Chris Gibbs didn't just want to make another sneaker. When Union LA sat down with the Jordan Brand team back in 2018, the goal wasn't just to slap a logo on a heel counter and call it a day. They wanted something that felt like a basement find. You know the feeling. You’re digging through a bin at a thrift store in the middle of nowhere, and you find a pair of 1985 Jordans that have been butchered and stitched back together with parts from another shoe. That "Frankenstein" aesthetic is exactly what birthed the Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago.
It’s messy. It’s loud. Honestly, it shouldn't work. Taking the most iconic colorway in history—the Chicago—and stitching it to the collar of a "White/Grey" pair using thick, zigzag blue thread sounds like a DIY project gone wrong. But it isn't. It’s arguably the most influential sneaker of the last decade because it proved that "vintage" isn't just a trend; it's a feeling.
The Story Behind the Stitching
The Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago (officially known as the "BV1300-106") didn't just drop out of thin air. Union LA has been a staple of streetwear since 1989, first in NYC and then famously on La Brea in Los Angeles. Gibbs grew up during the era when people actually wore their shoes until the soles fell off. If you ripped your Jordans, you fixed them. This shoe is a love letter to that era of necessity.
The design team spent countless hours obsessing over the "weathering." They didn't want it to look like a factory-fresh shoe. They wanted the leather to feel slightly yellowed. They wanted the edges of the panels to show that raw, tan piping that usually only happens after thirty years of oxidation. Most people think the "Chicago" part is the whole shoe, but it’s really just the bottom half. The top? That’s borrowed from the original 1985 Neutral Grey Jordan 1.
Why do that? Because it creates a visual tension. Your brain sees the red and black of the Chicago and expects the rest of the shoe to follow suit. When it hits that blue zigzag stitching and transitions into grey suede, it forces you to look closer. It’s a design trick that worked so well it spawned a thousand imitators.
Why This Specific Pair Changed the Market
Before 2018, collaborations were getting a little stale. We were seeing a lot of simple color swaps. Then the Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago arrived and basically broke the internet. It introduced a "deconstructed" look that felt more authentic than what Virgil Abloh was doing with Off-White at the time. While Virgil was about the process and the industrialism, Union was about the history and the grit.
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Look at the materials. The leather on these is significantly thicker and softer than your standard "GR" (General Release) Jordan 1. If you press your thumb into the red toe box, the grain reacts. It doesn't have that plastic-coated feel that plagues so many modern retros. That’s a huge reason why the resale price stayed in the four-figure range for years. People weren't just buying a hype item; they were buying a premium piece of footwear.
Breaking Down the Details
- The Yellowed Midsole: It’s not just "sail." It has a specific patina that mimics the polyurethane breakdown of the 80s.
- The UN/LA Tag: A small, yellow fabric hit under the "Wings" logo. It’s subtle, but it’s the hallmark of the collaboration.
- The Laces: Two-tone. They start as cream and transition into black. It’s a nightmare to replace if you lose them, so don't.
- The Tongue: Oversized and showing the interior foam. It’s a nod to the era when sportswear was a bit more rugged and less "polished."
The Fake-Out and the Hype
Let’s talk about the launch. It was genius. Union set up a booth at a local flea market and put the shoes out on a dusty table. They didn't tell anyone they were the real deal. They even had a "shill" actor pretending to be a grumpy old man selling "fake" shoes. People walked by and scoffed at them.
"Look at this trash," someone probably thought. "The stitching is all wrong."
That was the point. The Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago was designed to look like a bootleg. When the world realized they were official and incredibly limited, the scramble began. It’s a masterclass in marketing that relied on the product’s inherent "weirdness" rather than a massive ad spend.
How to Tell if You’re Looking at a Real Pair
Because these are so expensive—often hovering between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on the size—the market is flooded with high-quality fakes. If you’re hunting for a pair of the Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago, you have to be obsessive.
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First, look at the "Wings" logo. On the Union pair, the logo is significantly larger than on a standard Jordan 1. It should actually bleed over the stitching into the lower panel. Most counterfeiters miss this; they use the standard-sized stamp. Second, check the blue stitching. On an authentic pair, the spacing is irregular by design, but the thread itself has a slight sheen to it. Cheap replicas use a flat, matte thread that looks "dead."
And then there's the smell. It sounds weird, I know. But real Jordans from this era have a specific, chemically leather scent. Fakes often smell like industrial glue. If you open the box and it smells like a Sharpie factory, walk away.
The Legacy of the "Double-Stitch"
Since this shoe dropped, we’ve seen the "Union effect" everywhere. Even Jordan Brand’s mainline releases started using "exposed foam" tongues and "vintage" midsoles. The "Lost and Found" Chicago 1 that dropped recently? You can trace its DNA directly back to the success of the Union collab.
But nothing quite hits like the original. The Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago isn't just a shoe you wear to look cool. It’s a piece of storytelling. It represents the intersection of Japanese obsessive curation—thanks to the influence of Gibbs’ wife, Beth Birkett, and their connections to the Ura-Harajuku scene—and classic American sportswear.
Common Misconceptions
People often get the two Union colorways confused. There’s the "Black Toe" version and the "Storm Blue" version. The one we’re talking about is the Black Toe/Chicago hybrid. Some collectors call it the "Union Chicago" because of that iconic red heel and toe, but technically, the official colorway is White/Black-Varsity Red.
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Another mistake? Thinking they are uncomfortable. Most Jordan 1s feel like walking on a wooden plank. However, the Union pairs used a slightly better polyurethane drop-in or just better-lasting board-lasting, because they feel "broken in" right out of the box. Maybe it's the softer leather. Maybe it's just the placebo of wearing $2,000 on your feet. Either way, they’re surprisingly wearable.
Why the Market Value Won't Drop
Sneaker prices have cooled off lately. The "Great Sneaker Recession" of 2023 and 2024 saw prices for Jordans and Dunks plummet. But the Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago held its ground. Why? Because it’s a "grail."
In the sneaker world, a grail is a shoe that transcends trends. It’s the kind of pair that someone who owns 100 shoes still considers their favorite. Because the production numbers were relatively low and the "story" behind the shoe is so strong, there will always be more demand than supply. Plus, as people wear their pairs into the ground, the number of "Deadstock" (brand new) pairs shrinks, driving the price even higher.
Practical Steps for Collectors
If you're serious about adding the Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago to your rotation, don't just jump on the first "good deal" you see on a secondary marketplace. This shoe is one of the most replicated items in history.
- Use a Reputable Middleman: Stick to platforms like GOAT, eBay (with their authenticity guarantee), or StockX. Even then, do your own homework.
- Inspect the Swoosh: The Swoosh on the Union 1 is slightly larger than the 2015 Chicago 1. It should feel "oversized."
- Check the Box: The box art is incredibly detailed with sketches of the design process. Fakes often have blurry printing or colors that are slightly too "warm."
- Demand Proof of Purchase: If you're buying from a private seller on a forum or Discord, ask for the original Union LA receipt. It won't guarantee authenticity, but it adds a layer of history.
Owning this shoe is basically owning a piece of 2010s streetwear history. It’s the moment the "DIY" aesthetic went mainstream and stayed there. It’s bold, it’s expensive, and honestly, it’s probably the last "perfect" Air Jordan 1 collaboration we’re ever going to get.
The next step for any serious enthusiast is to look at the aging process. If you buy a pair, wear them. These shoes look better with scuffs. They look better when the cream laces get a little dirty. They were designed to look old, so let them grow old. That’s where the real value lies.
For those looking to track market trends, keep an eye on the upcoming Union collaborations. Whenever a new Union x Jordan drops, the price of the original Air Jordan 1 Union Chicago tends to spike as people try to complete the set. Secure your pair during the "off-season" when the hype is quiet. Usually, that’s mid-winter or late summer when people aren't thinking about heavy leather high-tops.