Old Love New Love

I started collecting deadstock (never worn) sneakers around 2005 when I first became aware of the Air Jordan XX.  I was reading a magazine when I came upon a Michael Jordan ad featuring his latest Air Jordan’s.  I hadn’t been interested in Air Jordans since the XI’s, so I had assumed that the line had died off after he retired the second time.  This magazine ad peaked my curiosity because it brought back childhood memories of sneakers as a kid.  Back in those days, I remember Air Jordans and Nike being so amazing and yet I took them for granted and never assumed that as an adult I would want to own them again.  I would simply get a new pair of sneakers and dirty them up as soon as possible.  I guess that’s why they’re so sentimental to me now, because I actually enjoyed them until they fell off my feet.

Fast-forward to 2005, and I went to the sneaker store to buy myself my first pair of Air Jordan’s.  Unfortunately they didn’t have my size so I had to go online (which was my first time looking for shoes on the internet), and try to find a pair.  To my surprise I came upon a vast collection of websites dedicated to sneakers and Air Jordans.  Over the next several weeks I dedicated myself to learning all about the sneakers I had missed out on since the Air Jordan XI’s.  What excited me the most through my research was when I found out that Jordan Brand and Nike would retro sneakers from the past.  These were sneakers I had always wanted, sneakers I had owned, and sneakers I had never known existed.  Truth be told until that time the only Air Jordans I had ever known about were the III’s-XI’s.

Knowledge is power; is an excellent quote to remember when entering a new hobby.  All I knew at that point was that I wanted to buy all the Air Jordans that were retroed.  Lamentably around that same time period, the DMP packaged released and I didn’t even know about it.  I felt terrible after because I had loved both those shoes in that package and was even willing to pay $500 to get them (luckily I didn’t).  I did however promise myself that the next package that Jordan Brand would release I would buy.  That package was the Old Love New Love package, a.k.a. OLNL pack, and Beginning Moments Pack, BMP pack.  They were going to be my first Air Jordan I’s and my first package.  I assumed that the package gimmick would only be used once in a while and the shoes would be well made.  Oh how little did I know.

My thoughts on the package are that I pretty much hated it from the beginning.  They’re not the same height as the original black toes, they don’t come with a Nike Air logo and instead have a Jumpman logo, they crease easily (after one wear), and the leather isn’t as thick as the originals.  While I do recognize that Jordan Brand wanted to release a package that was different from other releases, I also felt cheated because I had to settle for the only sneaker that came close to the original Air Jordan 1’s at that time.  It’s not so much that the sneakers are terrible, but it’s that I wanted to own a pair close to the OG’s and any substitute would not satisfy.  The positive aspects of the shoes are that the insoles have been upgraded and are comfortable, the shoe paper is lasered (similar to the CDP’s), and the shoe box was nicely designed.  (Speaking of the shoe box, I am also providing a picture of the box with Jordan’s back beside a photograph of him wearing the #45.  This has always made me assume that the picture on the box must have been photoshopped.)  Over all the shoes are great, but I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone who wants a retro similar to the 1985 black toe 1’s.

Jordan Brand:

www.jumpman23.com