From Virgil Abloh’s role as Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton to Matthew M. Williams taking the helm of Givenchy as Creative Director, streetwear culture has permeated the upper echelons of fashion. With that being said, Air Dior has become the latest project at the intersection of urban apparel and luxury retail.

The collaboration between Christian Dior and the Jordan Brand first surfaced on December 3rd, 2019 courtesy of Travis Scott, the venture’s lead model. Following similar marketing tactics as Virgil with the Off White x Jordan Ten, Dior’s Kim Jones chose a select few such as Robert Pattinson and David Beckham to debut the collection’s pieces—especially the Jordan 1’s—at multiple Dior shows.

After having been teased for months, both the high and low models of the Air Dior 1’s were finally up for grabs on June 25th through “an exclusive online experience”—or in simpler terms: a lottery—after unfortunate release delays due to COVID-19. In tribute of the 1s’ 1985 introduction to the world, 8,500 pairs of the highs were produced whereas the lows were much more limited with only 4,700 pairs in circulation. The coupling of streetwear and high fashion is evident with the Air Diors as the iconic Jordan 1 silhouette is built upon with Dior’s characteristic fine-calf leather and gray color scheme. The Nike Swoosh itself is filled with the classic Dior Oblique Jacquard print, emblematic of one of, if not the most, impressive collaborations of the decade. In addition, the renowned Jordan wings are remixed to read “Air Dior” and the soles of either shoes are laser-etched with “DIOR” in bold print.

Those of you lucky enough to participate in the lottery will be notified of the results on July 1st, and the few winners will be able to pick up their pair at one of four Dior flagship stores: Beverly Hills Rodeo, Miami Design District, New York Soho, or New York 57th Street. At these locations will also be the remaining pieces of this capsule collection, including cashmere sweaters, polo shirts, square silk scarves, and more; each piece in its own unique manner represents Jordan’s innovative style complemented with Dior’s Midas touch.

To those who intend to buy these shoes for resell price, they will run you a cool 10 to 20k! If your pockets can take a hit like that… respect.

By the way, thanks a ton for this dope grad gift Sasha!

Written by Vignesh Mannemela