THE JUMPMAN ON THE PITCH

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About six months ago I wrote a piece on the website where I stated that lifestyle and soccer had come to a peak with the collaboration of PSG and the Jordan Brand. When I first learned about the range, I was just a fanboy searching through all the press releases and images of the collection online and getting my wallet ready to buy the entire collection. The collection that represented, so perfectly, everything that we’ve been talking about at KTTP for the past four years. 

At that time it was a far-fetched notion of mine to shoot the iconic collection in action on the pitch. But just like a lot of my great notions in recent years, far-fetched isn’t always so far off. On the back of 2 and a half weeks of bouncing around cities in the UK and Europe fate would have it that PSG and Man U were meeting in the Champions League at the same time we were in Paris. 

The football gods smiled on me and the far-fetched idea became reality. I was blessed with the opportunity to shoot the second leg of PSG’s Champions League quarterfinal with Manchester United in Paris. The stage was set, and thanks to the homies at PSG, my photographer credential was set as well. 

The day before the match, I visited the PSG training facility to shoot the first 15 minutes of training. I got an up-close look at the training outfits. Bold red mixed with black pants spoke to that iconic “BRED” colorway that Jordan Brand has made infamous. Mbappe broke out the special edition Jordan Vapors. In the corner of the trainging ground stood two basketball hoops next to a soccer goal, painting a quite literal picture of the combination of two worlds. 

On match day the energy was buzzing from the streets to the metro, this was no ordinary day. One thing that was different for me, was waiting until the evening for the match to start. In the US I’m accustomed to watching Champions League matches at lunchtime. That wait intensified my anticipation. The combination of it being my first Champions League match (as a photographer and/or spectator), my first match at Parc des Princes, the significance of the match, and the thought that this far-fetched drea, was actually happening made for a few nerves. And then it rained and continued to rain pretty much the entire match. 

The rain set a unique frame for a match that held such significance. And while the result didn’t have PSG shining in the end, the Jumpman on the pitch definitely did. It wasn’t just the kits during the match. From the aforementioned “BRED” warmup/training fits to the all black coaching gear to bright white Flyknit pregame track tops to seeing fans rock both the home and the away kits in the stands (I didn’t see anyone with my coaches jacket though)–it was evident Jordan Brand and PSG came correct on all levels with this one. I even got a bonus snap of a fellow photographers fire on feet with his Jordan 1s. 

Of course, the black “home” kits did not disappoint visually on the pitch. Whether it was the whole team huddled together in moments like the team photo and celebrating the first goal or an individual player coming over to the corner flag to take a corner, the black kits with white the Jumpman showed out. No lie, every time I put my camera to my eye I said to myself, “man those kits look good.” Down to the Jumpman over “Paris” on the socks, all the little details of this kit just work.

One thing I did notice was missing, was the Jumpman on the feet of Mbappe. Now, I know this was probably due to some contractual obligations and what not, but still, a match of this level and a player of Mbappe’s level, you want the potential man of the night rocking the Jumpman on feet. Regardless of that omission (and of course the outcome of the match),  photographing the Jumpman on the pitch was well worth it. Jordan Brand set the bar high for themselves with this one, we are all waiting for next season. Too soon, too soon, I know.

OP ED | PSG x JORDAN: MORE THAN PRODUCT

So it has been two days since the reveal and then subsequent release of the highly rumored and anticipated PSG x Jordan Brand collection. The day the collection was revealed, I wrote down my thoughts on how I felt the collection was the culmination of everything we have been speaking about at KTTP for the past few years.

This drop of products holds a bit more weight to me than I think most will realize. While I didn’t have any hand in the creation of it, I feel like I did. I have been grinding for the past almost 4 years with my KTTP family, pushing the conversation about sneaker culture colliding with the game of soccer, a conversation that not too many were having. Yes, at the end of the day it’s just product, but what you have to understand is that this collection is the realization and picture of what I have dedicated most of every waking moment of my life to for the last few years talking about, pushing and creating around.

To see the Jumpman logo OFFICIALLY paired with a major soccer team (not just a player) is the embodiment of Sneakers (kicks) meeting Soccer. To see the conversation we helped start come round to this point in such a short time is dope. This is what we have BEEN talking about, this is what we SAW coming… Make no mistake this collection is Kicks to the Pitch and I look forward to seeing what is next and where it goes from here.

Ok, so now that the dust has settled, you know how I feel about it, the collection has dropped (most of it), and our wallets/bank accounts are empty, let’s take a second to appreciate the depth of the range that was released and/or what’s to come. The pieces that really stand out to me are pretty much anything that has the oversized PSG x Jordan logo on the back. For example the Coaches Jacket, Black Tee shirt and Long Sleeve Crewneck Sweater. Of course, you can’t overlook the Jordan 5s, the Jordan 1s dropping in Oct, the mercurial 360s and Phantom VSNs donning the Jumpman on the heel and the special edition Champions league home and away third kits. When PSG steps on the field this coming week with Jumpman logo on their chest, it will definitely mark a moment in both soccer and sneaker culture history.

Be sure to head over to World Soccer Shop where you can still get your hands on some of the collection.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS ON THE IMPENDING PSG X JORDAN COLLAB

It is obviously no secret: PSG and Jordan Brand as we all know have linked up for an extensive soccer and lifestyle collection and the day to finally see all of it is only getting nearer. Before that day comes though, I thought it best to share my initial outlook on such a collaboration in order to spark conversation that perhaps reveals the same concerns I may have as well as all the possibilities others may see that I am overlooking.

To begin, I am not surprised that such a collaboration has come about. In recent years, Jordan Brand has made moves to distinguish itself as more than just a basketball brand. In college football here in the United States, Jordan brand now outfits some of the most recognized programs such as the University of Michigan, University of Florida, and Oklahoma. The heart of this partnership is recruitment. A relationship with Jordan brand allows a school to attract the best prospects in the country while at same time maintain the cultural relevance of the Jumpman.

If our memory serves us right, this will not be Jordan brand’s first foray into soccer. Just two years ago, Jordan brand linked up with Neymar for the NJR x Jordan Collection. The project featured a Bred Brazil jersey but was highlighted by Hypervenom boots inspired by the iconic Jordan 5. At the time, and still to this day, I saw this collection as a more logical collaboration. Numerous athletes both in the baseball and football world had already taken their love of J’s on to the field with unique cleats, and most recently we now even have Kyrie Irving bringing a new spark back to the Nike SB Dunks with his latest special edition Lobster Kyrie IV’s.

The concerns I have with this Jordan collaboration, therefore, lie more on the apparel side. On the lifestyle side, I am intrigued by the strong pieces already revealed by the likes of Justin Timberlake and Travis Scott. Both are items I would pick up in an instant, especially the basketball jersey worn by Scott which takes a clever spin to the Paris branding. It is only as we move to the pitch offerings that I become more apprehensive of this partnership. Initially, I fell in the same camp as the soccer purists who thought it absurd for a brand with a man holding a basketball to grace the likes of a soccer jersey. It seems awkward no doubt, but essentially it’s something I can get over because I do think that there can be a place for Jordan brand in the world of soccer.

What I hope took place in those meetings between PSG and Jordan execs is therefore a real discussion on what Jordan can offer to kit design. From what I have seen in the past, Jordan brand has made little effort to distinguish itself from its parent company, Nike. Both the Jumpman and swoosh seem interchangeable which leads to my next point. If this collection is simply about brand recognition or “corporate theater” as Paul Lukas has referred to past Jordan collabs, then this partnership will be somewhat of a disappointment as well as a missed opportunity to take this growing soccer culture past the hype and into new frontiers with real possibilities.