First Look at the Air Jordan 1 High 85 Chicago

Jordan Brand has run with the “banned” narrative surrounding the Air Jordan 1 throughout 2025, as this year marks the sneaker’s 40th birthday. To celebrate, we were treated to the most accurate Air Jordan 1 High retro to date with an updated version of the ‘85 cut on the illustrious Bred colorway. The painstaking recreation has us all excited for the future of the Air Jordan 1 High 85, especially considering other legendary OG colorways getting the treatment, like the Chicago colorway, which has just appeared online.

Posted by Julian Gaines, who goes by Ju Working on Projects, recently highlighted his visit to Jordan Brand’s HQ, showcasing the Air Jordan 1 High 85 Chicago in all its glory. The photo showcases the sneaker in the packaging you’d find for your standard Air Jordan 1 High 85, including the tech spec card attached to the lacing setup, with the Chicago colorways white, red, and black colorblocking remaining identical to the OG. Compared to the standard Air Jordan 1 Retro OG that we get today, the collar's height, the leather's thickness, and the general shape of the silhouette are all changed to reflect the original version of the AJ 1 from 1985.

Typically, Jordan Brand only produces one pair of Jordan 1 High 85s for the public in a calendar year. Still, with the 40th anniversary, it seems that they’ve made multiple colorways of the sneaker for friends and family of the label. In December, Chase B, close friend and DJ of Travis Scott, shared images of the 85 cut in the Royal colorway, complete with retail packaging, and just last week, fragment design’s Hiroshi Fujiwara posted photos of him wearing a Shadow 2.0 colorway of the AJ 1 High 85. Neither of these colorways are confirmed to release in 2025, though it’s possible they will hit shelves in the future.

As of now, there are solidified plans for the release of the Air Jordan 1 High 85 Chicago, but based on how Jordan Brand is starting to give us more OG colors of the AJ 1 on the ‘85 cut, expect to see it on the sneaker in the next few years. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app for more updates on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com