Nike Air Jordan 1 KO 'Bred' Release Cancelled Due to Production Issues
Production on the Jordan 1 Retro "Bred" features a classic colorway. It's one of the most iconic looks in sneaker history, with the Chicago Bulls colors meshing with the classic design to create a nearly perfect shoe.
"From a design standpoint, the Air Jordan 1 is perfect," Tommie Battle wrote for Complex last year. "Its simple yet durable leather upper, usually in just three colors, stood out. Also, it should be pointed out that it was not as bulky as other basketball sneakers released around that time. The shoe was like a vintage Chevy: clean lines, unique and innovative."
Unfortunately, Finish Line and Nike Dallas announced their launch, previously scheduled for this weekend, has been cancelled due to production issues. Nike Dallas explained "the product did not meet Jordan Brand's high quality standards."
There is a reason why any Bred release is among the quickest sellers of the year for the Jordan Brand. Outside of OGs, sneakerheads rarely get more excited about a release than they do about Breds. Earlier this year, the Air Jordan 1 High Breds flew off the shelves within minutes of their release on the Jordan Brand website.
For those who missed out on that release, your next-best option is headed to shelves later this week. The Jordan Brand plans to release the Jordan 1 KO Breds on Aug. 8, per Kicks USA. It's a shoe that puts its own flair on the standard affair and will run you $160.
At first glance, the KOs don't look much different from standard Breds. The black base, white sole and red accentuation make it almost look like the standard release—until you get a closer look, that is.
Replacing the leather for this release is an all-canvas look, which could be polarizing but seems like an innovative choice.
The canvas vs. leather debate is one of quality to some. Leather shoes have long been the benchmark against which all others are compared. Sometimes, alternatives don't do the job and get skewered.
In some cases, such as with the KOs, the canvas does just enough to give a release a new look and feel. The main selling point of the canvas outer is that it's lightweight. Compared to the standard Jordan 1 Retros, you're going to feel a massive change in weight from the material alone. The canvas is a bit of a throwback as well; you can almost think of it as wearing Jordan Brand Chuck Taylors.
This year also sees a revamping of the design to make it more in tune with the originals. In the past, the canvas edition of the Jordan 1s was given touches of its own design—almost to differentiate it from past releases. In 2015, that's changing. The design added the Nike Air patch on the tongue and the standard Jordan 1 tongue, creating a truer-feeling Bred.
As many sneaker blogs have pointed out in the past, this is a boxing-inspired look that combines the best of all worlds. The canvas releases have been held in high regard because of their relative scarcity—Nike doles them out only on occasion to keep demand high—so timing is of the essence.
With many missing out on the last Bred release, this is a good chance to pick up a pair without going to the secondary market.
