Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 Black & White: Sneaker Release Date, Price, Where To Buy

Jordan Brand is bringing back the Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 cut for its now annual February release with the Black and White colorway set to release on Wednesday for $200.

I’ve written about the Air Jordan 1 extensively — from its history to collabs to the much-anticipated Lost and Found colorway. Many still love the Air Jordan 1 and it’s their favorite silhouette, however, for others, the shoe has become a bit overexposed and perhaps too prevalent in recent years. Last month’s “True Blue” Air Jordan 1 has been readily available for retail well after its drop, for instance. This colorway of the ‘85 Cut will test its enduring hype.

For those who don’t know, there are several variations of the Air Jordan 1 — the Mid, the Low, the Low OG, the High OG and the ‘85 Cut. Yes, it’s a lot. Jordan Brand has shown restraint in limiting the ‘85 Cut to basically one release a year, with the “Georgetown” colorway releasing in 2022, the White/Neutral Grey colorway in 2021 and the Varsity Red in 2020. Of those three, the Varsity Red has the highest average sale price on StockX at $483, which represents a 125% price premium. All three of those colorways, however, have at least a 50% price premium, which shows they remain at least somewhat popular on the aftermarket. There was also a pair of the the ‘85 Cut as part of the New Beginnings Pack in 2020 with the Air Ship, aka the REAL banned shoe. That pack also has sold well on StockX, with an average sale price of $1,555 which represents a 211% price premium.

This release has been dubbed by some to be the “Panda” Air Jordan 1 thanks to its Black and White color blocking. The Panda Dunks have become ubiquitous thanks to constant restocks, so take the “Panda” nickname for these as a compliment or a pejorative at your own discretion. However, it should also be noted that this is an OG colorway that released in 1985 and has also been retroed twice — first in 2008 as part of the famed Countdown packs and then in 2014.

SNKRS notes that the Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 Black and White comes with “a higher collar, wider toebox and premium hangtag in classic, go-with-everything colors.” As always, the ‘85 Cut comes the closest of all Air Jordan 1s to recreating the original specs. Past ‘85 Cut models have featured premium leather and there is no reason to think this release will be any different. The black and white color blocking will be easy to put together with any fit, although some might consider it a bit boring and/or superfluous for those who also own a pair(s) of the Panda Dunks.

For me, personally, this is the least exciting of the ‘85 Cuts released to date. However, in fairness, I am finding it hard to get hyped about any Air Jordan 1 after getting my Lost and Founds — I’m not likely to pick any pair ahead of that one if I’m jonesing for AJ1 day (although I’m down for a Black/Royal drop this year Jordan Brand!). So these are a pass for me, but best of luck if you’re looking to pick up a pair!

To see more of this month’s releases, check out our release date calendar.