need highly-specific tools, with others require a general willingness to put your shoes in the oven.
After years of collecting and restoring 1985s, he befriended a local cobbler, which is when his hobby really took off.
“My grandma is actually the one who taught me the beginnings of how to fix stuff up,” he says. By the time he got ahold of them, they were “completely cooked,” but he caught the bug nonetheless. Jones’s obsession started in the 1990s, after buying his first pair of Air Jordan 1s as a teenager. These imperfections are both a benefit and detriment of sneakers this old-and the need for sneakers that look ancient but feel new is how people like Alexander Jones and Nate Lee are able to turn a profit. There can be major variance in the soles, with once plush and bouncy material essentially petrifying. He explains that various factors, like the climate where the shoes were stored (typically damp Japan is less than ideal) can have a massive impact on their condition. Then they basically went on my shelf,” Engmann says.
“The first pair of 85s I got were so uncomfortable that I wore them once. Soles that won’t crumble don’t exactly mean you can rock a pair with impunity. Still, coming into possession of a pair of 1985s isn’t always enough. And if you want to scuff up a new pair, artisans like Lee, Phillip Leyesa and Andrew Chiou, to name a few, have mastered the aging process. Already own a pair from 1985 that’s been stashed in an attic for decades? Alexander Jones of Vintage Kicks Gallery can help turn the clock back and restore them to almost factory status. Willing to shell out? A collector like Tye Engmann of Curated Van might be your guy. There are other, more authentic ways than Lee’s business to get some 85s, of course. In the sneaker world, 1985 Air Jordan 1s-as in, shoes that look like the models issued that year, and not any of Jordan Brand’s subsequent reissues-are the hottest thing going. His hottest seller? “Chicago” Jordan 1s that look like they’re from 1985-the specific color and year currently grabbing the attention of style-savvy people looking for a new frontier of flexing. A fresh white sole becomes yellowed the toe and heel are delicately reshaped even the shoelaces get swapped with period-correct versions and after all that, only a collector paying close attention would be able to tell the difference. So he launched Kicks By N8, where today he takes easier-to-find colorways of new Air Jordan 1s and transforms them into shoes that look like well-preserved classics. They turned out so well, and got so much positive feedback from classmates, that he realized he might be onto something. He started by doing YouTube research to learn how to modify Air Jordan 1s until he created a pair he was proud of. After a segment in the doc about how Jordan’s original Nikes came to be, Lee went online to scoop up a pair of Air Jordan 1s in the original “Chicago” colorway (the ones with a white and red upper and prominent black Swoosh), only to realize that the same hype he felt had kicked the kicks’ price into overdrive.īeing an enterprising engineering major, Lee decided to make the shoes, instead of buying them. Also: to this day, no one has done signature sneakers better. For college-aged guys like Nate Lee who weren’t alive to see Michael Jordan play for the Chicago Bulls, the Last Dance docudrama affirmed what earlier generations knew: In terms of court performance, heroics, and swagger, MJ is the GOAT.