In addition to the Jordan Melo M10 “Year of the Horse”, Jordan Brand will be celebrating the new Chinese Zodiac cycle with its new Air Jordan 1 Mid Nouveau design. Part of the “Year of the Horse” collection and shares the same Black Stallion design ethos, the Air Jordan 1 Mid Nouveau also marks an important milestone for the Jumpman organization. It was 30 years ago in 1984, that the then Nike designer Peter Moore created the Air Jordan 1, the first signature P.E. for basketball phenom Michael Jordan. In Chicago Bulls‘ team colorway of black and red (aka “BRED”), it violated the NBA uniform code for not having a substantial amount of the color white. This prompted NBA commissioner David Stern to penalize Jordan a fine of $5000 each time he stepped into the court with his AJs.

Just like the original for 30 years ago, the Air Jordan 1 Mid Nouveau “Year of the Horse” challenges conventional design. Created on the premises of the Chinese proverb “????,????” and the Black Stallion theme, the updated AJ1 features a polished black patent leather upper with an iridescent appearance up close. And like its Jordan Melo M10 “Year of the Horse” counterpart, Air Jordan 1 Mid Nouveau “Year of the Horse” will be available through Jordan Brand retailers worldwide on Saturday, January 18.

Release Date: January 18, 2014 (Saturday)