Jordan Concord 2011

Jordan Concord 2011, The day that every sneakerhead has circled on their calendar is finally almost here. December 23 marks arguably the biggest sneaker release of 2011.

The Air Jordan XI “Concord” have been deemed the crown jewel of an incredible year for kicks, that’s saying a lot. Since early Summer when images begin to flood the blogosphere the Concords captivated sneaker enthusiast like not many shoes can. Now, with the official release just a day away, the shoe that we didn’t necessarily expect to see this year will end 2011 with a bang.

Fortunately this is a general release so you can expect to see the Concords in numerous Nike retailers and specialty stores. Full-family sizing will be available starting with men’s for $180USD down to infants for $45USD. But don’t sleep, this shoe is highly sought after and will sell out.

Make plans to snag a pair (or two) Thursday at midnight or Friday morning as early as possible. We may not see this shoe retro again for a very long time, don’t get left out.

Air Jordan Concord

Air Jordan Concord, Saul Aguilar arrived outside the downtown Nike Portland store at 10 a.m. Thursday, figuring he was first in line to get a Day-Glo orange wristband.

He then waited — six hours. But with that wristband, Aguilar had his golden ticket to return to the store at 6:30 a.m. today with the right to hand over $180 for a pair of size 11 1/2 Air Jordan XI.

Such is the devotion of Aguilar, hundreds of others behind him in line and thousands more across the country as they secure their coveted pair of Air Jordans.

Years after NBA All-Star Michael Jordan retired, his signature shoes are as popular as ever, generating about $1 billion in sales annually. Jordan Brand shoes are largely responsible for Nike’s dominant position in basketball shoe sales, far outpacing sales of active players with Nike shoe deals such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

For the shoe fanatics, or “sneakerheads” in footwear parlance, the appeal of Air Jordan shoes is only partly rooted in nostalgia for the greatest basketball player ever. Sneakerheads also like collecting shoes, sometimes never wearing them, leaving their catch pristine in the original box.

Air Jordan collectors — a demographic of mostly 18 to 25 year old males — definitely find the shoes aesthetically pleasing. The Air Jordan XI, with its black patent-leather accents on white, is their perfect choice any social occasion, from weddings to proms.

First introduced in 1996, the Air Jordan XI being release this morning is identical to the original.

Wearing the shoes, the Chicago Bulls star would win the most valuable player award for the 1995-96 season, for the All-Star Game and for the NBA Finals.

Proving the shoes versatility as a fashion statement, Boyz II Men wore the shoes with formal attire at the American Music Awards. Like so many other shoes in the Air Jordan Line, the Air Jordan XI was designed by Tinker Hatfield, who worked over concepts with Jordan as Jordan completed his experiment as a struggling outfielder with a Chicago White Sox minor league team.