I`m Takashi from Mousou Tokyo.（@mou_sou_tokyo）

Illustrations by illustrators using real sneakers and fashion items.

I’m sure illustrations could be a trigger to know about more about fashion items and brands.

For such people, we will introduce the story of items and brands through illustrations under the theme of “Fashion story telling through Illustrations” in the note of Mousou Tokyo.

In the first installment, we will be exploring the appeal of “NIKE Air Jordan 1” through the illustrations drawn by an animator / illustrator tarou2, also known as Masahiro Iwasaki for Mousou Tokyo.

About Mousou Tokyo

Mousou Tokyo is a fashion and art creative group originating from Tokyo.

Through visualization through fashion and pop culture, we want to connect with people all over the world through “culture” and promote cultural exchanges that could deepen mutual understanding.

On the note, there will be this article in 3 languages, which are in Japanese, English, and Chinese. We are delivering this article to global creators and people with similar interests.

It is also posted on instagram so more than welcome to check that out as well.

About Masahiro Iwasaki / tarou2 (Animator, Illustrator)

Animator from GAINAX

Anime “Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia” Sub Character Design Animation Director

Anime “Darling in the FranXX” Design works, Animation Director

Anime “Little Witch Academia” Animation Director

Anime “KILL la KILL” Animation Director

Introducing few of his works, he is active as an animator and illustrator.

tarou2 x NIKE Air Jordan 1 Chicago

Released on November of 2019 by Mousou Tokyo. The illustration released as the 1st look would be this.

In this article, the story of AJ1 and some of the representative models worn by this girl will be introduced.

Story of Air Jordan 1

AJ1 created by a former NBA player and 6 time NBA Finals MVP Michael Jordan had an astonishing stats since he was a student, and eventually joined the NBA`s, Chicago Bulls in 1984. He also contributed to win the Olympics twice representing USA.

With his amazing talents, NIKE always had their eyes jumping in to the basketball industry in the 1980`s.

In response to Jordan who was still a newcomer, NIKE offered a partnership with a

condition of either becoming a rookie of the year, or appearance in the all-stars, or averaging 20 points per game within 3 years that would pay him $500,000 USD.

This agreement between Jordan and NIKE started the story between them.

In 1985, 1st color way of AJ1 was introduced. The model was in red and black, also known as “BREDS”.

However, this color was banned from wearing due to violation of NBA`s uniform policy at the time. There was a penalty of $5,000 fine for each time it is worn at the game. With this being said, NIKE who thought this would be a good advertisement for the player and the shoes, NIKE had Jordan kept wearing the shoes and NIKE paying the fine for him.

In addition, NIKE has created a commercial that stated a message “NBA has banned them. Unfortunately, NBA can`t stop you from wearing them”.
He also cleared the conditions that NIKE has offered that gave him more attention.

The combined success of Jordan and NIKE`s marketing, AJ1 became a huge hit with sales of 70 million dollars in 3 months. Since then, AJ has continued to evolve and became one of the world`s leading shoe brand. Currently as of April of 2020, AJ series known as Numbers have reached up to 34 different series, and more various models have appeared. It is also known by collaborating with many fashion brands and artists, and became a major role in its culture.

Encounter with Japanese Pop Culture

In the manga series “SLAM DUNK” began in 1990. The second pair of basket shoes that main character Hanamichi Sakuragi wore were the AJ1 “Breds”. Other characters were also wearing some of the AJ series and other popular shoes were another way of enjoying this manga.

Eventually, “SLAM DUNK” was able to collaborate with AJ brand. 2 styles, which were SUPERFLY 3 and AJ6, were exclusively released. AJ6 was mainly in red which represented Hanamichi Sakuragi`s Shohoku High School color along with selected scenes from the comic book series. The SUPREFLY 3 features prints that make us feel the continuation of the story.

It is extremely rare to get but worth checking them out.

Masterpiece of Air Jordan 1 / Collaboration Model

From here, we would like to introduce some of the masterpiece models of AJ1`s. A very large number of models have been released, and there are many that can be called masterpiece works. So we will pick out a few to introduce some of the classic models and some famous collaboration models.

Chicago
Also illustrated in the illustration.
This color is based on the uniforms of Chicago Bulls for their away games. This also makes it special because Jordan wore it on his last game. From there on, it became extremely popular among many AJ1`s, as well as from many sneaker heads.

Breds 
If you could call the “Chicago`s” the last pair, Breds would be the first pair. AJ1 being the 1st model with this color way which was based from the red and black Chicago Bulls uniform released in 1985.

Also, as mentioned above, it was known famously from the comic book “SLAM DUNK” when Hanamichi Sakuragi wore it.

Obsidian
Based on Jordan`s college, North Carolina.
Obsidian is a model based on the color of away games.
A model representing the beginning of Jordan`s legacy, which led the team to two time victory in the NCAA tournament in 1982, before he joined the NBA.

This model is also tarou2`s favorites.

Spider-Man Origin Story
Released on the same day when the movie “Spider-Man: Spider Verse” was released. Based on the coloring reminiscent of Chicago rebuilt with a clear sole. In addition, it was worn by Miles Morales who played the Spider-Man role in “Spider-Man: Spider Verse”. Kensho Ono who did the voice for the Japanese version also wore it in the promotion clip.

The Ten
Collaboration with an apparel brand OFF-WHITE.
OFF-WHITE`s designer Virgil Abloh reconstructed the base of the Chicago color way by characteristic “AIR” and “SHOELACES” logos.
This design that was released in 2017 created a big impact.

Summary

Story of AJ1 and some of the masterpiece models were introduced this time. In addition, there are numerous models of different color ways and collaboration. If you drew any interest in AJ1, why don’t you find your favorite pairs among them.

Story that Connects Pop Culture and Fashion

As this will be the first time, Mousou Tokyo will write down a bit of what we feel. 

Like anime and manga, fashion also has stories.

“Why was it made”
“Why this item”

By knowing those stories, you will be able to share a lot of excitements and joy with your friends and people around you. In addition, by owning an item, you can engrave your own story to it which will lead to a new way to enjoy.
Also, by understanding the fashion story and seeing the illustrations, there may be new discoveries such as the creator’s intentions when seeing their works.

Hope this note was a trigger for some of you to dig deeper in to pop culture and fashion.

Look forward to the next episode.