Sneakerliv - Sneakerlife - .

Every year thousands of sneakers are sold in Sweden. Most people buys one, two, three pairs. Wears them out. Throw them away. And buy new ones. For them sneakers are just a good looking and comfortable shoe. Then there are those who buys a lot more. One to four pairs. Maybe more. Per month. Some have only 40 pairs. Others more than 100. And some have lost count. For them sneakers are much more than just a shoe. When I was 12 or 13 my brother came home with a pair of AJ5. I think it was 1990. And since then I am hooked on Nike and Air Jordans. My real collection began in 2004 I have been collecting mostly Air Jordan´s and Nike´s. And today I have upwards of 100 pairs. I think. If not more. I have lost count. I always buy two pairs of the models MJ played in. One pair to wear and one pair to save. And it is more or less only the original models. I have already started to buy sneakers to my 4 months old son. Usually all children at the maternity ward gets teddy bears and stuff. I gave him a pair of sneakers instead. So that's where it starts I guess. And maybe he will be interested in it when he gets older. Instead of getting into trouble he gets an interest in Nike and Air Jordans. And perhaps start playing basketball too. Who knows? I'll just have to live to see. But that is my goal. When I go on vacation I usually check if there are some decent sneakerstores that I can visit and see if I can find something that does not exist in Sweden. That nobody else has. And it's always fun to have been at a store. Especially if it is a famous one. In Barcelona, they have a few. And New York has numerous. I've been to Japan where I visited some famous sneakerstores. And found some rarities. Taking out a new pair of sneakers from the box and feeling that new shoe smell. It feels luxurious to wear a new pair of fresh sneakers. Especially in the summer with shorts. For me it is like driving a Ferrari. People do not look at one. They look down instead. And that feels good. This is my favorite model. The Air Jordan 5. It came out in 1990 and it was the first Air Jordan that was released in Sweden. Tinker Hatfield designed these. He has also designed and designs a lot for Nike. It´s design is influenced by an airplane that the US military had. It can be seen on the shark teeth here. As they were on the aircraft. For me it is a luxurious model. It is nice with a reflective tongue and a transparent sole. That unfortunately yellows. But what can you do? That's life. When I was 12 years old I started taking an interest in hip hop. And with it came the interest for streetwear and with that the interest in sneakers. I bought my first pair when I was 13. I think. It was a pair of Nike Cortez with a turquoise swoosh. And I really wore them with a passion and had to throw them away when they broke down. The next pair I bought was when I was 14 and it was a pair of Air Force 1. And since then I have always had a pair as beaters. For they are the best base in one's wardrobe. A pair of whites looks great with anything and everything. And I used them for quite a while until my boyfriend started collecting. Then I also wanted to have a lot of nice shoes. I would say that I started collecting when I was 18-19. Then I bought shoes because I thought they were beautiful. And I wanted a shoe closet that matched my wardrobe. And it's probably the main reason why I buy shoes nowadays. I like to match and I´m interested in clothes and to look good. And the shoe is part of one's outfit. During 2009 I lived in a really small apartment. I had an extra job and I had alot of money to spend. So during that year I probably bought half my collection. And ever since then... It goes in periods. If I am abroad I might buy more because there are special shoes there which I can´t get at home. But I buy about a pair every month. And sometimes it feels like you want to care about the environment and not buy as much. But at the same time I do less of other things. Not flying as much or drive cars. Or buy a lot of clothes. Because I want to continue to buy shoes. I would say that my interest for sneakers expresses itself in many different ways. If I know of special stores I plan trips there. And when I go abroad I make sure to research carefully. What sneakestores are there? And how do I get to them the easiest way? When a new model is released and there is a release party for it. I go to that. I keep track of what's released and I talk a lot about sneakers with my friends. Even with those who are not interested. And with that my boyfriend also collects sneakers we might get very geeky. We can lie in bed at night and read blogs on our iPad´s and long for new releases. I think that´s it. It is not easy to explain. There's just something inside me that lights up when I see a really beautiful shoe. But also greed. That you want something that you think is nice. But also to complete my collection now that I can actually say that I have a collection. And that I and collect. Maybe that is the driving force to buy new shoes. To constantly complete my collection and get the ultimate collection. To have all the different colors in different tones and different models. I think there is a sneaker for all occasions. It does not matter whether it is a wedding or funeral or just everyday. I've had sneakers at all occasions. This is my favorite model. The Nike Air Max 1. The model was released in 1987 and it is designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield. It is the first shoe with a visible air bubble. And it paved the way for numerous Air Max models. So this is the origin of the Air Max series. For me it's almost iconic. And it is the perfect sneaker. For it is slim and it is elegant and exists in so many different colors. And it's not too much shoe. It´s the perfect sneaker. It started when I was 14. And this particular model, Reeboks Omni Lite's. Was the first shoe I bought with my own money. I had saved my monthly allowances. And I and a classmate and his father went to Skärholmens Galleria and Stadium. I ran around for a while. Looking. And it was these that I fell for. I had just over 2000skr and burned almost everything. They cost more or less 2000skr. And this was in 1991. And well... My parents were not too happy when I got home and they realized that I had spent all my money on a single pair of shoes. But... It was those shoes that really opened my eyes to sneakers. And since then it has just kept going. It was 4 or 5 years ago that I really started buying sneakers. And I got a greater awareness of sneakers and the whole culture in itself. And I began to read sneakerblogs. roam the internet, Youtube. And whatever it is called. To... To satisfy my interest. And just being able to see what is available and based on that. Purchase more or less everything I like. One of the first shoes I bought was a pair of Air Jordan 3. And a bunch of Air Force 1´s that I sought out. I bought shoes from the US. That were not the common shoes that were available at Sneakersnstuff and Caliroots, etc. I wanted shoes that had either been released some time ago. Which I had missed out on because back then the interest was not there. And to... To have shoes that perhaps not many had back then. And since then, it has kept going. And it´s more and more shoes every month. I try to buy at least 1 or 2 pairs every month. But some months it might be 3 -- 4 pairs. Others 5 pairs. For many it´s an interest that is hard to grasp. But for me sneakers is almost like a drug. Given that I every night spend at least 1-2 hours on the internet. I read sneakerblogs. I look for sneakersites. eBay. Youtube. Reviews. Everything just to find shoes that are about to be released. Shoes that have been released. Maybe some retro model. Or an original for several 100usd on eBay. Just to satisfy my interest. It may sound crazy to many. And the majority of my friends do not get it. But I have some friends that are as crazy about sneakers as me. And it is perhaps the best hobby I´ve had. You collect something. You collect something you really like. Why sneakers? While not always had it so well financially. Still being able to get noticed. It costs money, and in fact, most sneakers are pretty expensive. And this model that I bought for 2000skr when I was 14 years old. It became a sort of status symbol. "Oh damn! Those sneakers are hot!" And you stood out. And were perhaps the only one to have them. I think that's part of the reason. At least for me. To have something that maybe not anyone else has. To be able to put on a pair that I´m pretty sure. No one else is wearing. Even if it´s a shoe that came out a couple of years ago. And you can take them out of the box and they are fresh. And you stand out and people looks at you. You are noticed. That is perhaps what has meant the most to me. Being able to just have. And perhaps also because when I was younger I had no opportunity to have the shoes. And now I have the money to buy them. And a lot of them. So this is a rerelease of the Reebok Pump Omni Lite's. Based on the 1991 edition. Original colorway. Pump ball on the tongue. Release valve. Black. White details. Orange sole. It is an exceptionally comfortable shoe. And it's really nice to have them again after so many years. I jumped on them right away when they came to Sneakersnstuff, Stockholm. It was released in 1991 pairs. One thousand nine hundred ninety-one. Lets see. This is pair no 797. Back in 1991, I used them until they nearly fell apart. Nowadays, I´m a little more careful. I don´t think I have used these too many times. It's a hell of a fresh sneaker. And I'm mighty glad I have them again. It was no single incident that started my interest. I moved from Vasteras to Stockholm about 6 years ago. I discovered a variety I had not seen before. Where I come from it was only those sporting goods chains to choose from. And they have no nice stuff. So... I started looking at sales. Bought some shoes cheap. Some of them were a bit too impulsive purchases. So I put them online and earned a few 100 sek. And so I began to do that more and more. I thought "that's good" because I only worked part time. I wanted to make some extra money. So I sold a lot of shoes that I bought cheap and earned a little. That way I could buy the shoes I really wanted. Shoes that was more expensive. And that's it. And since then it has become more and more. I work fulltime now. So I do not do that as much anymore. But it happens. It is still there. Looking for shoes on sale. Because it´s an expensive hobby. It´s an expensive interest. So that's the way it is. In the evenings, I go on the internet. I begin to look at sneakerblogs like High Snobiety or similar. Checking out new releases. I go to forums too see what others say about them. If there is more information about them. And well.. You end up spending the whole evening online. And yes, my girlfriend does not like it so much. Especially if I promised to watch a movie with her. And it drags out all night until it's time to go to sleep. And yes, it is the same thing in town really. You spend too much time looking at sneakers and other stuff. And trying to find shoes that does not really exist. That you dream about. And I visit second hand stores hoping to find old vintage shoes. But I never do. They just have crap really. You have to have a lot of luck. And my girlfriend is forced to tag along. That's how lucky she is. But that's life. This is Saucony Shadow 6000. First released in 1991. And has been retroed a few times. These are from a collaboration with Bodega. A store in Boston. Their elite line that was meant only for Japan. But has now been released at a few selected stores around the world. The brand is actually one of the oldest. Established in 1898. And got the name from a creek in Pennsylvania called Saucony. The logo symbolizes the creek and the three boulders that are in it. Quite nice. They started to make running shoes in the 70s. And got noticed and mentioned in a magazine. In Europe, it is still relatively unknown. And in the U.S. I would say is a bit downgraded. It´s like how we look at Lejon. B-graded. But I think that they are really nice. And what´s even better is that being Swedish you are pretty alone to have them. Nike and other brands. You will see people wearing them all the time But with Saucony, you feel quite unique. I like that. Why sneakers? Well... You can do so much with sneakers. There are thousands of different models. You can "play around" with them a bit more than you can with other garments. They can have wild patterns and it still looks okay. Mostly. But with shirts or pants you can´t do that. It gets sort of clownish. Sneakers don´t get clownish. As long as your name is not Jeremy Scott. You got possibilites. Much more possibilities. And you do not get tired of it as new shoes drop all the time. But with shirts... 200 shirts. You will get tired of shirts. Sneakers, you don´t get tired of them. And that's that. I became interested in sneakers in the autumn of 2004. Back then I had a friend who was very interested in sneakers. I didn´t really get it in the beginning. And until then I had mostly used Vans and skate shoes. So I was not completely a stranger to have several shoes of the same brand and different models. But buying limited edition sneakers. It was strange to me. I did not understand the concept. It just happened that on New Year´s eve 2004-2005 I fell and broke my foot. So I had to spend a few months at home. And that meant that I had a lot of time to sit in front of the computer and check out sneakers. I began to take a few small steps out on eBay. Because I had learned that it was there that one can find sneakers that not everyone else have. Eventually I found a pair of Air Max 1. "Newspaper". At a price I could afford. I had learned how to check... that it is not a fake and how to avoid being scammed by sellers. And all said and done I sat up late one night just to follow the auction. And bid in the very last minute. The same day I was at the hospital and removed the plaster. The postman delivered the package with my AM1. And.. That was sort of the beginning of... The beginning of something completely new. I started to get really obsessed with sneakers. Especially the Air Jordan 1 to 5. Are the ones that I really really like. Then over the years my sneakercollection grew. And I got a greater passion for it. I have come in contact with people thru the internet that shares my passion. And that has resulted in me getting friends in America. Of whom I have benefited greatly. My interest in sneakers expresses itself in that I spend a lot of my spare time on the internet checking out what is new. And what old cool models have not yet been retroed. I read magazines like Sneakerfreaker. I think it's very important to keep up to date with everything happening in the world of sneakers. When I travel abroad, I think it is great fun to visit the local sneakerstores. Even though they have similar to what is found here. The variety is always much larger and there is always more stores. When I was in Chicago a couple of years ago. We went to a shopping mall where there were 7-8 sneakerstores. That is more stores than we have in the whole of Sweden. And it's fun to just walk around and marvel at how big the phenomenon actually is. Why sneakers? Well. Take for example the Jordan 3 in which Michael Jordan won the dunk challenge in. It has a story to tell. And the designer Tinker Hatfield who have been thinking about all the seams and all the details of the shoes so that they can be both stylish and functional. When you get a new pair of sneakers and you wear them for the first time and walk around the town in them. Although it is not the case. It feels like everyone is looking at you. You are someone who is wearing something that nobody else has. If I go out wearing a pair of Air Max 97. Which is a very special... one could say a futuristic model. If I go out on the town in a pair of golden AM 97. And especially since I live in a small town. People will look at me. It's a bit of this attention thing. "Wow! What is that? What's he wearing? ". Sneakers are in a way an expression of who you are. It may sound a bit silly. "Yeah right? So you mean that a multinational corporation determines who you are?". No, not really. It is more like you are looking for shoes that are an expression of who you are. So this is my favorite sneaker. The Air Jordan 3. It came out the first time 1987-88. Previously Tinker Hatfield had designed mostly running shoes and an element that he brought with him from the shoe Air Max 1 is the visible air bubble. Another new feature of the shoes was the so-called "Elephant print". That is this black and gray skin that is around the toe and heel. They work with everything. They look perfect with camouflage shorts. You can even have them when wearing a suit. I have a friend who got married in a pair of AJ3. So sleek and stylish is this shoe. It started when I was around 9. That's when I saw the first shoes I wanted. It was a pair of Nike Air Flight Turbulence. I was at camp and there was a guy there who had a white pair. And I was so in love with them that I just had to have them. So I nagged at mom all summer. But I did not get them. But eventually I got them anyway. From my dad, I think it was. And then when I got older... I bought quite regularly. It was the student financial aid and things like that that I bought shoes for. It started for real 3 years ago. When I was... 20. That's when I got my first permanent job. So I went shopping shoes for my whole salary. So it really was... It was a completely new world. Because then I could buy exactly what I wanted. And so I began to look more on the internet and order from the US. And from eBay and other sites. And then it just.. became more and more each day. Now it's almost a bit exaggerated. You feel.. that buying 5 pairs of shoes in a week may not be so good. But well ... It's an interest not only shoes. It is more than shoes. You have to do what you want to do or you will not be happy. And because I am interested in both shoes and art, I usually mix them. I make stickers and I'll do paintings sometimes And now I'm doing a project where I've taken a lot of beaters that I'll cut up and glue on a board. There might be 10 pairs on the board. And I do not know how much it will weigh. I hope it won´t break and fall down. I do not know how many people have bought shoes because of me. I met one of my best friends exactly one year ago. And when she had known me for maybe 4 months or 3 months She had bought 10 pairs. And I think that is great. That you can get more people interested because it is not that big in Sweden. The first thing I look at a person is the shoes. It says a lot about the person I think. Where they are in life and what kind of personality they have. Why sneakers? When you get a new pair of sneakers and then you smell them. And then you put them on and then you go out. There's nothing better in my opinion. There are those who collect electronics and have the latest mobile or the latest computer. For me, the best thing is sneakers. It's the only thing I spend money on. On me and my boyfriend's 3 year anniversary day. He was going to make a little surprise. So I met up with him after work. By the river here in Uppsala. And he has brought a bag and in it I see a shoebox. I looked at it and it was size 11. And that's his size. So I thought he had tricked me to believe that he had bought shoes for me. But then when I opened the box it was a pair of Dunk ID's for me. And I was thrilled. For it shows that he cares about my interest. I thought it was a really nice gift. And he had bought identical Dunk´s for himself. So we strolled around town in hot pink Dunk's with bright green laces And everyone looked at us. I thought it was beautiful. Bo Jackson was an American football and baseball player. He was very successful in both sports. So he got a number of different models. And this is my favorite model because I think that it has the best looking profile of all the sneakers that I've seen. I think that it is absolutely perfect in terms of profile. But unfortunately it is very difficult to find them in my size. So I have just one pair of E. No. SE. And I've been searching like crazy. You can find many low ones but I think the high one is the best looking. But it only exists in large sizes. My interest for sneakers started when I was very young. I think I was 10 years old. I was very interested in basketball and Michael Jordan in particular. I had his posters all over the walls. I bought alot of books and magazines. And I always watched NBA Action on TV3 on sundays. I also played basketball when I was young. So I really wanted a pair of Jordan´s to play in. But they were very expensive so I had to nag for quite a long time. When we were in Mallorca in 1993. After much nagging. I got my parents to buy me a pair of Jordan 8. "Aqua". I played basketball. I used them during my sparetime. I used them in school. I used them everywhere. I used them for so long that they of course got too small and my feet chafed and numbed. Then I realized that I had to toss them. I wish I still had them. But I don´t. Then as the years went by my interest in basketball lessened. You could say that it faded away. I became interested in music and other stuff. So the interest in sneaker subsided a little. But then it started again around... 2005. I was about 23 years old. I do not really know how it happened. But I started to buy some shoes. Air Max 90´s and Air Max BW´s. And I used them until they were worn out and just discarded them. So I was not really collecting. I just liked sneakers. And then.. In 2007 it took off for real. I was in Toronto visiting a friend. And sneakers was crazy cheap there. I bought 5-6 pairs. And that's when I started to collect and keep them clean and took care of them so they lasted longer. I also got interested in the history of the shoe. Not only that it looks good. I bought some colorways of the Air Max 90. Like "INFRA". And original colorways or very famous colorways. Then I also bought my first pair of Jordan´s in 2007-2008. I have them here somewhere. I bought them from guy who worked in a sneakerstore. It was the old love / new love package of the Air Jordan 1. I just wanted the pair with Chicago Bulls colorway. The other pair had AIK (a Swedish soccer club)-color. Yellow and black. I absolutely did not want them. And it was then that the interest in Jordan´s began to take off. Then the morbid fascination in sneakers just continued. Now I buy 1-2 pairs a month. And.. It will continue. As long as I have money to buy shoes. It will continue. I wear sneakers every day. And always plan what I'm going to wear so it matches. I'm very active on various forums such as nike talk and sole collector. Every day I post pictures of what I wear. Something that my girlfriend think is very uncool. But I do it anyway. The first thing I do when planning a trip abroad is to look up what sneakerstores the destination has. And what stores I can visit. In Paris there´s numerous sneakerstores in an area called La Chatelaine. I was at *** and several other stores that sold original Jordan´s from 1985 for several 100euros. And when we were in New York we visited most of the sneakerstores. In Brooklyn, there is a street called Fulton Street where it largely only are sneakerstores and clothing stores that have to do with the sneaker culture. We were in all those stores several times and checked out what they had. I bought some stuff there too. I think it's really hard to explain to someone what´s so special about sneakers. For me it´s firstly that they look good and the aesthetics. I've always been interested in drawing. I'm not an artist at all. But I like to draw and tattoos and stuff like that. Sneakers are an extension of that. They look good and they´re not just a pair of shoes. They have a history. And so it is with almost all the Jordan´s I buy. I buy the ones that mean something to me. For example.. The 5´s who were the first Jordan´s that became very popular here in Sweden. Or... The 12´s when he had a 40 degree centigrade fever (104 degrees F). And still dominated and won the game. For those of us who know. Every colorway is special. And even if you have 40 pairs of Jordan´s. They are all different. That's why sneakers. I have a collector personality. A addictive personality. I've always been that way. When I was little, I had my whole room full of Jordan posters and had only Chicago Bulls shirts and stuff. When I got a older I collected records. Hockey trading cards. Basketball trading cards. All that can be collected, I have gotten stuck to. It´s like that with sneakers too. When you buy one pair. You want to have more. This is the Air Jordan 1. My favorite sneaker. They were released in 1985. And the story behind them is that. Michael Jordan played college basketball in North Carolina. Where he dominated. He became drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA draft of 84. At the same time, he got sponsored by Nike. And this was the first Air Jordan model that was released. Peter Moore was the designer. Not Tinker (Hatfield) as many might think. Peter Moore also took part in the design of the Air Jordan 2. And this, the Chicago Bulls colorway. Was banned in the NBA. Because it violated their uniform rules. The shoes was not allowed to differ too much from the rest of the clothes. So he had to pay 5000usd in fines every time he played in them. And of course Nike realized that they could make damn good PR and advertising with it. So they encouraged Jordan to play in them as often as he could. So he got 5000usd in fines every game he played in them. And off course Nike paid the fines. They got a great return from the advertising. There are some classic commercials that can be seen on Youtube. Where the shoes are crossed over and it only says "Banned". And it meant that sales were a bit better. Generally, sales were pretty bad. It was not the success that many might think. They retailed for 65usd. And still went on sale in many places for 20usd. Now the original shoes from 1985 sell for several 100usd on eBay. This one is from the DMP pack. 2 pairs. With Chicago Bulls colorway and Boston Celtics colorway. It is because he made 63 points. In his second season. He played in them in his first and second season in the NBA. And in his second season, in the playoffs, he made 63 points against Boston Celtics. Back then Boston Celtics was the best team. Especially defensive. And also offensive. They had Larry Bird. So it was absolutely magical that he made 63 points in Boston Garden. It´s clearly a great shoe. I've played basketball since I was very a young. And the shoes are very important of part of it all. And we had a special team shoe. A Nike shoe. And since then I have had an interest in Dunks and other types of basketball shoes. Because I use them. I need them I exercise a lot and play a lot of basketball. And it's great if you can have a shoe that can be used for other purposes also. When you go out. "You want to look fresh". And then I've had a great interest in hip hop as well. I have worked with hip hop for many years. In Stockholm and... and also in Paris and in New York. I've freelanced and written about the hip hop culture. It is said that hip hop has four elements. And you could say that sneakers in a way is a fifth element. For they are a very big part of the culture. And they are a way to socialize. You meet at sneaker swap meets. You share a common interest. It is a way to express yourself artistically. It´s similar to the T-shirt art. "Wearable art" is what I call it. Being interested in art without having it on a wall. You can walk around with it. Wherever I travel, I always go to a sneakerstore. It´s... It is satisfying. I can´t really explain it. Looking at sneakers. Who in their shape are rather a monotonous. Have a different kind of expression. It´s... It's so disciplined. It´s disciplined art in a way. If you go to shows with urban art and the like it can be... It can be "all over the place". But with sneakers. You have this shape. I really like that it's a very disciplined art. And... I... I meet a lot of nice and interesting people when I visit sneakerstores abroad. It´s not that many girls that have the interest abroad. And that is evident in the sneakerstores. There are shoes from floor to ceiling for men and almost no shoes for women. There are very few models. While in Sweden it's completely different. It is almost 50/50 if you go to a good sneakerstore. What is kind of funny having an acquaintance that are interested in sneakers. Is that it is used as a kind of currency. I've been paid with sneakers. For jobs I have done I got a pair of sneakers You share a common understanding of the value of sneakers if you share a common interest in it. I have paid rent with a pair of sneakers. Not a whole months rent. I lent an apartment for a few days and paid with sneakers. What I've noticed on my travels around the world. Is that sneakers are a very loaded cultural entity. And have a very strong symbolic value. And as a woman, to have sneakers. Can be very complicated. One can really provoke people. Not here in Stockholm. But in Paris and in the US. Especially in Paris, where a woman is expected to have high heels or boots. If you have sneakers. People think that you are a b-girl. You are a special kind of woman. You cannot just be you. You are categorized. You are a b-girl. In Stockholm, you can be anyone. A graphic designer. For example. You can be anything. Sneakers are like any other shoe. It's just a shoe. But in Paris they strongly symbolize who you are. All the guys in France have sneakers. For them the symbolic value is not as strong. But for women... It´s very strong. It provokes a bit. New York is also a bit like that. It was a New Year´s Eve that I had decided to wear sneakers. Very nice sneakers. Very expensive sneakers. Probably more expensive than the high-heels my friend was going to wear. But she was extremely provoked and scolded me. "What are you thinking? You can´t be serious!" That was interesting that... It brings out so much emotion in people. It's just a pair of shoes. It´s my choice what I wear. I'm not trying to provoke anyone. It just happens. And when you are going out to clubs. Everyone has probably experienced that there are dress codes. And sneakers are not accepted. But what I´ve experienced is that guys wearing sneakers got in. But not girls. I´ve been at parties where the guys had sneakers. Finer sneakers then. Like Jordan´s. But I, with sneakers that are as expensive and that are shiny clean. Will not be let in because I'm a woman. And that´s an interesting thing. Things that you experience that the guys have no knowledge of. But otherwise I have been be very positively received everywhere. For my interest. So I have nothing to complain about. Why sneakers? It´s like any other art object. Why do you like it? It's hard to explain. But... I... Feel that... As I said earlier. It´s "wearable art". It's like having a painting on you. You feel more beautiful. The sneaker that I like the most is the Nike Dunk. It was produced for the first time in 1985 As a basketball shoe. It's a real basketball shoe. It came after the Air Jordan 1. And they removed the AIR part. So that it became lighter and closer to the ground. So it was easier to screen and block out. It´s designed for basketball. And originally they were in team colors. Various university teams had them. Hoyas were the first. And it said "Hoyas" here. They were called "Terminators". They were kind of a "brother" to the Dunk. Which is more common today. In 1998 they began to use new colors. And color combinations. These are no team colors. It´s design. Plain and simple.