In this installment of our Collaborators You Need to Know feature on the Stadium Supply blog we’ll be taking a look at legendary Los Angeles based retailer Union’s collaborations with Nike and Jordan Brand in celebration of its new Air Jordan 1 co-designed with Bephies Beauty Supply. Due to the excitement around the release, we thought it would be a great opportunity to take a look at why Union’s collaborations are some of the most unique—and certainly some of the most hyped—in all of sneaker culture.
Founded in New York City in 1989 by Undefeated’s Eddie Cruz, along with Mary Ann Fusco and James Jebbia, who later started a streetwear brand you may have heard of called Supreme in 1994, Union was one of the first retailers in the United States to carry limited edition, up-and-coming designers from Japan and the UK. After opening on Spring Street in Lower Manhattan, Union went on to form a close partnership with Shawn Stussy’s brand Stussy. With the help of Cruz and Jebbia and Fusco, Union eventually opened storefronts in Los Angeles and New York. In 1996, Chris Gibbs, Union’s current owner, moved to New York and landed a job at Union thanks to his wife, Bethany Gibbs, who is the founder of Bephies Beauty Supply, the women’s-focused streetwear brand that played a huge role in the development of the new Air Jordan 1 “Woven.”
Got all that?
After helping run the day-to-day operations of Union in New York with Fusco after Cruz formed Undefeated and Jebbia started Supreme, Gibbs was given the opportunity to buy Union’s Los Angeles location after its New York storefront shuttered in 2009. Chris and his wife Beth have owned Union from that day forward.
So, now that you know a little bit about Union’s history, let’s discuss some of its sneaker collaborations.
Union x Nike
Union’s first collaboration with Nike was called the “Clerks Pack” and it was released all the way back in 2005. Union’s Nike Air Force 180 was one of the most popular sneakers from the collection, which also included collaborations between Nike and Undefeated, Stussy, Size? and Huf.
Union also worked with Nike on other popular releases throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, but its most recent work with The Swoosh is unquestionably some of its most noteworthy. These shoes include…
Union x Nike Dunk Low “Passport Pack”
The Union x Nike Dunk Low “Passport Pack” is one of the most popular Dunk collaborations in recent years. The collection is inspired by the hunt for vintage Dunks that were released exclusively in overseas markets, particularly in Japan. As far as the “Passport Pack’s” value on the resale side of things, the collection’s three colorways are all worthy of consignment at Stadium Goods based on their current value.
Union x Jordan Brand
Union x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Storm Blue”
Union x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black Toe”
While Union had been working with Nike for years, the retailer’s first collaboration with Jordan Brand didn’t happen until 2018. Clearly, though, the wait for Union’s first crack at an Air Jordan colorway was worth it, as its two Air Jordan 1 High OGs, the “Storm Blue” and “Black Toe,” are some of the most inventive and desirable Jordans 1s ever. The colorways feature elements of classic Jordan 1 colorways fused together in a “do-it-yourself” aesthetic, a style that has since trended in a big way in sneaker culture.
Union x Air Jordan 4 “Off Noir”
Union x Air Jordan 4 “Guava Ice”
Union’s Jordan 1s played into the retro basketball shoe’s legacy, but the same cannot be said about its Air Jordan 4s from 2020. Both the “Off Noir” and “Guava Ice” Jordan 4s introduced a completely new aesthetic to the retro basketball shoe. Both pairs have a modified stitched-down tongue, a ballistic mesh upper, and a unique color scheme.
Union x Bephies Beauty Supply x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Woven”
Last but not least, we couldn’t close out this look at Union’s collaborations without showing love to its newest one: the Bephies Beauty Supply x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Woven.” As you can see, the look is anything but standard issue, as elements from the Nike Air Footscape Woven appear on the design with the woven textile layer integrated into the upper. The shoe also has the same collar as the “Neutral Grey” Jordan 1 from 1985, which is a design element seen on Union’s first Jordan 1.
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