"The 5"
Truthfully, I have no idea where the exact infatuation began with the Air Jordan 5. When I think back far enough, visions of The Fresh Prince and a laceless Metallics and Grapes come to mind. As i think deeper, Terminator 2 pops up as I replay the scene of the Kindergarten Cop pulling a young John Connor off of dirtbike onto a real bike. Further down the line, blog posts of icons like Hov and Ye wearing these grails in front of step and repeats is what really cemented me to this classic. Here are 5 reasons these are important to me, my creative process, and the cultural lexicon I create thru.
First and foremost I gotta shout out to my big brother Ranks. He’s the man responsible for my first pair years ago. Prior to that I probed Niketalk, Ebay, and Dunk exchanges for a clean pair but the gap in years prevented me from getting my hands on a clean pair.
That red jumpman contrasting the 3M tongue. …………..Yeah it looks that good. Under the right light it looks as if the red Jumpman is a billboard on 95 south you can see from miles away.
Shoe Specs. For some reason out of all the Jordans Ive had in my life (minus the Jordan 8) this pair had the cleanest specs. The mesh tabs on the side, the clear lacelocks, that 23 stitched into the side, it’s poetry.
Influence. Honestly I might stand alone in this feeling, but it was damn near a religion the way I browsed the internet in my high school drafting class looking at fashion blogs that housed pictures of Kanye and Jay-Z wearing classic pairs like these at the events that took place the night before. (It was here I adapted the short lived life of dressing like celebs, the ultimate collapse being…….because I was broke lol)
Accomplishments. Being 28, I’ve ran thru many soles of the Metallic 5, but more importantly what I’ve done in them has been more synonymous with me. I’ve faced adversity and overcome way more than my mind could conceive.
