The AJ1 Rookie of the Year are fairly popular, but these seem to have snuck under the radar. The Air Jordan 1 Hyper Royal are rather plain compared to some of the other non-OG colorways that have dropped recently.
I’m not even sure there’s a story attached to these and all this combined with a lack of hype has these floating around under retail pretty much everywhere. They get their name from the colorway.
The color I think is a bit off-putting to some, who have claimed it’s “too much blue”. I’ll admit, kicks this blue are tough to match up. Blue denim could be way too on the nose for these. I would stick to grey, black or khaki-colored pants with these for best effect. A white or grey top can easily finish the look. Overall, staying away from anything else blue will help these pop in a positive way and help avoid your outfit looking like the blue dot emoji.
I’m in the AJ1 buying zone right now and I kind of just copped these because they’re inexpensive. Having them in hand, I feel like I got a tremendous value for the money. As we’ve seen with J1s, even the super hated on pairs eventually go up in price, so my advice is to jump on them for under retail if you can.
How Are The Materials?
These materials are actually fairly decent. While not as plush as the ROTY leather, the quality still seems rugged yet somewhat soft and pliable. Due to the all leather construction (except of course the nylon tongue), there’s not a lot to say about the materials other than that the leather is ok. Overall, materials fiends will not be turned off or on by the leather, and it’s definitely passable for a Jordan retro. I will point out that the swooshes tend to have QC issues on this pair, so if the paneling looks a bit off from one shoe to the next, don’t panic! From what I’ve read online, par for the course on these.
How Do They Fit?
The Air Jordan 1 Hyper Royal fit true to the typical narrow Nike sizing. Generally, true to size is the best option here, but expect a slightly skinny fit that you will need to break in. J1s aren’t known for their comfort, but these work decently enough for wearing casually for a couple hours!
Where To Cop the Air Jordan 1 Hyper Royal
As of the writing of this article, you can find them on eBay
Colorway: Hyper Royal / Sail
Style Code: 555088-401
Year of Release: 2018
MSRP: $160