Billie Eilish has long shown her affinity to retro Jordans, often wearing Air Jordan 1s and praising Nike and Jordan Brand. Perhaps the music industry’s most loyal fan to the brands — save for hypebeasts Travis Scott and Drake — Eilish has partnered with Jordan Brand to unveil new colorways of retro Jordans and has hinted at a sneaker collaboration for some time, even saying a partnership was in the works when she appeared on an episode of Complex’s Sneaker Shopping in 2019.
Per Highsnobiety, Jordan Brand VP of Footwear Gentry Humphrey has also commented on a potential collaboration in the past, saying: “You see us doing things with folks like Aleali May, you see us, gonna be doing some things with folks like Billie Eilish.”
The evidence builds —
Two years after the rumors began, we’re getting our first close-up look at the possible collaboration thanks to leaked images of a neon Air Jordan 1 KO and co-branded file. Shared by @PVASneakers, both pictures encompass details that tie the partnership back to Eilish, including her signature name logo on the file — which also bears Nike’s Swoosh and Jordan Brand’s Jumpman — as well as her stick-figure Blohsh logo on the tongue of the shoe. All combined with the sneaker’s bright green hue — otherwise known as Eilish’s favorite color — makes the collaboration nearly official.
With an all-over neon green leather upper, the AJ1KO features extra padding, a debossed Jordan Wings logo, and lines of stitching on the sides for a quilted look. Eilish’s signature tilted stick-figure logo sits on the tongue, while custom insoles no longer read “Air Jordan,” but “Billie Eilish,” making it clear whose shoes you’re wearing — if the luminescent green shade wasn’t clue enough.
Reportedly named “Volt,” the shoe’s monochromatic color scheme looks comparable to Don C’s “Ghost Green” Jordan Legacy 312, which Eilish labeled in the aforementioned Complex episode as one of her favorite pairs. It’s not the only neon sneaker Nike has planned for this year, either — Ambush’s Yoon Anh has a very similar highlighter yellow AJ1 scheduled for release soon.
Release TBD —
Despite the damning evidence, not much else is known about the upcoming collaboration. A release may come later this year to align with Eilish’s album release in July, though Nike is just as likely to push the release back in favor of other bright launches. With fans already waiting for a collaboration since 2019, the brand may figure they can wait a while longer.
