As sneaker drops go, few have matched the anticipation and excitement surrounding the release of the first Air Jordan shoe in April 1985. It was a groundbreaking player-endorsed sneaker, Nike's first signature shoe for the Jumpman himself, Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan 1 combined basketball performance with streetwear style, fundamentally changing the sneaker industry forever.
Now, 40 years later, sneaker culture has evolved. New players such as Hoka, Anta, Li-Ning, and Ugg are nipping at the heels of the Jumpman, threatening its cultural dominance. While Jordan/Nike remains strong with steady sales growth in key markets like China, the Jordan brand’s global revenue showed a 16% drop in Nike's most recent fiscal year.
"For older sneakerheads, the brand carries deep nostalgia and historical weight, as many grew up watching Jordan play. But for younger consumers in APAC, that legacy doesn’t resonate in the same way," says Owen Leach, senior design director at INVNT. "Brands like Hoka, Anta, and Ugg are tapping into new lifestyle and performance narratives that speak directly to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Jordan needs to evolve its storytelling to stay top of mind."
The Air Jordan shoe is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025. The iconic Air Jordan 1 was launched in 1985.
Undeniably, the Jordan brand played a key role in revolutionising sneaker culture and remains a leading trend in APAC. Yet, the market no longer focuses solely on the mono-style of the West. It embraces more nuanced, individualistic, and community-driven cultural connections.
"This shift has fuelled the rise of new players like Hoka and On, who have carved out a significant place through their focus on comfort and the running community," says Lay Jian Yi, group creative director at VaynerMedia Asia Pacific. "Similarly, Anta is now a huge and highly valuable brand in Greater China, thanks to its local pride and strategic designs tailored to Asian needs. The resurgence of brands like Uggs, known for quality and comfort, also represents a counter-trend to the loud, high-octane Western sneaker culture."
Looking at two of Asia’s biggest markets, brands like Anta and Li-Ning in China are positioned as symbols of pride, fuelled by cultural confidence and pragmatic consumer demand for innovative, high-value products. Similarly, in India, homegrown fashion labels thrive, offering narratives that resonate on a more local, personal level.
"We see increasingly that people are investing in brands that acknowledge and reflect their world, their reality," says Sam Shaw, strategy director at Canvas8. "For Jordan Brand, this means looking closer at its audiences and what the brand actually means to them or could mean. Broadcasting a global message can work, but it is best supported by genuinely participating in and contributing to local cultures and subcultures."
Navigating market shifts and consumer expectations
The Jordan brand leans heavily on its retro lines like the Retro 4 and 5 and on high-profile collaborations with names like Undefeated and Travis Scott to generate hype. However, some styles linger on shelves with markdowns. Years of re-releasing retro silhouettes that appeal to basketball-fueled nostalgia are quickly losing their edge.
"Jordan brand must give its new star athletes, designers, and collaborators new, genuine, and unmanufactured stories to tell if it wants to appeal to the mainstream beyond just sports—something we’re seeing Adidas do so well with (NBA and Minnesota Timberwolves star player) Anthony Edwards and his AE1, soon to be followed by AE2," says JJ Bender, strategy director at Special. "There is a slight glimmer of hope with their recent Jordan 40, but many cynics say it will take more than an Adidas x Fear Of God / Yeezy clone to get them back to the top."
The Jordan brand leans heavily on its retro lines.
Meanwhile, the Jordan brand faces an even tougher challenge in clothing. The days of going head to toe Jumpman, with Red, White, and Black Jordan 1s and a matching Michael Jordan face T-shirt, are long over.
"TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are awash with cultural commentators manufacturing invisible fashion principles that young people feel compelled to follow," says Bender. "They shun anyone who hasn’t thought about their outfit before leaving the house and mock anyone whose fashion identity is built only on a few brands."
Today’s consumers see the Jordan brand as nostalgic and irrelevant, making them look less sophisticated, and maybe even reminding them of their uncool uncle who still collects every Christmas Jordan 11.
"This is the biggest danger Jordan brand faces: nostalgia-fueled, sneaker-adjacent apparel that hasn’t been designed to work well with other brands at any end of the fashion spectrum," adds Bender. "Strict social media fashion rules mean anything not versatile enough to fit most 21-year-olds’ modern wardrobes isn’t worth the risk or their money."
Successful streetwear brands today understand that the more pieces you can mix and match well from different brands, the higher your fashion IQ. Take Jjjjound or A Cold Wall. Instead of collaborating with a brand on a pair of retro basketball sneakers with matching basketball apparel, they take those sneakers and elevate them, redefining who could and should be wearing them. This approach creates a more considered and complex aesthetic, broadening the audience and causing demand to soar to three times retail price on the aftermarket.
"Consumers aren’t staying in their lane anymore; they’re experimenting and taking pride in exploring different subcultures through fashion," says Bender. "Unfortunately for Jordan, their current playbook has pushed them into the sports apparel margins, competing against mall brands like Under Armour, rather than positioning them at the cutting edge of fashion or as representing more than just sportswear."
The Covid-era sneaker boom saw brands like Jordan pump out colourway after colourway of the same models, offering short-term sales boosts but ultimately oversaturating the market. This has caused growing fatigue, especially with the constant stream of drops and retros.
"In APAC, where consumers are highly trend-sensitive and digitally connected, the lack of fresh storytelling can lead to disengagement," says Leach. "That said, collaborations like those with Travis Scott have been cultural milestones, proving that when Jordan gets it right, it still leads the conversation. The key is to move beyond formulaic releases and re-engage consumers with meaningful narratives."
Ultimately, supply and demand drive fashion and product success, and balancing this is an ongoing battle.
"Flooding the market delivers short-term revenue but risks long-term cultural equity. In APAC, mismanaging this balance could erode brand mystique," says Laura Mulcahy, head of cultural practice at TRA. "Heritage brands have a responsibility to respect their DNA and not sell out just to please investors. Keeping sneakerheads and shareholders happy is a balancing act."
Innovation and the road ahead
From day one, Jordan Brand innovated in form, materials, and colour. In 1985, the shoe’s rebellious image, spurred when the NBA banned the "Black/Red" colourway for non-compliance with uniform rules, became a marketing boon as Nike capitalised on it. While Jordan Brand has historically led in innovation and collaboration, today’s challenge is avoiding repetition.
"The Travis Scott collaborations were groundbreaking, but the brand has leaned on that success too long," says Leach. "In APAC, consumers crave novelty and individuality, so innovation in materials, sustainability, and localised storytelling is essential. Winning means pushing boundaries, not recycling past formulas."
The Jordan Brand has collaborated with celebrities like rapper Travis Scott, which has been one of the most popular partnerships in sneaker culture.
Currently, the Jordan brand exists in a grey area between relying on Michael Jordan’s legacy and finding new meaning. "Reimagining collaborations, marketing new athletes, and thinking bigger than the next drop is critical to breaking the ‘tradition-loop’," says Bender. "Only by truly modernising what Jordan means to consumers in 2025 and redefining its legacy in culture will the brand unlock new relevance."
This represents a rejection of the early 2010s brand-chasing and hypebeast culture, when people defined themselves by brands. Now, younger consumers resist having a single brand define their identity.
"If there is one consumer mindset to note for growing Jordan Brand or any other, it’s that people shouldn’t be defined by one identity, and brands that do this risk irrelevance," adds Bender.
Giving credit, Jordan has refocused on innovation, with proofs like the Jordan 40 and Nike’s Pegasus and Vomero lines. Their collaboration track record remains peerless, from BMXer-turned-designer Nigel Sylvester whose Jordan 4 is tipped as shoe of the year, to successful PSG partnerships and kit launches. Their women’s apparel is strong too, with potential for market expansion.
However, innovation remains crucial for collaborations and marketing. Strategic partnerships are vital to maintain attention and change brand perception.
"Take the lead from Jordan himself. He broke boundaries and set new bars throughout his career. That might mean misses, but to keep that edge, the brand needs to experiment," says Mulcahy.
While brands like Hoka One One, Anta, and Uggs have surged on trends like Gorpcore and performance trail footwear, appealing to consumers seeking alternatives to mainstream sneaker culture, Jordan's 40-year history remains an irreplaceable foundation.
"In APAC, nostalgia for classic silhouettes remains strong, especially in markets with passionate sneaker and basketball communities such as Japan, China, and the Philippines," adds Mulcahy. "When retro and court-inspired styles come back in vogue, the Jordan brand will be perfectly poised to reclaim its share."
