We’re certain you caught it already, but the upcoming Air Jordan IX ‘Photo Blue’ release has unfolded in an unusual manner. When we first saw the shoe, it featured a solid white outsole, but only recently, when full detailed images of the shoe began to surface, the ‘Photo Blue’ was suddenly sitting on a solid black base. Was the white version perhaps a kids-only release, or even a completely different sneaker? Turns out both shoes aren’t two distinct sneakers, but are actually intended to be one sole release; a major error at the Jordan Brand factory in China produced the shoe with a black outsole, and the production number of the incorrect black-outsole version – roughly 10,000 pairs – is a pill too big to swallow.
Simply trashing the shoes would be rather wasteful in terms of money spent and potential earnings lost, and it appears that Jordan Brand will move forward with the white-outsole version with the given style-code of 302370-007. Obviously a few questions remain: What will Jordan Brand do with this mass surplus of Air Jordan IXs? Will they be a straight-to-the-outlet release like the Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ and suddenly become high in demand for this unique blunder, or will Jordan Brand shelve them and re-release at another point in the future? Most importantly, which version do you, the consumer, like better? We need your opinions so get the discussion going below.
Air Jordan IX
Black/Photo Blue-White
302370-007
11/03/12
$160
via CK