How to Lace Your Air Jordan 1s

First introduced to the market back in 1985, the Air Jordan 1 is easily one of the most popular sneakers to have ever been created. It was Michael Jordan’s first-ever signature model with Nike and the design still resonates incredibly well with sneakerheads and non-sneakerheads today. There have been plenty of different variations over the years however without a doubt the high, mid and low-top renditions remain the most prevalent year-after-year.

One question that continues to divide the sneaker community is how exactly one should lace their Air Jordan 1s, with the truth being that there is no correct or incorrect way to lace them, it’s more a matter of personal choice. Here at The Sole Supplier we’ve taken a deep dive into the different ways to lace up your AJ1s and we’re here to offer all the advice you might need if you’re unsure, so read on for all you need to know!

The first step when deciding how to laces your AJ1s is to determine which variant of the silhouette you’re intent on lacing up. While it may be strikingly obvious, not everyone will be certain on the sneakers they possess. Air Jordan 1 Lows are the easiest to identify due to the fact that they are the only low-top model in existence, possessing seven eyelets. If you’re swapping out the factory laces for a fresh set, be aware that you’ll need a shorter length that you would if you were lacing a high-top pair.

Jordan 1 Mids and Highs are considerably harder to distinguish from each other, however there are several instant giveaways. The first port of call is to check the eyelets, mid-tops will have eight, whereas high-tops come complete with a full set of nine eyelets. Failing this, a quick look at the tongues should help, as the majority of AJ1 Highs will be branded with the familiar Nike Air motif, as opposed to the Jumpman logo seen on most mids.

Once you’ve determined the variant you’re planning on lacing up, the next step is to decide how you want to lace your Jordans in terms of tightness. While plenty of footwear fans will have strong opinions on how to do this, it really is a personal decision and you should most definitely experiment with different styles and see what you prefer. Both tight and loose laces have advantages and disadvantages in their own rights, for example a common theory is that tight laces will crease your sneakers faster.

While this is true, if you lace your Jordans loosely they won’t fit anywhere near as secure on your feet, which can make for an uncomfortable wear. However, plenty of people are fully-invested in the loose-lace look, which has become increasingly common after being popularised by the skateboarding community. Believe it or not, a large amount of sneakerheads don’t even tie their laces, instead preferring to just wear them loose!

Another common debate in the world of lacing is should you pass your laces over or under the eyelets? While this may seem minor, to those in the sneaker industry it’s actually an ongoing feud as to which is the correct method. If you’re unsure what we’re referring to right now, we’re talking about the action of threading the lace through the eyelets when lacing up a pair of kicks, and whether you should come from underneath and outwards, or from the outside and beneath. Air Jordan 1s are one of the only sneakers on the market that don’t come factory laced, leaving this decision entirely up to the wearer.

Once again this is very much a personal choice, however after years in the footwear scene and with plenty of us coming from retail backgrounds here at The Sole Supplier, the general consensus is to lace your AJ1s from the outside (the over method). This creates a cleaner and more classic look that seems to be preferred by sneakerheads, so if you want your kicks looking as sharp as possible this seems to be the way to go.

Last but by no means least, and a subject we touched upon earlier briefly, it’s important to decide how you want to fasten your laces, or if you want to fasten them at all. Of course, if you intend to use your AJ1s for their original purpose (on the basketball court), then you’re going to want to tie them up in the traditional method and as tight as possible, however for the most part the Air Jordan 1 is now a lifestyle sneaker. That means that a looser knot or even no knot at all is perfectly suitable for daily wear.

The main takeaway from this in-depth look at lacing is to remember that everyone is different, and lacing is a personal choice depending on the needs of the wearer. The sneaker community can sometimes be a judgemental place, so remember to never take anything to heart and to wear your kicks how you want to - as that’s all that matters! Keep it locked in right here at The Sole Supplier for all the latest sneaker news and updates and while you are with us, make sure to check out the rest of our site.

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