Zack Schlemmer's Favorite Air Jordan

Today Zack talks about his favorite Air Jordan model ever, the Air Jordan 1.

words // Zack Schlemmer

above image via The Shot

Picking a favorite Air Jordan model is not an easy task. There are so many things I like about particular models and each design’s place in history that make it a very hard decision to try narrowing it down to only one that I can declare my favorite. From one day to the next I may go back and forth between thinking the Air Jordan V or VI is my favorite...or wait, maybe the VII is my favorite this week…but then again the IV is amazing...

I'm sure many of you can relate to this constant personal debate of the best Air Jordan model. But when it comes down to it—if there was a gun to my head and I had to pick only one Air Jordan model as my favorite—I’d have to go with the shoe that started it all, the Air Jordan 1.

When I say started it all, I don’t mean “it” as only the Air Jordan line, but the entire sneaker craze in general—which eventually leads to the reason you're on a site called Sole Collector and I have a job where I get paid to do things like write about my favorite Air Jordan model. Of course, in certain areas of the world, especially New York City, there were sneaker collectors and connoisseurs years before the Air Jordan 1 released, but it wasn’t until that first Air Jordan that people everywhere really began to take notice of sneakers, and the movement began.

Other than the fact that my job even exists is probably thanks to the Air Jordan 1, I have no great personal story or nostalgic attachment to the shoe. I just love the clean and classic design, and the rich history and lore behind them—from Michael wearing them on court when they looked like no other shoe seen before, to becoming a sale rack special that ended up on the feet of skateboarders, to the various retros of the OG colorways that now sell out instantly. It just doesn’t get any better than the Air Jordan 1. In my opinion, there will never be a more important sneaker.

Just please don’t make me pick a favorite colorway…