By Will Startup
I thought I had snagged my prize pair of cleats back in August with a sample model of the Jordan Trunner Dominate Metal. I had seen a fuzzy picture earlier this summer from the Jordan Brand catalog of the Air Jordan 12 metal and molded. I wondered if this was going to be a special “Player Edition” only for Jordan Brand athletes or a general release. I had the privilege of going to an aspiring shoe designer’s workshop at Wish, a popular shoe boutique in Atlanta where I listened to Jason Mayden and Gemo Wong, two Jordan Brand designers, talk about the future of the brand. I got some one on one time with Jason, who is the Senior Global Design Director at Jordan Brand. I told him a quick baseball background on myself and asked, “With the prevalence of special models being passed out to Sabathia, Gio Gonzalez, Crawford, Rollins, and a few others, will there be a signature Jordan cleat release to the public?” He said, “We should be doing something soon.”
Next thing I know, @whatproswear posts a photo of the Air Jordan 12 metal from @reynolds_n_sons‘ account. Luckily, thanks to my affiliation with WPW, I was able to snag a pair, and boy did they deliver.
What has left me scratching my head and clamoring for a pair is that, to the best of my knowledge, Reynolds and Sons, Oneness, and Extra Butter have been the only boutiques to release them. You heard me right, boutiques! After a few website crashes due to unexpected traffic, these cleats are sold out. I don’t understand why only 3 stores with Jordan accounts would be chosen to release a limited amount. Is this all that we will see of them? Will there be a mass general release to the public? I have my suspicions that resellers have taken full advantage of this opportunity. I saw a pair of the Air Jordan 12 MCS going for $180 with plenty of time left in the auction. And a quick peak on eBay showed me that you can “buy it now” (metal) for $200. These cleats are retailing for $125.
What’s your strategy? Will you sleep on them and hopefully snag a pair if they drop on Eastbay? Or do you have to have them at all costs? I will tell you this, I own a pair of Air Jordan 12 basketball shoes and they match the quality with the only modification being the different midsole/outsole for the cleated bottom. I am excited to be wearing the Air Jordan 12 “Playoffs” for next season. Thank you to Reynolds and Sons for hooking me up.
Great article, great cleats. Dick’s Sporting Goods Website is selling the cleats in select sizes (8, 8.5, 14, 15, 16).
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=23773126&kw=jordan+12+baseball+cleats&origkw=jordan+12+baseball+cleats
Just ordered a pair of molded size 11 off eastbay! Last season I had customcleats.com make me a pair of Jordan 11’s which were sick but the shoe doesnt hold up to the wear and tear of a baseball season as they are really basketball shoes.