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It’s been a banner year for Jordan Brand, which is nearing the conclusion of its 30th Anniversary celebration. To mark the occasion, the brand moved forward with several special initiatives, including remastered product, celebratory events, rekindled partnerships and archive releases. Whether or not these actions helped the anniversary lived up to its billing is up for debate, and to sort that out, we rounded up a panel of some of the top OG Air Jordan collectors for their feedback.
First, our roundtable discusses the Air Jordan Remastered Program. Originally announced last summer, the program was an effort to make retro Jordans as close to the originals as possible - a response from the brand to longtime customer demand. The idea was to improve the material quality, restore molds and bring back the details that made these shoes so beloved in the 80s and 90s. But was Jordan Brand deliver? The panel debates our first question: Has Jordan Brand delivered with their remastered approach?
Jermaine Tolentino aka Phase 2: I believe that Jordan Brand has put out great products this year with their remastered approach. Customers have asked for higher quality retros for over a decade now, and it's almost like our prayers have been answered. One thing that I have to call out is how the initial direction was to bring back older molds and materials for these Retros, but the majority of the colorways that released were either 
older Retro+ editions or brand new colorways. If one of the original goals was to bring back a vintage, high-end feel to the footwear, original colorways should've been priority in my opinion (along with a few Retro+ colorways thrown in as a bonus). I understand that storytelling is key, but since this was the initial launch year for the entire remastered line, it would've been nice if they came out with more of an original colorway set.
Mark Bostic aka JumpmanBostic: Not in my opinion. The quality of the materials are still subpar, and the craftsmanship is really lacking and below standards. The prices go up and quality continues to get worse. I don't see the newer, better materials or the extra measures of attention to the finest details while creating the remastered sneakers. I really liked the Legend Blue 4, Oreo 4, White Metallic 5 and the Laney 5 as far as the look and quality. The "CHI CITY" XX3s were amazing but not really liked because there not Jordan 1-13 or even certain 14s. Great materials and craftsmanship on those in my opinion.
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Rolo Tanedo Jr. aka dunksrnice: I always felt that when Jordan Brand retroed the original colorways or popular Air Jordan models, I was always fine with it. It was something to just appreciate. When the direction came to remaster Air Jordans, I was pleased. Many collectors like myself would complain how the company would lack materials, shape, colorways, price, etc. I would say, for the most part, they have delivered to my expectations — can't complain.
Marvin Barias aka mjo23dan: I feel as though this has been hit or miss. Throughout the year, Jordan Brand hasn't exactly detailed which sneakers were receiving the remastered treatment. They decided to increase the price on everything. We've seen retros go for the $190 price tag, but quality on some pairs has not been up to par. If anything, craftsmanship on pairs has been better (despite a few factory errors) but other than that, I'd say I've been okay with most of the product released this year, despite the price hike.
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Eric Hsieh aka ahliang119: Jordan Brand has definitely delivered the message worldwide with their remastered program news by advertising possibly on every online sneaker sites, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so on. Everybody got so hyped up when they found out the Jordan Brand remastered program was actually happening, because it was like a dream come true for everybody that wanted to own a piece of OG history, or even to be part of Jordan era. As for me, I would love to have some original Jordan colorways that I wasn’t able to acquire when I was young back in the day.
Steve Jaconetta aka ajordanxi: I personally feel like they have. Sure, it's not going to be the same quality as it was 10+ years ago, but they approached the situation the correct way. The recently released "Aqua" Air Jordan 8 Retro looks great, so I have nothing to complain about.
Ace Cervantes aka acervan316: I personally think the remastered program is a huge success. I’ve been a sneaker collector for the past 15 years, and with Jordan Brand turning 30 this year, I’ve witnessed the changes of our sneaker hobby, or “culture,” if you will. I have been through the good and the bad, and made my opinion known through social media. I remember posts and discussions on NT/ISS. “Give us more original colors JB!” “Give us Nike Air branding JB!” “Give us original boxes JB!” I feel that if you went through is era, this is where some of the most passionate sneaker collectors were created. Now almost a decade later, JB is giving the people what we begged for. Almost so much that there is nothing left saved in the vault.
