HOLIDAY 2021 - Cool Grey 11

23 been getting pushed to the center too much.. did all or most of 01/OG's have the 23 closer to the top? I know that heel collar been kinda jacked for a while :lol:
 
The 2010s really don’t look too bad in that comparison pic except for the back end. The patent towards the front is about the same but the back is noticeably lower.
 
The more I’m reminded of the ‘01, the less I want the ‘21.

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Kinda want to give my Concords a wear… but they don’t really look good with any modern clothing. Maybe I should just sell them?

This speaks to me minus the tucked in tee. Still, I just don’t think 11s should be worn in 2021.

The Concord XI will always be an enduring classic. The XI can be worn in any era.

Why shouldn't they be worn in 2021? I wore my 2018 Concord XI with the 45 on the back to go with the red #45 Michael Jordan jersey on Sunday like it was the 1995 NBA Playoffs.
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That MJ picture reminded me that Nike really needs to release the Concord Lows again…When did they last release 2015?…It’s definitely time for some fresh pairs…

2014 to be specific. I remember because I was able to get my pair online on Champs on the Saturday morning they released thankfully.

Yeah, not to mention the fact those Concord lows SUCK. And Concords are pretty much my favorite Jordan, yet I still say that. The shape and cut is atrocious. I sold my pair that I only wore in the house maybe five times for a total of a few hours. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself to like them and that they looked good, I just couldn't do it.

I disagree. The Concord XI low are nice. I'm glad they released them almost 18 years after Michael Jordan wore his at that 1996 championship parade. It was cool that consumers had a chance to get them years later. As much as I hate the low patent leather cut on the XI from 2008 to 2015, I think I can tolerate them on low-tops because they're cut low overall by default.

I actually got compliments when I wore them in public despite them not being the more iconic mid-tops.

Yes, Mike essentially wore the 1 for two seasons. Of course he started out in the Air Ship, and then started wearing the 1s in November if I remember correctly, even though they didn’t release until the spring of ‘85. Take into account that the Air Jordan line was the first of its kind and a new shoe for every season may not have been the plan from jump.

Thanks so much for informing me! I admit I learned about Jordan wearing the Air Ship like either last year or this year. I always thought he wore the 1 from the moment he set foot on a NBA court since they had his name on them and he was marketed as Nike's marquee man when they signed him.

That makes sense it was a possibility that perhaps Nike wasn't planning on releasing a signature model on an annual basis for MJ. That's true that the Air Jordan was the first of its kind because they had Jordan's name on them as David Falk, Jordan's former agent, conveyed that time he was on The Herd. He elaborated that all NBA stars who preceded Jordan were signed to a specific company and just wore that company's shoes made for them with the brand's name but without their own name on them.

I really don't understand why people don't like the PL cut from 2009 to 2015.
SJ PL cut was really too much high.
IMO 2011 Concords were so beautiful with the number 23, and the pic with really remember me the 2011.
The photo with the cool grey in 2001 is also a low cut.
I have a pic from 95 with the SJ and cut was low.
I have the WL82, the PL cut was the same than the SJ and my pair is now in the box due to the toe box which is not at all comfortable.
The Concord 2018/bred 2019 are just perfect, but when i compare with my WL82, there is not a big big difference. Only the toe box is 10x times better.

All the XI from 2008 to 2015 looked so damn fake with that low patent leather cut as I've reiterated multiple times on here.

OG 11’s and first retro run 11’s PL cut was all over the place…Don’t let anybody tell you any differently…Here’s some pics for reference, using Concords being worn by Mike here just because it makes it easier to see…Some have high cuts and others are noticeably lower…

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Nike didn’t really put too much emphasis on it if we’re being honest…Whatever the PL cut the factory was using was what ended up in the shoes…The model was solid all the way through the DMP release and people stood a better than good chance at getting a pair with a higher cut…After that, when Nike hit that cost cutting / price hike phase in the late 2000’s is when things became an issue as they made a conscious effort to cut back on the PL usage, and overall material quality (This is when we got the barely there plastic PL that cracked rather than creased), to not only save money but gouge the consumer with regular price hikes :rolleyes …But that’s a whole different subject…

Also fun fact on the release schedule topic…Mike’s shoes always overlapped seasons all the way until the 95-96…He’d always debut the new model during the All Star Game every year and they’d start hitting stores around that same time…So he’d start every single season wearing the same model he ended the previous season wearing…

Nike shifted their approach after Mike retired the first time when they ~kind of correctly~ assumed that the public wouldn’t be so keen to buy MJ’s product after he’d retired…The 8’s released all the way through spring of 1993…They rushed Tinker and the production of the 9’s so they could get them to market while MJ was still kind of fresh in people’s minds…As such the 9 debuted and released in November of 1993…Making 1993 the first time that two signature Jordan shoes released in the same calendar year…

We all know how the story plays out from here…Poor sales of the 9’s and the first retro attempt in 1994 had Nike considering cutting the Jordan line all together…Tinker begged and fought to get one last sig to market which ended up being the “tribute” shoe in the 10’s…Lackluster overall because Nike gave Tinker next to no resources to get it done…They released November 1994 and for and for all intents and purpose were likely going to be the last signature Jordan sneaker Nike would release…Tinker, not ready to give up did work on his own for what would eventually become the Jordan 11…Mike returns, sales tick up, ECF’s come along and Mike grabs the wear test sample Concord 11’s to play in…Despite Tinker specifically asking him not to wear them since they hadn’t even been approved by his higher ups yet…Mike plays, gets fined, Tinker gets a sample black upper pair to Mike to finish out the series…The public by and large goes nuts for that pair of shoes…The ones Mike got in trouble for wearing…

Nike kicks production into overtime and the model goes from an un-approved sample in June 1995 , to being officially debuted by MJ in October to start the new season, and actually released to the public in November 1995…5 months from not even being approved to being released to the public…The shoe gets sold out almost everywhere, likely because Nike was only able to produce a smaller amount due to the short production window…The rest is history really…

So yeah my point is two fold…Mike’s sigs overlapping seasons was normal, and that Nike was so crunched under the demand for the original 11’s that they were cranking them out at record pace, thus causing the PL cuts to be all over the place…

Thanks so much for elaborating on the XI in 1995. I'm glad I read the whole thing. Thanks for the pictures as references too.

The differences with the patent leather cuts on Jordan's pairs weren't noticeable until you mentioned it.

Inconsistency with quality has always been logical with Nike since they love outsourcing to cut overhead and maximize profits, especially with retro models. 🙄

Thanks for the reminder about Jordan's signature models somewhat overlapping before 1995-96 now that I can vaguely recall. Now I remembered the VIII & IX released in the same 1993 calendar year. And I'll always hate the IX. I remember the first retro model was either the III or IV in 1994. The X were terrible to me.

The XI got me back into Jordans. I didn't know there were issues with the XI around the time Michael came back in 1995. I actually remembered the XI sitting in stores in 1995-96 despite them selling well. I even recall I saw the Columbia XI at Fox Hills Mall JCPenney. I remember I got the black/red XI in April 1996 weeks after they came out, so they didn't sell out immediately like that.

It's crazy how they revised the patent leather cut a little higher from 2016 to present, but at least it's an optically tolerable discrepancy. The lower patent leather cut from 2008 to 2015 was too much of a noticeable disparity in height differences, which made it understandably despised.
 
I disagree. The Concord XI low are nice. I'm glad they released them almost 18 years after Michael Jordan wore his at that 1996 championship parade. It was cool that consumers had a chance to get them years later. As much as I hate the low patent leather cut on the XI from 2008 to 2015, I think I can tolerate them on low-tops because they're cut low overall by default.
I actually got compliments when I wore them in public despite them not being the more iconic mid-tops.
Sorry dude, but no way. Those Concord lows were absolute trash, and then some. Same with the black/red lows from the same era (which I also sold along with my Concord lows two years ago in mint barely worn condition). Which makes sense, because ALL XIs from that era--mids and lows--were garbage. A complete sham of a retro run in terms of shape, cut, fit and comfort. And again, I say this as someone who wanted them (the Concord and black/red lows) for 20 years and who names the XI---and Concords specifically--as my favorite Jordan of all time. I felt a sense of relief the day I got rid of them and recovered my money. If I ever see those on someone's feet--and I do every blue moon--I laugh. Terrible and insulting product, truly.
 
Sorry dude, but no way. Those Concord lows were absolute trash, and then some. Same with the black/red lows from the same era (which I also sold along with my Concord lows two years ago in mint barely worn condition). Which makes sense, because ALL XIs from that era--mids and lows--were garbage. A complete sham of a retro run in terms of shape, cut, fit and comfort. And again, I say this as someone who wanted them (the Concord and black/red lows) for 20 years and who names the XI---and Concords specifically--as my favorite Jordan of all time. I felt a sense of relief the day I got rid of them and recovered my money. If I ever see those on someone's feet--and I do every blue moon--I laugh. Terrible and insulting product, truly.

At least I'm glad we can agree that the XI from 2008 to 2015 were terrible with quality, shape, cut, and optics.

It's too bad you were dissatisfied with the 2014 Concord XI low. I'm glad I still have them although I haven't worn them for quite some time now.

The only other XI low I have are the Georgetown low from 2015 and the 2018 Derek Jeter low.

They sucked lol.. the Columbia Lows came close to being what they were in 01. And when they added the red sock liner to the Playoff lows.. :stoneface: :sick::smh:

Yeah the red sockliner was a terrible choice lol.

I honestly didn't like another of the other XI low other than the Concord, Georgetown, and Jeter.

That's always the problem and a no-brainer with Jordan Brand saturating the market with unnecessary colorways with popular models.
 
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