Jordan 1 Midnight Navy CO.JP: Out of the Box
Highlights:
- Price: $170 MSRP [No Longer Available at Retail]
- Pros: Great design, Lots of special details
- Cons: A few cheap materials, Need to pay resale
Contents:
History:
The original Jordan 1 Midnight Navy CO.JP is one of the rarest Jordan 1s to ever drop. A Japanese exclusive from 2001, the brand only released 3,000 pairs. Thankfully, in honor of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that never happened, Jordan Brand and Nike are rereleasing several of the Japan-exclusive colorways of their sneakers.
With the limited number of the original available, prices were astronomical. With this release, Jordan brand gave a lot of people who never had a chance the opportunity to pick one up. The question is, is this a quality release? Or, did Jordan brand use this as a way to cash in on hype like the Mochas earlier this year? Let’s find out
The story of the Jordan 1 itself is great, but we’ve told it here before. Check out the review of the Jordan 1 Court Purple for more.
Looks:
Upper:
Jordan Brand decided to use the UNC color blocking as a base for these shoes. This means that the primary color is on every major panel except the tongue, toe box, midfoot, and ankle padding. On the Jordan 1 Midnight, that primary color is a mid-colored navy blue. Instead of a traditional leather, the brand used a fuzzy nubuck.
Elsewhere on the traditional UNC color blocking, the panels are white – a tradition that is kept here. These panels are made up of what looks like a heavily tumbled leather. This includes the ankle area, a change from what is normally a very smooth vinyl. The leather is also carried onto the tongue, where two different panels run all the way from the toe box to the ankle instead of the normal nylon. Further, the loop for the laces in the tongue only cuts through the leather, not the back padding.
There are a few changes from the traditional UNC formula. First, instead of a navy swoosh, the shoe features this panel in a metallic silver. The paint they use does a good job of catching a bit of light, without looking like a disco ball on your foot.
Second, instead of the traditional pressed and painted Jordan wings logo, this shoe features a sewn in jeweled version. While I would normally prefer the pressed version, I don’t mind Jordan brand breaking this out once every year or so. This is a fairly muted colorway, so it’s nice to have a bit of pop somewhere.
Finally, the last major visual change on the exterior of the upper is the Nike Air logo stitched into the tongue itself, rather than on a separate tag. While I can get behind the jewel wings logo, this is a styling detail that detracts from the shoe. While others may apricate that it gives the tongue a slimmer profile, I’d take a nylon tag every day of the week.
Interior and Outsole:
There are more exclusives to this colorway on the inside as well. Most noticeable is the slightly reflective sock liner. Not quite 3M, the sock liner does have a shimmery material woven into it that can catch the light. It’s a nice touch that makes the shoe feel special. On the back of the tongue, which also features the reflective material, a special patch listing 2001 to 2020 replaces the normal trademark language. Further inside the shoe, the navy-blue insole features the Jumpman next to the CO.JP logo.
Moving back to the exterior, the laces that come started are navy blue oval laces as opposed to the normal flat laces of the Jordan 1. I personally feel they look a bit too thin for the shoe, but that could be because I’m a size 13. Either way, the white laces will be going in once this review goes live.
Finishing off the shoe, the midsole and outsole are standard Jordan 1. This means a textured midsole, featuring stitching to hold it to the upper. An outsole with that classic traction pattern in navy-blue keeps your feet off the ground.
Fit & Comfort:
As with every Nike I’ve ever tried, these shoes fit long and narrow. With a cup sole that doesn’t give much stretch, most people probably will go up from their brannock sizing. For example, I measure an 11.75 D and take these in a size 13. If you have a narrow foot, you might be able to go a bit smaller.
While it’s impossible to find a Jordan 1 High sitting on shelves these days, the shoe fits exactly like the mid. I’d encourage you to try on a pair of those before buying.
For a full list of the sizes I take in all the shoes reviewed, click here
For the most part, the comfort is standard Jordan 1. It’s 35-year-old technology, and there is no getting around that. It’s pretty much impossible to really feel the air in the midsole, and everything else is just rubber. That being said, there are a few differences in this shoe compared to a normal Jordan 1.
First, the tongue features a lot less padding than normal. As I mentioned in my comparison between the Jordan 1 High, Mid, and Dunk High, the padding in the tongue is one of the areas that makes a Jordan 1 comfortable to me. I wonder how this thinner padding will compare.
On the other hand, I’m happy to say that the reflective material added to the liner didn’t impact comfort at all. You should still be comfortable in low socks, if that is the look you prefer for your 1s.
Materials:
This is such a nice change of pace after receiving the Mochas a few weeks ago. Where that pair had one or two good panels and the rest was garbage, the exact opposite is true here.
While the navy nubuck is almost certainly synthetic, it looks and feels great. There is just enough variation in the color that it doesn’t look like a cartoon, but without going too far the other direction. There were already a few small scratches in mine just from shipping, so it is still a good idea to keep an eye out when you walk.
The other main color, the white, features a really appealing tumbled leather look. Looking at the leather edges, it’s pretty clear that the tumbled section is pressed into a plastic coating, but the material feels soft enough that it might as well be real. Interestingly, the best cut of the leather is on the tongue panels.
The last part of the upper, the silver swoosh, is the only place where the shoe is really let down. This is very clearly a cheap, pressed-cloth panel with vinal coated over it. Out of the box it looks OK, but I have to image and scrapes will make it look pretty trashed, pretty quickly.
Finishing out the upper, the jewel logo has ¼ inch of rubber over it. This seems nice enough to the touch, but this also feels like it would scratch.
Ease of Care:
With the nubuck, swoosh, and jewel all areas you want to avoid scratching, you’ll probably want to be careful walking in these shoes. If something does happen, you’ll also want to be careful cleaning them as well. While the white panels are your standard water-and-a-rag option, the nubuck needs to be handled much more delicately. They sell special kits for cleaning it. I’d also try to avoid getting water along the edge of the swoosh, it could lead to pealing of the metallic paint.
Otherwise, try to keep a pair of shoe trees in when you’re not wearing them. This should help with creases as well as increase the life of the other interior materials.
Pricing:
Originally priced at $170, the Jordan 1 Midnight Navy ended up selling out immediately. Current resell on them isn’t too bad for a Jordan 1 in a post-last-dance world. Size 13s like these are currently selling for around $241 dollars. Other sizes range from $192 to $363.
This MSRP puts them in line with every other recent Jordan 1 release. From a resale perspective, they are less than almost everything out there. They do run about $30 more than the silver CO.JP from earlier this year, but otherwise they are just about the most affordable you can find.
Value:
As with every Jordan, the value is in the eye of the beholder rather than the combined cost of parts and labor. That being said, these make a really appealing choice. Especially at the current price. They are based on an extremely rare pair. They have a few features that set them apart. And, unlike the original 2001 pair or something like a “what the” 5s, these are easily wearable.
For a Jordan 1, they represent a great value.
Wrap Up:
After getting the Jordan 1 Midnight Navy from SNKRS and seeing the resale price, I was starting to worry about them. I thought the people who picked them up in person where dumping them quick.
These worries are gone now that this pair is in my hands. While I have been asking for the Chicago color blocking in purple for years and finally got it, these still might be my favorite Jordan 1 release of the year. They are wearable, differentiated from a normal 1, affordable (at least as much as a Jordan 1 can be).
What more could you want?
Do you agree? Do you disagree? Let me know in the comments below