The Air Jordan line began in 1985 by designer Peter Moore who started a new era in the design of basketball shoes. His signature black and red shoe was the result countless hours by the design team and working with Michael Jordan himself. Before the Air Jordan 1, most basketball shoes were white and design team wanted to do something radical.
For the second and third generation Jordan's, Moore and Michael worked closely together to create a brand new design scheme. They were the three quarter cut basketball shoes made of higher quality and lighter than average materials.
The first generation black and red model was banned by the NBA due to the NBA color rules. This actually helped to create more publicity for the shoes because Michael wore the vibrant black and red shoes in multiple games. Michael continued wearing them even after he was fined five thousand dollars for every game he wore them in.
There have been over 30 designs for the Jordan line, created by many designers after Peter Moore but they have all followed the basic design that Moore had laid out. The shoes have consistently been among the best selling basketball shoes since their creation in 1985. It's a good bet that the brand and its tradition of quality, high-fashion basketball and athletic shoes will continue for many years.
