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Can it be that we haven't covered the Air Jordan Alpha 1 on these pages yet, despite its launch earlier in the year? That was a Bozo move on our part. We're big fans of this update to a sacred cow. We've seen player samples of early Jordan chapters like III and IV on contemporary NBA courts in line with recent retros, but Jordan 1s on the court? Less so. These were introduced to us during play, via our eagle-eyed blog buddies in the States, and they seemed built to accomodate colours beyond the core AJ1 palette—Knicks colours for instance.

When they hit iD we lost our minds for a second until we became aware of the limitations in the customisable offerings. You could make a Michigan team coloured version that created some alternative universe where MJ wore a teched-out version of his debut signature shoe and had a different alma mater. Then we noticed that Jordan Brand had put that colourway into the production schedule.

But wait, this site was built on shifting vintage pairs the original Jordans—the ones with the invincible leather upper and refusal to die, even decades on - why would we champion a redux of the Jordan 1 like the Air Jordan Alpha 1? Because it's a good looking shoe, and because there's been cuts to mids, shape changes and Phat alterations to the source material. To go back to the drawing board and contemporise the (admittedly timeless) design feels a great deal more honest. All matters of accurate 1:1 detailing are thrown asunder. The leather and nubuck, no-sewn, scope for contrast on that Phylon midsole, extra mesh around the collar, bonus levels of flex and Zoom Air, visible through the outsole. This is a Jordan Brand piece keen to perform, rather than scowl from the shelves of a Dr. Jays branch.

Chocolate brown and black is a basic palette, but it hits hard here. Good with denim, good with shorts and an all-year-round affair, the black panel on the sole works as well. We've had no shortage of makeups (Who knows? Maybe we'll get some in the Crooked Tongues store sometime soon) so far, but the hits have substantially outweighed the misses. These are on sale soon, presumably in spots like House of Hoops. One of the year's best.

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