The Air Jordan 1 'Craft' (Vibrations of Naija?) Is Nice But Has Me Confused. In Depth Review!
The Air Jordan 1 'Craft' (Vibrations of Naija?) releases on May 27 for $180 only at select retail stores and not on Nike.com nor the SNKRS app in the United States. Originally dubbed as 'Vibrations of Naija (Nigeria)', the messaging and storytelling from Jordan Brand really missed an opportunity to properly introduce another aspect of Nigerian culture to the world.
Colorway (4/5):
This shoe consists of an all sail leather upper sole with hints of pale vanilla. The sail may look white as there’s no lighter color on this shoe for easy comparison, however, when placing it next to a white shoe you can notice the difference. I often complain about Nike and Jordan Brand overdoing sail but I do like how this sail plays with the pale vanilla laces and embossed Wings logo.
Material (4/5):
The entire upper sole is leather and it feels great. You can see the grain of the leather come through and it is soft without any synthetic coating, all a welcome surprise for an Air Jordan 1. The material on the Swoosh and ankle collar is double layered canvas according to Nike, and the material almost feels like carpet or synthetic grass you’d feel on a golf course. I’m not sure how I feel about this material yet and I can’t imagine it’ll hold up well if it rains or snows.
As like other Air Jordan 1s, this shoe comes with a rubber cup sole with an encapsulated Nike Air unit on the heel.
Size and Comfort (2/5):
I’m a US size 9.5 true to size but I do have wide feet, however, with Air Jordan 1s I’ve always gone true to size. It’s not too snug in any one area especially after breaking in the shoe. I have experimented with going up half a size with Air Jordan 1s but the extra length results in an extremely ugly and unnatural crease on the toebox.
There’s not much to say when it comes to the Air Jordan 1 comfort-wise. It’s not a very comfortable shoe which is understandable, it’s an old shoe with older technology. The cushioning can barely be felt and it is a flat feeling shoe. Due to the rubber cupsole it also isn’t the lightest shoe, so set your expectations low when it comes to comfort.
Versatility (4/5):
The Air Jordan 1 is popular for a reason. It’s one of the most versatile and iconic shoes in sneaker history, and this muted and subtle color really makes this a very versatile shoe. The pattern on the ankle collar and Swoosh is distinct but not so different that it attracts unwanted attention, and the sail upper sole does go well with most outfits.
Storytelling (1/5):
This is my biggest complaint about this shoe, or more so with Jordan Brand. This shoe was initially called ‘Vibrations of Naija’, however, Jordan Brand only refers to this shoe as the Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Craft’. There is no reference to Nigeria at all but the name had to have come from somewhere. When I made this video, no articles nor Jordan Brand themselves would say where the Nigerian influence was. It wasn’t until my video was up and I received comments from people of Nigerian descent that the material and pattern on the Swoosh and ankle collar likely references the ‘Irukere’, which has been used by kings and chiefs as a tool of power.
That is a very cool reference and inspiration and I wish Jordan Brand would’ve made that be known instead of completely disregarding it.
Laces and Box:
This shoe does come with sail/off-white extra laces, however, I do prefer the pale vanilla laces that come with the shoe. It complements the shoe better and makes the colorway ‘pop’. The box of the shoe is a standard Nike box in the same pale vanilla color.