Discussion-Change

Change is inevitable.

Some fear change, others loath it… Sneakerheads, specifically, are very weary of the idea. Performance sneakers have grown drastically since their initial conception. From the Converse Chuck Taylor to the Nike Air Force 1. The Air Jordan 1 to the Air Jordan 2011. Evolution has taken place, it was once celebrated and anticipated for months on end until the new product was released… now all you hear are cries for the past to be brought back to the present.

Our voices had been heard and the Retro was born. However, the Retro has also undergone some modifications. In what has been explained by Brand executives; to preserve what is left of the past to appease original collectors while still giving the public what they want.

With this past week being ‘Concord’ week, fans of the Air Jordan XI both clamored with joy and pecked away at keyboards in an angry fashion. The outsole is blue!?! Make it original, keep it the same! In other words, we fear change.

If things were constantly being brought back to life, exactly the way they had been years ago, wouldn’t you eventually loose interest in it?

The Concord Air Jordan XI first released in the ’95/96 season, then received the Retro treatment not too long afterward in 2000. Then in 2006 we were given a gift, just six short years later, in the form of the Air Jordan DMP Pack which featured the AJVI & AJXI. With another release of a White/ Black based AJXI hitting retail once again, this time things had to be a little different. Concord was removed, replaced with Black and Gold. I don’t recall one complaint about this change. A reversed Jumpman was featured on the left shoe for the first time… and again, no complaints. Now, in 2011, we will get the chance to own the AJXI in all of its White/ Black – Dark Concord glory and there are complaints about the outsole having a blue tint.

Most of you are probably sitting there saying; of course we’re going to complain, its not the same! Think about this… one of the largest complaints about the Air Jordan 3 & 4 are cracking midsoles and paint chipping. If Jordan Brand were to figure out a way to solve this problem, would you be opposed to it? If you would be more than happy to welcome this sort of change; why is that? It would no longer be the same as the OG… right?

The Air Jordan V had been Retro-ed in ’99, true to its original form. Then in 2006 they were again released with the addition of the ’23’. People hated this, still do. But why? Michael Jordan himself wore his AJ5’s on court with the ’23’ stitched to the side panel, technically this is an original feature.

We have been complaining about translucent soles turning yellow for years. Nike and Jordan Brand think they have found a way to slow the process down a bit, keeping your kicks looking fresh for a longer period of time. All of a sudden, this isn’t good enough because its not the same.

After all the complaints about these minor changes, there is always one thing that remains the same… the shoes will sell out, they will be purchased by those who complain and oppose this change. After the release is said and done, nobody will complain about the blue tint… mostly because there will be something new to complain about.

Are these changes really that bad? The changes are made to help the life of the shoe you’re about to throw $180 down on. I don’t know about you but if those blue outsoles help slow the yellowing process down, I’m game. If anything they aren’t really changes at all, they are enhancements… making something great even greater.

Evolution is a major factor which differentiates the human race from any other living being on the planet. Evolution and change are seen throughout the day, all day… everyday since the dawn of time. Footwear has evolved greatly within the last 10 years and I’m happy to see the product reflect this.

Change isn’t always bad if you keep an open mind.

How do you feel about change; good, bad, maybe you don’t mind as long as the shoe you’re after is brought back from the dead?

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25 Comments

  1. 1st!!

    But I’m open to this change. I think if it will help slow down yellowing it’s all good. I actually wish they did it to the Jams.

  2. I personally don’t like the blue tint, but either way the soles will yellow so i don’t mind it……

  3. I personally don’t like the blue tint, but either way the soles will yellow so i don’t mind it, what i don’t like is THE CRAPPY QUALITY!!!!! that should be the issue here, not weather the sole is blue or not they should move back to Taiwan or something………

    1. Yea,I agree so much man!!! people don’t see that we are paying for crap quality yet the prices are rising.

  4. Why not just lighten the tint but keep it blue i dont recall the cool greys being this blue tinted but hopefully its just the lighting on the photos cause it does draw away from the more striking color scheme that people are used to seeing in the 11 concord so no matter how much change is inevitable its not worth taking away from the features everyone enjoyed about the shoe in the past. WHY NOT JUST PUT A 45 ON THE BACK AT LEAST THAT SIGNIFIES SOME OF THE SHOES HISTORY AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

  5. people are going to change no matter what. im not gonna lie, every once in a while i have a few complaints but not over every little thing like most sneakerheads. honestly, if the change bothers me that much i just won’t buy the kicks. simple as that..

  6. Jordan brand needs to see the outrage from people and then lighten that shhhhhh kinda how they were about to fawwk up the black and cement 3s by changing the base material to nubuck or suede or somethin. Dont fix it if it aint broke dayum it. Change something on the very bottom of the shoe or something thats less noticeable even the insole so that way people can be like oh yeah the older release came with blah blah blah on the inside of the tongue or dah dah dah on the insolem. Yeahhhhhh much better idea

    1. You change the way “damn” and “fuck” is spelled and it’s not broke so don’t fit it!!!!!!!

  7. Don’t know where my comment went but guess I have to just leave another one. I have no problems with the blue tint my main issue with JB and NIke is the quality we get in our shoes now. When the first started retroing Jordans they were $100 with the best quality material, now they are almost double that with cheap material. I don’t mind the increase in price because the times have changed cost of living has increased but atleast give us the same quality you gave us when we paid less. I know this is simple economics and a supply and demand rule but how much money do you need? Just give us good quality products especially if you consider your shoes as the best in the world. Bentley has the world best luxary vehicle and the will never skimp on the craftsmanship put into each and every car produced off their line same for any other car company that considers themselves as a top of the line company. Shoot any company that consider’s themselves a top of the line anything should skimp on the quality and most won’t it’s just fair

    1. agree 100%, times have changed, and w/ that comes the price increase, unfortunately you’re correct that we pay more for the cheap material.

  8. Someone above mentioned it, its the quaity that needs to change. I could care less about the blue tint, I think it looks good, nike is not just using this feature on Jordan retro’s, its being used on the foamposites as well. Back to quality, the quality of the all of the new retro XI’s is terrible. Since the BRED’s in CDP back in 08, to the Space Jams and Cool Greys…I dont know what they changed, but all of the older model XI retros were made much better. The new XI’s all seem to run incredibly small, and the materials they are made with are stiff as hell, the older XI’s hold their shape much better and are made with much softer materials. In my opinion, if nike/JB is going to ask us to pay more, they can at least step up the game with materials.

    1. 11s run small, 7s, 5’s, & 6’s run big. The change of station could be the problem. Taiwan 2 China, check OGs, now check retros. if you remember awhile back, if ya shoes were from china dey were either fakes or variants. that is no longer the case. My bordeaux’s(the 1s i really paid attention 2, said MADE IN CHINA. crazy i kno. but somebody has 2 suffer. & we still spending money on the shoes so, quality for quantity might may b in affect.

  9. Mike Ciccone I totally agree all 11s do run small and overall it is just a stiff uncomfortable shoe….Mike would have never been able to play in these retros

    1. I hate that too, when I first put my foot in the BREDs from the CDP I was so disappointed. I even bought them a half size up (12 instead of 11.5) and they were still small. They went straight on eBay. I bought the Space Jam’s and the Cool Grey’s in hopes they would have been cut differently, but no dice. I’m going to have to buy the concords in a 13! And the stiffness is even worse, I don’t know if they made them that way to avoid creasing of the patent leather or what, but it sucks…patent leather is tight already, they didnt need to make it worse! And I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but look at the old retro XI’s compared to the new ones, JB uses A LOT less patent leather, the mudguard patent is trimmed down significantly.

  10. The 1st picture with the dark blue tint angered me because, not even foams had a tint that dark. But when i saw the official pics i quickly changed my opinion. You are right, advancements & additions to help protect shoes are a plus. But as with the 2.0’s & future 8.0s, that is too far 4 me.

  11. IM GOOD WITH ENHANCEMENTS. THE BLUE TINT DOESNT BOTHER ME CAUSE EVENTUALLY THE TINT WILL FADE THEN TURN YELLOW. WHAT I HATE IS COLOR CHANGES OR MATERIAL CHANGE. THERES NO “ENHANCEMENT” IN THAT. THEY USE CHEAPER, LESS ATTRACTIVE MATERIALS AND CHANGE ENTIRE COLORWAYS SOMETIMES. THATS WHAT I HATE. NIKE/JB CAM SAY THEY WANNA PRESERVE THE OG’S BUT THATS ONLY PART OF IT. SOMETIMES THEY DONT WANNA SPEND A LIL MORE $$ TO GIVE US WHAT WE WANT CAUSE THEY KNOW IT’LL SELL OUT EITHER WAY.

  12. If u really research & check out pics of MJ sporting the concords in 95-96 season, THEY HAVE A BLUE TINT! So the only change really is the reverse jumpman *shrugs shoulders* I’m just saying… Some ppl aint never satisfied SMFH

  13. This is basically to change the thoughts for the people that think this change is bad. Now im not saying it is good or bad its all just personal preference. Just from what im saying is that i wouldnt mind this because yeah theyre right change is good and if you werent happy just go buy the OG’s. Its bad when the price goes up and quality goes down. Ive seen the latest and newest jays come out and they are shit. General release and also bad quality. If change were to happen make the change better than previous or at least equal. Thats not the case though. They say blue soles make the yellow process slow down but really its going to turn yellow eventually so might a well do just clear ice bottoms. No one is really going to count how long it takes for it to yellow and im pretty sure when you wear it and gets dirty it’ll just help it get yellow. When it turns yellow then what yall gonna do? Just take care of them.

  14. peeps are going to complain no matter what. as what others said the originals had a slight blue tint back in 95/96. they were not clear. as long as the jumpman is stitched. patent is shiny i am cool with theis release. reverse jumpman is what it is….i get it but the only ish i did not like about the dmp was the non stiched jumpman…problem solved for me..must cop!!! i like the shoe…period…copped 2X