DETROIT – A single pair of Air Jordans can fetch thousands of dollars, and now there’s a special Detroit-themed pair set to go on sale later this month.
The designs came from Two18, the high-end streetwear boutique in Eastern Market. Their sister store is Burn Rubber in Royal Oak.
Owner, DJ and musician Roland ‘Ro Spit’ Coit said when he got the call about the opportunity last spring, he was in such disbelief that he hung up.
“I’m like ‘Man this is a sick joke, don’t play with me like that,’” said Coit. “He was like ‘Naw man you’ve been chosen for the International Flight Club, you’re going to be the first in the program.’”
Only two other stores were chosen; one in South Africa and another in the Philippines.
For months, Coit, Burn Rubber manager Jay John, Two18 manager Alex Collins and Two18 brand manager Mario Butterfield worked to design something people in this area could be proud of as well as something people across the world could learn from.
“Just a piece of Detroit, our story, that we matter, we’re here, we’ve always been here,” Coit said.
The designs tell that story with intention. The shoe box is marked with a Detroit postcard.
The tissue paper the sneakers are wrapped in as well as the insole features a map of Detroit as well as nearby cities like Oak Park, Royal Oak and Pontiac, where Coit is from. It’s representation he wishes he had growing up.
The designs also incorporate the story of what Flint was and is still dealing with.
“I wanted to show that this is the color of the tainted water and as we move forward we want it to get back to clean clear water,” said Coit.
Then there’s the color of the sneaker.
Coit explains that a lot of friends he has who are from here but relocated miss having all four seasons and the fashion that comes with it.
“You think back to growing up here, you think about Rockport boots, you think about pellet jackets,” said Coit.
The blue and red stitching on the side are part of the high-end store’s brand.
Coit describes the symbolic features in the shoes as Easter eggs and there are many more you can discover when you get a closer look at the shoes.
After years of designing for multiple major shoe companies, Coit said this opportunity is the pinnacle.
“I think when they’re all gone, I’ll sit back and exhale, maybe have a drink and sit back and say we did that but as of right now there’s still work to do so we gotta sell it,” Coit said.
There is an exclusive release on Oct. 14 at 2:18 p.m. at Two18 in Detroit and 7 p.m. at Burn Rubber in Royal Oak.
The international release is Oct. 21 and can be found on the Nike SNKRS app.
The shoe will have matching apparel including t-shirts, shorts, jogging suits and sweatshirts. The sneakers cost $200.
For more on Two18, click here.