- Sep 24, 2015
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Yeah, I still have mine, too (the white/blue/silver pair). They're from a totally different planet than those crap 2015 retros. The 2015s were like a poor facsimile of the OG design. In addition to the weird shape, the entire shoe was scaled down in size, even the outsole. Just a super-weird retro. I remember holding them next to my '03s--the difference was jarring.
The entire Fab Five (and Michigan team) did. It's impossible to overstate the impact the Fab Five had in terms of the look/style/culture of the game. A lot of what they brought out fashion-wise wasn't their invention, as it was already popular and normal in pickup games and on the street and in casual wear. But it was pretty much the first team with national exposure to really lean into it on the big-time stage. The extra-baggy shorts, the t-shirts rather than always wearing official warmup suits during pregame. And of course, the black socks. (It's always been funny to me that, as the story goes, I believe it was a friend of Ray Jackson or Jimmy King who actually came up with the idea, not any of the players. Where's that guy today? He deserves a billion dollars in black-socks royalties )
They were so (at the time) brash and outrageous to the stuffy mainstream, they became a rock band. They were like the college version of the Bulls on the road--everyone wanted to see them. And as a result, anything they rocked became instantly cool and credible. If those guys hadn't worn Flight Huaraches, I doubt the shoe would've done what it did at retail. And the following season when they rocked the black/white Air Force Max, well, that instantly made it a shoe we all wanted, too. To this day, I always want retros of that shoe for no other reason.
Same pair buddy. That white/blue/silver pair was beautiful!! Absolutely loved it. My pair (and my black/sagen blue pair) are still wearable surprisingly. No separation and no PU, so I think they are fine. I'll never get rid of them though. Too good looking.