The Jordan 1 released in 1985, in a high and a low. The high, of course, would become one of the best selling sneakers of all time. The low, however, never reached the same status, perhaps as MJ never wore them on court. That didn’t stop Jacques Bermon Webster II from bringing them back.
Sorry? Haven’t heard of him? How about La Flame… or Cactus Jack… or Travis Scott? With me now?
The multi-hyphenate rapper is not only at the top of his game when it comes to rapping, writing and producing… and aliases for that matter, he is also releasing hit sneaker after hit sneaker, with unparalleled consistency.
Your attention please
Collaborations with athletes have taken place for more than 100 years, but only in the last few decades are musical artists getting their share of the spotlight. And even more recently, a musician’s social media following can garner them more attention from brands than ever before.
Reaching mega fame with tracks like "Antidote," "Butterfly Effect," and "Sicko Mode", Scott struck a chord with a new generation of sneakerheads and now boasts an Instagram following of almost 50 million. He has collaborated with some of the most famous artists in hip hop such as Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and of course paired up with Kylie Jenner; that’s all bound to get you noticed. Unfortunately the hype also bringing him more attention than he wanted, specifically from his 2021 Astroworld concert where the concert ended with 8 dead and 25 injured, as the 50,000 strong crowd began to surge towards the stage, crushing many with its force.
Ups and downs
With a music career spanning 15 years, Scott has had his fair share of ups and downs, but his collaborations with brands like Dior, McDonald’s and Playstation hit the mark. Amidst these collaborations, we would also see his first Jordan 1 release in 2019. Peter Moore’s design had always been a favourite of Scott's, but in recent years, he’s been able to release them with his personal take. These weren't only a fan favourite, anyone who would get their hands on them were trying for multiple pairs. Something that quickly became the norm for Travis Scott releases.
His next drop with the brand, the ‘Travis Scott Jordan 1 Low Olive’ is said to be his last, and should see a release around the week of his 32nd birthday, in April 2023. Although releasing in women's sizing, it looks as though it may extend up to larger sizing too and comes with four sets of laces in black, olive, white and red to suit every fit. The big question is, who will fill his shoes? With each collaboration stronger than the last, we're left wondering who make take the reigns once he leaves the helm. Nike have their fair share of both athletes and artists signed to the brand already, will it be a current Nike affiliate, or someone new who takes the number one spot?
From early images of the "Olive", it does look to be bringing the quality materials. Plush suede for the olive swoosh, and black suede for quarter and toe box, and with a nice off-white leather to finish the shoe off. Cactus Jack branding is apparent too on one heel cup, and also on either side of the Nike logo on the tongues. For a Jordan 1, they do look super comfy.
He’s come a long way since his Helmut Lang collection, which launched six years ago. His first foray into designing with a shoe brand consisted of Nylon high and low shoes, in black and brown. Pretty simple stuff. He went from this to a range of sneakers for Jordan Brand and Nike that have been in high demand with each and every release.
His sneaker journey kicked off with the Trunner LX for Jordan Brand. And although not receiving a full public release, it would immediately grab everyone's attention. It was clear that he didn’t plan to simply choose a sneaker for its popularity, he had to love it himself. He wanted to be original, and that was certainly the case, as the shoe is decked out in straps, mesh and weaving. As for colouring; blue, green, peach, grey and off-white adorn the sneaker. Original indeed.
Cleared for landing
From one of the most obscure releases, to one of the most popular ever, he would take on the Air Force 1. To the untrained eye, it may have just looked like a white AF1. It wasn’t. The canvas upper added a ruggedness, the removable chrome swoosh a striking look, and the multicoloured 3M along the stitching something that may go unnoticed by most people who even own the sneaker. All work in harmony to bring us a fire yet understated sneaker.
He then made the Jordan 4 his own, with his 2018 release, in the colours of ex-NFL team the Houston Oilers. Although generally the shoe would look untouched, he added branding on the heel and 'Travis Scott' inside a single tongue. It was a winner, and one that resells for upwards of £1000. He would then create two more Jordan 4s, but seemingly as only ‘Family and Friend’ releases.
Put it in reverse
Then, the Jordan 1; with its infamous reversed lateral-side oversized swoosh. Throw in some Cactus Jack branding on the insole, and the heel, and that was it. Subtle touches, but the kids ate it up. Especially with a surprise release during the 2019 Grammys. They now fetch an average of £2000 on StockX.
This kick-started his Jordan 1 line which immediately became fan favourites among his releases. Whether you're a fan or not, you can't deny that his oversized reverse swoosh concept was always going to turn heads… even if Dennis Rodman claims to this day that it was originally his idea a la the Nike Air Darwin that dropped in 1994. Another obscure pair for Scott to run with was of course the Nike Air Max 270 React. Sticking with his traditional sandy colours and mixtures of materials, they were undeniably him.
Travis Scott X Nike Air Max 270 React 'Cactus Trails'
A new venture
La Flame then jumped right to the other end of the spectrum, Jordan-wise, with his next venture; the Jordan 33. A performance basketball shoe by nature, Scott’s takeover of the sneaker still made the message clear they were his.
He added the Cactus Jack branding on the left sneaker across the tongue, something that would soon be a kind of trademark. They sported an olive colorway that became synonymous with the rapper’s branding, and "Designed and engineered to the exact specifications of Travis" can be read on the toggle strap; something that Nike had used on NBA Jerseys in the past. Well, the original wording is of course 'Engineered to the exact specifications of champion athletes'.
Just Travis being Travis.
The Olive was back again with the Jordan 6, although unfortunately not a wide release. This sneaker came with a pocket on the ankle, but not too much more set it apart from looking like a general release Jordan.
The Brown/Black Jordan 1 Low followed with its muted tones. An Olive version would come after, which Travis would sport with red laces. A Texas Air Force 1 had him pushing boundaries again, with original colour-blocking, a pouch on the laces, and subtle green stitching in the midsole. An interesting look not suited to all, but it certainly turned heads.
Fragments of time
2021 would see Hiroshi Fujiwara team up with Travis on the Air Jordan 1 Low Travis Scott x Fragment. Once again, a sneaker that released for around $150, but now resells for £1000+.
Following this with the 2022 release of the Travis Scott x Nike Air Trainer 1 Mid, he once again took a left turn when it came to choosing an interesting sneaker to collaborate with. The Tinker Hatfield designed Air Trainer 1 Mid saw two colourways; a brown and a grey haze. The muted tones on each sneaker again par for the course with a Travis Scott release, and this time we'd see 'Cactus Corporation' across the toe strap and heel counter of the sneakers.
With the Travis Scott x Nike Air Max 1, he stayed true to his usual design ideas with brown, gold and hits of red in the colourways and he even threw on a few straps, reminiscent of his Helmut days. This time though, with the air bubble involved, what else would Cactus Jack do other than cover it up. Nice move.
In each and every one of these releases, you can see Scott has stayed true to himself.
From Trunners to Dunks, 3M to pouches, straps to pull-cords, Dior to McDonalds; Travis Scott has not pulled any punches, cementing his place in sneaker lore. As his music career continues to grow, and the collaborations show no signs of slowing down, and we’re looking forward to what’s next.
The Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG Olive is set to release on 26th of April 2023. Stay tuned to @sneakerjagers for all things Cactus Jack.