It’s all about excellence and preserving Jordan’s legacy.
In a press briefing here recently, Jordan brand president Larry Miller explained the essence of the premium product line is cultivating a combination of style and sport. He said the Jordan brand, a division of Nike, reflects excellence on and off the court, sophistication and confidence and is "the leading edge in product design."
Jordan, 41, was signed to a Nike contract when he turned pro in 1984 and the first Air Jordan shoe took the market by storm that season. Since then, the Air Jordan series has been the standard of performance basketball shoes. There are now 19 Air Jordan models in the market and 12 have been reissued as retros. Air Jordan 20 is in the 3D sample stage and will be launched early next year.
In 1997, the Jordan brand made its debut. With Jordan’s reputation as the greatest cager ever, there was clearly equity in the brand and the familiar "jumpman" logo. Today, the Jordan brand has grown into a complete lifestyle collection of sport, casual and style products.
The Air Jordan franchise is the brand’s heart and soul but Miller said other product lines are also hot items in the market.
For one, Jordan Sport is a line that mainly consists of men’s basketball and athletic training footwear and apparel coupled with signature footwear products for selected Jordan athletes. The "trunning" series of footwear and apparel is also featured in this line, bringing a hybrid philosophy of training and running to athletes who compete to win in any sport.
For another, Jordan Lifestyle is designed with the intention of creating relevant daily streetwear for the consumer who sees dressing as a competition–to be the first to wear the best.
The wide variety of Jordan brand products was on display during a fashion show that preceded Miller’s briefing. A total of 15 male models paraded on stage and down the aisles to the rocking beat of hip-hop music in the Park Tower third floor conference hall wearing No. 23 jerseys, shirts, armbands, wristbands, headbands, lifestyle apparel, sweat pants, shoes and an assortment of accessories.
Miller said the key milestones in the Jordan brand’s history are its debut in 1997, the launch of the Air Jordan 17 in a metal briefcase
to coincide with Jordan’s comeback as a Washington Wizard in 2001-02, the emergence of Jordan endorsers like Carmelo Anthony to continue Jordan’s legacy after his final retirement in 2003 and taking the initiative to promote the brand in an Asian tour this year.
"If you aspire to excellence in everything you do, the sky’s the limit," said Jordan. "The game of basketball has taught me valuable life skills that have carried over to endeavors both on and off the court. During my tour of Asia, I want to pass along this knowledge and encourage youth around the world that positive energy and high aspirations will lead to excellence which has helped me and the Jordan brand reach our levels of success."
On the community front, Jordan remains active through an education grants program for teachers. Jordan Fundamentals awards up to $1 Million a year or 400 grants at $2,500 each to teachers who despite challenging situations and limited resources, strive above and beyond traditional lesson planning to motivate and inspire students. Jordan is committed to fund the program through a donation of a portion of the brand’s sales proceeds.
"The Jordan brand serves as the caretaker of Michael Jordan’s legacy and embodies the pursuit of excellence in performance, design and innovation as the world’s premium brand of footwear, apparel and accessories," said Miller. "Together, Michael Jordan and the Jordan brand bring their message of inspiration and excellence to Asian youth."