Pairs from (left to right) Stock X, GOAT, and Nike

I’m not usually one to give into hype, so I bought 3 pairs…let me explain. 1) 1995 I was a just a kid in 3rd grade 2) 2000 I was just a kid in 8th grade 3) 2006 sneakers wasn’t as big a focus as much as trying to be the best bboy in San Diego while scraping by my first 2 semester as a (broke) college student. Which brings me to Dec. 2011, I had just finished the program for my current occupation, so financially, I was unable to score a pair. I wasn’t able to obtain a couple pairs of the 2011 concords until 2014, both not deadstock and one of the two pairs were already worn out so I just hoop in them. I was satisfied having 1 pair I could beat up and 1 pair that was as close to deadstock as I could get without breaking the bank. I never experienced a DS pair of concords, although I have multiple color ways of Xis released from 2012-present, none of those were concords. When news broke out in the second quarter of 2018 that Jordan Brand was releasing Concords that has the high patent leather OG cut and the number 45, you bet your ass I marked the date on my calendar and made it a point to cop 3 pairs, 1 to stock 1 to rock 1 to hoop. It’s my favorite shoe, I’ve missed out in the past, I wasn’t going to miss this one.

December 8th, 2018 7am pacific, 10am eastern, the day sneakerheads and jordan fans alike were waiting for all year came and went. It was the talk of sneaker internet heading into the holiday season and the hype couldn’t have been any bigger. The Air Jordan retro XI “Concord”, THE BELOVED Concord, this time in OG form as Jordan Brand continues to remaster their retro Air Jordans line. Last seen in 2011, with the same hype and anticipation, 2018 marks the 5th time the concord had been dropped by Jordan Brand in mid top form with a low cut in 2014.

The shoe and color way is a cultural Icon, it revolutionized the way performance basketball shoes were made. Everything from the Patent leather, full length air unit, and to the ballistic mesh made the shoe lightweight and durable. A shoe that matched MJ’s game on court and style off court as Tinker Hatfield put it MJ wanted a shoe “to wear on the court and a shoe to wear with a tuxedo”. Every OG colorway of the air jordan xi are iconic in their own respect, but THIS release with the 45 on the heel is just the second time JB put MJ’s return to the NBA number on a retro. This year, in the midst of their continued efforts to put out retros closer to the originals, JB decided to put out the shoe MJ debuted in the 1995 ECF (eastern conference finals) .

So yeah, I bought 3 pairs. Hope everyone has a happy holidays!

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Below are some detailed shots of the 3 pairs and some! I plan on doing a small batch of posters let me know what y’al think. Thanks for stopping by.

-Raf (RAWfiki)