The Air Jordan 1 Mid Patent Black Gold

The Air Jordan 1 Mid isn’t for everyone. It’s not as popular with sneakerheads as the low and high models. But the Mid Air Jordan models are important to Jordan Brand and the Air Jordan 1 Mid Patent Black Gold is one of the more attractive Mid models from Jordan.

Patent Black Gold

The Air Jordan 1 Mid Patent Black Gold colorway was first released in 2019. For 2023, the popular pair is returning to Shoe Palace stores and on shoepalace.com. The 2023 version features the same materials and color blocking as the OG. There are black overlays paired with white undelays. Metallic Gold detailing is on the Swoosh and the Wings logo. The shoes will be released at Shoe Palace on November 1, 2023.

Beyond Jordan

For its first 13 years of existence Nike’s Air Jordan Brand was completely reliant on its namesake to keep it alive and flourishing. Michael Jordan’s magnificent basketball career established the line of shoes and clothing as a sales juggernaut. The designs of the shoes were always top shelf—but would anyone care about those designs if “His Airness” didn’t dominate the NBA in them? Nike and Jordan Brand understood, and probably feared, the idea that one day MJ would have to retire permanently from the game of basketball. Despite Michael returning twice from retirement, he eventually did step away from the game for good. What would become of Jordan Brand? Would it also retire with the man who represented it so amazingly well? Could the shoes and line of athletic clothing survive without Michael Jordan being an active member of the NBA?

Nike was of course responsible for giving birth to the Air Jordan series, but from the start Nike tried to let its creation have its own identity. The Air Jordan II, for example, was revolutionary at the time for not including the famous Nike Swoosh anywhere on the sneaker. While that design independence made the Air Jordan line stand out, it also made it difficult to market without the help of its rock star endorser.

The Birth Of Jordan Brand

In 1997, Jordan Brand and Nike decided to let the Air Jordan line operate 100% independently. It was a bold decision that showed the strong belief Nike had in the brand. The decision was probably heavily influenced by the fact that at the time it was widely believed that the ‘97-98 basketball season would be Michael Jordan’s last. Nike had to do something gigantic to let it be known to the consumer that the Jumpman logo wasn’t going away and that it was here to stay.

Jordan Brand was more than accepting and understanding of the fact that it was built on the back of the most beloved athlete in history. To survive separately from Nike, they would need talent from the sports world to endorse their company’s products.

The first group of athletes to join Jordan Brand included basketball stars Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, Derek Anderson, Michael Finley, and Ray Allen. At the time all of those players were young stars with bright futures ahead of them in the NBA. They all had a strong competitive nature and skills sets that were electrifying to watch. The youthful group also personified elegance—on and off the court. That collection of players, known as the “Class of 1997,” were the embodiment of what the Air Jordan name stood for.

- Adam C. Better