It’s a big year for the Air Jordan 1. The most famous sneaker silhouette of all time turns 40 this year—not quite old enough for an AARP membership card, but certainly a milestone most silhouettes on shelves can’t claim.
For four decades, it’s been the gold standard of sneaker culture, the shoe by which all others are measured. It attracts premier collaborators and has one of the most storied on-court histories of any basketball sneaker ever. This is the origin point of Air, of Mike, of signature sneakers as we know them today. And it hasn’t aged a day–you lace up a pair of 1s, you’re still golden.
“To me, the Air Jordan 1 represents more than just a shoe,” former Nike CEO Mark Parker told GQ in 2022. “It ignited the concept of letting an athlete’s personality shine through a product. Michael and our designers proved that footwear could be more than functional, it could be an expression of the person.”
With 40 years of colorways, collaborators, and PEs to comb through, it’s a great moment to look back on the best of the best. These are the best Air Jordan 1 colorways of all time.
16. Air Jordan 1 High ‘University Blue’
These days, the brand has dropped Air Jordan 1s in just about every conceivable color. It takes a lot for a simple colorway like this one to stand out, but the soft baby blue of Michael Jordan’s alma mater leaves a strong impression. In the very specific category of non-OG/collaboration colorways, this is among the best.
15. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Georgetown’
Something about the Hoyas’ navy and gray colors bring out the best in most any sneaker silhouette. The Jordan 1 is no exception—this colorway, released in 2023 to commemorate MJ’s famed game winner against the school in the 1982 NCAA Championship, is a standout of the remastered ’85 collection, now an annual tradition.
14. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Not for Resale’
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Despite the fairly straightforward (and mad clever) branding on this pair—released in 2018, a banner year for the silhouette—it remains a hot-ticket item on resale platforms. Sometimes telling people not to do something just makes the prospect of doing it all the more enticing, I guess. Lace up a pair, don’t post them on the ’gram, and then take them outside and touch grass.
13. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Origin Story’
A play on one of the most iconic Jordan colorways of all time, these sneakers were worn on the big screen by Miles Morales in the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. The Air Jordan 1 ‘Origin Story’ speckles the ‘Chicago’ colorway with subtle comic book coloring dots and adds a translucent blue sole.
12. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Royal’
One of the OGs of the Jordan line, the Royal 1 is simple, classic, and impossible to argue with. It might not get the love the Breds and Chicagos do, but make no mistake: This is a sneaker history landmark and deserves to be commended as such.
11. Air Jordan 1 High ‘CO.JP Neutral Grey’
Japanese sneaker culture is a different wave, even moreso back in the days before the internet made regional exclusives easier to cop worldwide. These silvery kicks originally dropped in Japan in 2001 and were nearly impossible to find in the States for nearly two decades. The shoes were eventually re-released globally in 2020, but they remain a beloved reminder for many of a collecting era gone by.
10. Colette x Air Jordan 1 High
We’ve tried to keep the ‘Friends & Family’ exclusive colorways that never saw public release out of this lineup, but French boutique Colette’s exclusive Air Jordan 1 deserves a quick shout here. Released in 2017 to celebrate the shop as it closed its doors, the details on the soles—’Bonjour’ on the bottom of one shoe, ‘Au Revoir’ on the other—on their own earn it a place on this list.
9. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Shattered Backboard’
If we’re keeping it a buck here, these are on here more for the legend than the aesthetic. Orange is a tough color to style and these aren’t exactly the most evergreen of Jordans. Still, produced to commemorate MJ’s dunk that shattered a backboard at an exhibition game, they’ve got one of the great stories in all of Jordan lore.
8. Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 High ‘LA to Chicago’
Jordans have always had a place in skate culture and this colorway was designed to celebrate that. The Lakers-inspired surface wears away with age to reveal the OG Chicago colors—all the more incentive to get them out of the box and shred.
7. Dior x Air Jordan 1 High
Do these shoes live up to the hype they inspired upon release? Not exactly—but then again, nothing could. The brainchild of designer Kim Jones—who also masterminded the legendary Louis Vuitton x Supreme collaboration—the Dior 1s set the sneaker world ablaze with their limited release and hefty price tag, instantly making them one of the biggest flexes of the decade. Lace up a pair of these and you’re in the company of giants like LeBron.
6. Fragment Design x Air Jordan 1 High
When Hiroshi Fujiwara designs an Air Jordan, the world pays attention. Case in point: his 2014 Jordan 1, a simple pared-down take in black, white, and royal blue. Less is more, detail is everything. Take note from the master.
5. Union x Air Jordan 1 High ‘Black Toe’
Like we said, 2018 was a big year for the Air Jordan 1, but these were easily the headline. The collaboration between Jordan Brand and LA-based boutique Union remixed original Jordan colorways to great acclaim, locking in Union as one of the sneaker world’s premier collaborators. The sequel dropped in 2025 and carried on the legacy with style.
4. Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High ‘Chicago’
The crowning achievement of Virgil Abloh’s legendary The Ten, this deconstructed take on the Air Jordan 1 ‘Chicago’ is one of the most coveted shoes of the century. It utilizes Abloh’s aesthetic to great effect, telling a thoughtful story without sacrificing aesthetic appeal. These days, thanks to astronomical resale prices, they’re the sort of shoe most heads can only dream of lacing up.
3. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Chicago’
Speaking of, you gotta give love to the OG. The NBA-dress-code-friendly version of the Jordan 1 is an all-time classic, a perfect sneaker in a perfect colorway that every sneakerhead should wear at least once. Any time these make their return—most recently in 2022—they’re an instant sellout, and rightfully so.
2. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 High ‘Mocha’
The mocha brown suede is the real stroke of genius with Cactus Jack’s Air Jordan 1, but the masterful move of the flipped Swoosh cannot be understated. This is a hard shoe to put such a recognizable stamp on, but Scott pulled it off with ease.
1. Air Jordan 1 High ‘Bred’
Come on. We’re not getting cute with it. This is the one. This is the origin point of the Air Jordan line, of sneaker culture as we know it today, of legacy and lore and everything in between. The One True Jordan. The GOAT. There aren’t enough accolades, so we’ll leave it here: this is the most important sneaker of all time. Of course we’re putting it at number one.