Before the sneaker resale era truly kicked into high gear, before The Last Dance rekindled Air Jordan Mania, before Travis Scott or Virgil Abloh or Dior or A Ma Maniére collaborated on Js, there was Bin 23. Launched in 2010 as Jordan Brand’s most premium offering, the line was inspired by Michael Jordan’s taste for fine wines—the name is a nod to the winemaking process—and reinterpreted classic Air Jordans through a luxurious lens. We’re talking lush suedes and croc-embossed leathers, cedar shoe trees, and premium packaging, with each model made in small, numbered batches.
Before the project was put on pause in 2011, just five silhouettes got the Bin 23 treatment: the 5, 2, 13, 7, and 9. Those shoes still command a premium on the resale market due to their scarcity. Over 15 years after Bin 23’s original run, the brand brought the initiative back with a burgundy Air Jordan 3 at this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend. And this week, another Air Jordan model joins the opulent lineup.
The first-ever Bin 23 Air Jordan 8 feels like an nod to MJ’s passion for golf. The shoe comes decked out in fairway-green leather with sand-trap-esque gold detailing on the sockliner and beneath the silhouette’s signature straps. This new version maintains the silhouette’s iconic ‘23’ logo embedded on the cross-strap, but maxes the aesthetic out with an embossed pattern across the upper. The rich green tone carries down to the sole, save for an illustrative panel across the middle. Patches of nubuck leather and poly-satin add an extra dose of texture and sumptuousness, while the left shoe features a red Bin 23 stamp in place of the usual Jumpman logo.
