So, we’ve heard of defective sneakers, unauthorized authentic sneakers, and even sneakers ripping right through the feet. Remember the Zion incident? Almost any sneaker issue is fixable with good glue, a care & repair session, or generally acceptable. But, when it comes to moldy Air Jordan 1s, that’s where we draw the line.
Here’s the deal: the Jordan Brand recently released one of its most coveted sneakers ever – the Air Jordan 1 Lost & Found. Now to say that this was a highly-anticipated release is much of an understatement. It featured a super high stock of almost 500K pairs of the Jordan and a legendary colorway too. Basically, it was every sneaker reseller’s dream come true. Everyone expected it to be one of the most fire and memorable drops of the year! However, moldy Air Jordan 1s were not what anyone expected.
The Air Jordan 1 “Lost and Found” is the newest version of the original, most-beloved 1985 “Chicago” colorway. However, this new iteration came with a vintage-inspired look to it. But, perhaps the Jordan Brand took the “aging process” a little too far.
More on Air Jordans:
– Air Jordan size guide
– How to clean Jordans
– How to lace Jordan 1s
– Where to sell your Jordans
– Where to buy your Jordans
– Buy or sell pre-owned Jordans
– Buying unauthorized authentic Js
THE MOLDY AIR JORDAN 1s
What happened? So, the Air Jordan 1 “Lost and Found” dropped on Saturday, November 19th. And, even its release was pretty rocky! Before reports of moldy Air Jordan 1s came out, the release itself had issues! The Nike SNKRS app had an issue where users couldn’t enter to buy a pair.
After a long hassle in the copping process, On November 22nd, a few accounts came out with horrifying news: moldy Air Jordan 1s. Images of the most coveted and long-awaited Air Jordan 1 “Lost and Found” damaged by mold. It was definitely a sight to keep any sneakerhead awake at night! A Twitter user under the handle @_PO2345 shared an image from NikeTalk of a mold-ridden pair of new “Lost and Found”! And, according to the Tweet, Nike is canceling online orders of all the Jordans affected by the mold. This also includes the stores and Nike retailers holding the defective pairs as well.
Apparently various retailers are sending back Chicago AJ1’s due to this mold issue & Nike is cancelling pairs that have this as well. Sheesh. 😔🤦🏽♂️ 📸 via : NT pic.twitter.com/se2q15HQJA
— P.O! (@_PO2345) November 21, 2022
WHAT DOES THE JORDAN BRAND HAVE TO SAY?
Well, apparently Jordan Brand confirmed that they are indeed aware of the moldy Air Jordan 1s. In a comment they release to Complex Sneakers, they said:
“We are aware of the issue and are working to address it to improve future experiences,” a spokesperson said.
For now, the moldy Air Jordan 1s do not appear to be widespread since multiple retailers did not report anything. So, the Jordan Brand doesn’t really know the source of the affected units of the Air Jordans. But, they know that the number of moldy Jordans is less than one percent of the overall stock produced. The Jordan Brand has previously had issues with sneaker releases that included minor cosmetic defects.
These are what we call the unauthorized authentic sneakers that sell for discounted prices – B-Stock. However, there’s no way moldy Air Jordan 1s could ever pass as B-Stock! The brand also had a similar case with moldy Air Jordan 1s in 2015 with the AJKO “Bred”. And again in 2017 with some moldy Air Jordan 13 “True Red” sneakers!
We suggest that Nike and the Jordan Brand check out our sneaker storage guide… You know, just saying.
