This is a pair of NikeSB x Jordan 1 “Lakers” colorway released in May of 2019.
What’s special about the SB Jordan’s is the revealing of another color-way hidden behind the initial coat of paint. For this pair, the color underneath the Lakers’ purple and gold is the classic red white and black. No offense, Lakers, but I’d go red white and black any day.
Fresh out of the box:
I’m no sneakerhead, but I always have the appreciation for the classic Jordan 1s. It was the pinnacle of marketing and one of the key turning points that propelled Nike ahead of Adidas. My brother gifted me this pair and here’s a little DIY project made specifically for the SB edition Jordan’s.
This pair comes with the beautiful Lakers’ purple and gold. It really is stunning in person.
But I personally find the color combo a bit too showy.
This pair retailed at around $175. It was sold out in an instant and is now currently hovering around $300-$500 on StockX.
Let’s begin.
I’ve seen many tried rubbing the shoes with solely a dry cloth. Don’t do that.
Use Acetone (Home Depot; can’t seem to find one via Amazon). It is an industrial grade paint remover, dip it with a shop towel and get to work. The paint goes right off.
While removing the paint, the dirty towel may stain the shoes. So you can either mask the adjacent area (like the sole) with masking tape or remove the unwanted stain later with a clean side of the towel.
Depending on how cleanly you want to the paint removed, this process can take 20-40 minutes for both shoes. I personally prefer the grungy aesthetic, so I didn’t remove the paint completely.
Don’t worry about contacting the white surfaces with the acetone. Those areas don’t have any surface paint to remove, so the color wouldn’t be affected.
Having just a bit of that dark purple in the crease really adds character to the shoes.
I also intentionally left the inner swoosh gold for the “unique” factor. But I eventually stripped the gold and keep the entire shoes red, black, and white.
The process forces the aging phase without deteriorating the integrity of the material. I’m really attracted by the patina; this also allows me to wear it often without feeling bad about smudges and creases. Win-win.
’til next time,
Benson
