Fashion
Aleali May’s New Jordan Collection Offers Apparel For The First Time
Featuring tear-away pants, a varsity jacket, and more.
Aleali May didn’t just become a renowned stylist, consultant, model, plus the first woman to ever design a unisex Jordan sneaker overnight. It took hard work, dedication, and molding that often starts from those early years of finding yourself. Her latest collaboration with Jordan pays homage to just that, the young Aleali.
Released on Monday, April 26, May and Nike’s Jordan Brand teamed up to, not only collaborate on their fourth sneaker together, but also launch an apparel line for the first time. The latest collection is titled “Califia,” a reference to the Black queen who inspired the state of California’s name, and was inspired by May’s time on her high school drill team, as well as the style, culture, and swag that comes with being a high school teen from Los Angeles.
“In this particular collaboration, I wanted to cater to the start of young Aleali finding her confidence,” May said during her ‘Behind the Design’ segment with SNKRS. “She lives in Los Angeles. The extracurricular activities really boosted that confidence.”
It was May’s time on drill team that helped break her shyness and gain confidence to build the foundation of who she is today. As an homage, she took the royal blue and green colors of her alma maters, Hillcrest Drive Elementary and Inglewood High, as the base of the collection. The new “Califia” Air Jordan 1s are outfitted in a leather royal blue upper with a redefined satin green high-top and swoosh, and finished with a chenille Air Jordan logo emblem on the side. The apparel takes inspiration from drill and basketball team warm-up attire, featuring a varsity jacket, pleated drawstring shorts, oversized tear-away pants, and a layered crop top.
Considering this is a women’s exclusive drop, there has been some major hype around this new collection, so you’ll want to act fast. Aleali May’s “Califia” Air Jordan 1, which retails for $140, is already sold out, while the apparel collection, ranging in price from $60 to $200, is still up for grabs. And if you don’t get your hands on this drop, don’t worry. Another collab could be coming soon, so stay tuned.
Below, get a closer look at the new collection and AJ1s in the latest campaign.
