Earlier this week I had the great pleasure of attending Jordan Brand’s Holiday 2011 Flight Forum in Portland and Beaverton, Oregon. Chicago is synonymous with Jordan, so it was only right for FSD to attend, no?
I joined a handful of media outlets to take part in this event, which included previewing Jordan’s 2011 (and early 2012) line, as well as actually testing out the new products at the Nike facilities (including the Tiger Woods Center and the Bo Jackson Sports & Wellness Center)
The marquee acts of the Forum were the new lines from Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmello Anthony. Before entering the showroom – which looked like the inside of a beautiful spaceship – we were treated to classic clips of Michael Jordan on wall-sized movie screens. Truly an inspiring moment for any fan of his Royal Airness; and a nice reminder of why Jordan handpicked these players to represent Jordan Brand. These young players now embody everything he stood for on the court.
Each line had a theme, and each sneaker had a designated section: Fly Through (Mello), Fly Over (D. Wade) and Fly Around (Chris Paul). In each silo, we met with a different Jordan figurehead (one of those being Mark Smith, the mind behind some of the greatest Mike’s ever created), who gave us the ins and outs of the shoe, and explained how, in tandem with the player, they crafted each individual sneaker. All three shoes were scientifically engineered to complement each players unique style of ball, and keep them comfortable and secure while dominating the court.
My personal favorite (as well as my favorite to play in, not that I play well. I actually play terribly) were the D. Wade’s. D’s new logo, much like the Wu-Tang Clan’s heralded W, means something different each way you flip it. Facing upwards it’s a W for Wade; down it’s an M for Miami; and sideways an E for East, or a 3 for his number. Not to mention the metallic red (which was made to look like an insects reflecting exterior) coloring that was used for the flagship shoe. Super official. Of course all of the New York guys were going crazy for the Mello’s, but the D. Wade’s did it for me.
Big thanks to Jordan Brand, Carlos Manzanillo, Peter Martin, Rick Jennings & Angie Kzirian.
Pictures of each below:
Melo M8: Fly Through
CP3.V: Fly Around
Best of the Rest:
Sounds like a great experience!