How London's Sneaker Community Showed Up For the Air Jordan 1 High '85 ‘Bred’
The is a model that needs no introduction. Steeped in controversial history (which we’ve debunked ), the ‘Banned’ sneaker officially debuted as Michael Jordan’s first signature shoe in 1985, cementing itself as one of the cornerstones of sneaker culture. Since then, the AJ1 has seen multiple reimaginations, iterations and reworks – which is why when a true retro comes around, the sneakersphere erupts in a frenzy.
Marking part of Jordan's ‘Forty Years of Greatness’ celebrations, the is set to return for the model’s anniversary during All-Star Weekend. The iteration boasts the most historically accurate make-up to date, making it a must-have pair. Since the AJ1 High '85 'Bred' last dropped in OG form 10 years ago when campouts and in-person launches were aplenty, the brand decided there was no better way to connect with the community than by hosting early drops around the world at NHBD retailers. One hotspot for the releases was Brixton, London, and Sneaker Freaker of course headed down, where the Swoosh also had plenty planned in terms of community activations, street parties, workshops and even a shock SNKRS Stash drop.
While seemingly disconnected, Brixton was actually a no-brainer destination for the 'Bred' return. Sitting as the last stop on the Victoria line, the multicultural South London district feels a world away from the newfangled streetwear hub of Soho. It’s grittier, for sure, but it's built around a strong multicultural community and even has 40-year-old ties with himself, as His Airness paid the Brixton Topcats a visit in 1985 to coach and play with the club. For the Air Jordan 1 High '85 'Bred' early release, local store BSTN hosted the nostalgic lineup, while the partnership with Ghanaian streetwear brand (FTY) heightened the defiant attitude that founded Jordan Brand all those years ago.
Here's how Brixton's sneaker community showed up to celebrate the launch of the Air Jordan 1 High '85 'Bred'.
BSTN Brings the Heat
Having last released back in 2015, the return of the ‘Banned’ brought out sneakerheads young and old – some who grew up watching MJ and collecting Breds as they dropped, and others looking to get their hands on the colourway for the very first time. We headed to for the NBHD launch, which has quickly become the beating heart of Brixton’s sneaker community after opening there just two years ago. Walking in, a bronze plaque on the floor reads: 'Feed fam, fuck fame' – ringing true to the area’s melting pot of cultures and the strength of the community within.
It’s hard to connect with the community via online raffles, and though the days of week-long campouts may be behind us, it didn’t stop sneakerheads from showing up bright and early for the FCFS release. As the queue began to grow, we sought out tired-looking punters who came equipped with camping chairs and had clearly been there for a good few hours. First in the queue was Angelo, who’d camped since midnight and was rocking Off-White AJ5s on foot. ‘I’ve been here since 12am,’ he said. ‘I don’t even know the time. I’m so tired.’
He continued with, ‘I’ve been a sneakerhead since I was little and I fell in love with the Jordan 1 "Breds". That was the first shoe I saw. They’re a staple of the sneaker industry.’
Further down the queue, 25-year-old John was also queuing for his first pair. ‘The Bred 1 is my favourite shoe of all time. As soon as I found out the news, I came here at 6am and now we’re finally rolling.’
Come 11:30am, BSTN was ready to welcome campers into the store. Inside, the shop had been thematically fitted – Jordan Brand’s animated ‘Banned’ promo stretched across the big screen behind the till and played over the screens that lined the roof and Travis Scott bumped through the speakers. The Brixton store’s own ‘Built different’ tees sat alongside MJ Funko Pops and memorabilia, and pairs of ‘Breds’ were dotted on pedestals throughout the shop floor. Angelo was the first to collect his W, and we caught up with him after to connect over the feeling. 'I just wanna zed out now. I can't lie, I'm so tired. But that was dedication. I did that from my free will, from my love of Jordans.'
For John, the ‘Breds’ were going straight on foot. ‘I won’t be needing these anymore,’ he said as he dramatically threw his Reimagined Bred 4s across the floor. ‘This is what we’ve waited 10 years for. Was it worth queuing since 6am? You tell me, but right now it feels pretty sweet.’
Later that evening, the BSTN drop evolved into a party at the store, bringing together Jordan Brand, BSTN shoppers and the community. Pumping musical appearances and DJ sets from Tay Jordan, Talia A Darling and Tiffany Calver played as the last few pairs got picked up, and happy Jordan fans headed off into the night full from their serving of bred.
Free The Youth Bring the Vibes
Saturday saw the celebrations continue, as Jordan Brand had a ton of activations planned throughout the district that kept the community at the heart of the events via a partnership with . FTY is a multi-branched company that includes a creative agency, fashion brand and NGO, with all components working towards improving the future of the African diaspora via creativity and connection. Through this partnership, Jordan Brand and FTY are heroing the contribution of Black communities to basketball culture.
The duo took over Ton of Brix, a dedicated space in Brixton for a series of TED-like talks and workshops designed to give attendees insight into the streetwear brand’s processes as well as their creative flair. An interview-style panel allowed the next generation of budding brand owners to ask the FTY founders questions about their approach and journey, before a full brand-building workshop took place with women’s community The Stack World. Following that, two practical workshops took place, including a t-shirt printing workshop that encouraged the community to flex their creative muscles while embracing FTY’s DIY attitude.
Outside of the workshop, there were more major FTY x Jordan moments going down. A surprise SNKRS Stash drop brought the sneaker community out in droves, as the ‘Bred’ was up for grabs in two Brixton locations. The first drop took place at Ton of Brix, giving the FTY event attendees a chance to get their hands on the shoe of the moment. The second saw Jordan Brand venture back out into the wider Brixton community, pulling up to the legendary Electric Avenue in an FTY-branded Ghanaian taxi. The taxi itself represents one of the underlying stories in streetwear brand's journey, as one of their early t-shirts boasted a taxi print in response to the fact that hotels in Accra would often turn away taxis and skaters as they saw them as a sign of lower economic classes. Pulling up outside a huge FTY-branded mural, the group reclaimed the symbolism as they dealt out free t-shirts to an energised crowd of Jordanheads and curious passersby. At the same time, the lines of hungry sneakerheads who’d pulled up to the location were frantically refreshing their SNKRS app, and the energy was suitably electric as Found ‘Em screens confirmed the Ws.
In celebration of the day, Jordan Brand and FTY rounded out the night with an afterparty that featured a stacked line-up of DJs, including the likes of , and , who skillfully and suitably brought a blend of hip hop, Amapiano, afrobeats and afrohouse as the Brixton community danced the night away.
Ballin' Out at Regal Court
For the final day of events, Jumpman went back to their roots with a basketball tournament at London’s iconic Regal Court, a free-to-access, specially built b-ball court in Vauxhall run in conjunction with the . The event was powered by – an organisation that's become one of the mainstays of the UK Basketball scene.
While MJ may have praised the facilities when he visited the Brixton Topcats, London’s basketball community was often treated as an afterthought when it came to the city’s investment in sport, and their options were soon limited to outdoor areas or shared courts, with priority given to those playing games like tennis or badminton. All that changed when Nike built The Regal, and as a response the court has been kitted out with state-of-the-art facilities, including an elite-level hardwood floor, gold-plated hoops with smoked glass backboards, and seating for over 150 spectators. Within Regal sits the Jordan Court, which was opened by the legend himself.
The Jordan Court played host to the day's activities, which saw 1v1 competitions for both men and women, as well as a dunk competition to follow. Tunes were bumping throughout the day thanks to on-set DJs, and attendees celebrated Jordan Basketball history old and new as players rocked the Tatum 3 on-court. Free The Youth brought more heat with another screen-print t-shirt opp, allowing everyone to remember the energy with a sick souvenir at the end of the day.
All in all, Jordan Brand nailed this rollout by putting the community at the centre of their plans. With plenty of global NBHDs also getting an early release, head to see what else went down!