You’d cry too.
Air Jordan XI? Check.
MJ worn colorway? Check.
$180? Check.
Campouts, riots, murder/un-murders, my name in The Oregonian, and server crashes? Potentially.
CounterKicks can confirm this year’s huge Jordan Brand 2012 Holiday release, hitting retail in December for the Christmas shopping season as in past years, is the Air Jordan 11 Retro. Styled in Black/White-Varsity Red, the shoe has been previously given the nickname “Breds” by sneakerheads, a portmanteau of “black” and “red.” This is maybe only the second or third time I’ve used the “Bred” phrasing, professionally. Now you’ll be hearing it regularly for 10 more months. Kill me now before someone else does in queue. Moving on…
The original form, MJ worn, Air Jordan 11 Retro “Bred” carries the elevated $180 retail price tag as last December’s Air Jordan 11 Retro “Concord.” The shoe is being wholesaled into stores for $95.40, with a model/style code of 378037-010.
While the Bred XI release is still months away from starting production in China, we’d estimate based on last year’s AJXI Concord figures a likely total run of around 400,000-500,000 pairs.
Hopefully this doesn’t devolve into the absolute chaos that recent Concord XI and Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxy” releases have turned out, but probably don’t count on it yet. Retailers and brands need to smarten up their release day distribution strategies on major footwear launches as the store lines and human campouts continue to get snake out longer and longer. And to ensure that no one is physically hurt.