If someone asked me what my ultimate, dream, pie in the sky project or brand collab would be, I would say to design an Air Jordan sneaker, without hesitation. And unfortunately, there hasn’t really been many women with Jordan sneaker collabs. Doing research for this post was actually pretty difficult because even when women do collaborate with Jordan there seems to be little press coverage about it. Things are definitely improving, but seeing how the brand has been around since 1984 and I could only find less than 10 women… um, that doesn’t quite add up to me. And this isn’t just a Jordan problem by any means. There is a HUGE disparity when it comes to women streetwear and sneakers collabs as a whole. Even the number of female athletes with a signature shoe is *extremely* minuscule.
In recent years, Jordan Brand has been stepping up their game when it comes to serving women. (Mostly because they finally realized how profitable it is.) In 2018, Nike released a collection of 10 new takes on the Air Force 1 and Air Jordan 1 designed by 14 female Nike employees. There was also a 2018 Jordan collab with Vogue, which is obviously pretty iconic (read more about the impact of this collab on the AIR.Jordan blog). We have also seen an increase in the number of Air Jordan sneakers released in actual women’s sizes, not just grade school. According to Input Mag, women now account for 24 percent of all Jordan consumers.
In the above photos, I’m wearing the most recent Aleali May drop, the Jordan 1 High Zoom CMFT “Califia.”
Women with Jordan Sneaker Collabs
Here’s a list of all the women I could find with their own Jordan Brand sneakers. From designers to athletes, these women are killin’ the streetwear game and gettin’ their coins! #Goals.
Vashtie Kola
In 2010, Vashtie Kola became the first woman to design a colorway for the Jordan brand. Vashtie is a DJ, designer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. After making a name for herself in the streetwear world on social media, having a super dope sneaker cake go viral, and then bumping into a friend who happened to work at Jordan, Vashtie’s lavender Jordan 2 was born. In a 2020 blog post, Vashtie wrote: “Like I said, I couldn’t afford anything name brand as a kid. I grew up obsessed with sneakers and spending my free time drawing them and designing things for fun. I don’t rap and I don’t play sports, but here I am – the first girl to have a Brand Jordan Deal.”
Aleali May
In 2017, stylist and entrepreneur Aleali May became the first woman in the brand’s history to design a unisex shoe. Since the release of her Air Jordan 1 “Shadow” (which resells for $1,300–$5,000!!), Aleali has released three more highly sought-after Jordan sneakers. The Jordan 1 Retro High “Court Lux” released in 2018, in collaboration with WNBA star Maya Moore (more on her below). Followed by the “Millennial Pink” Jordan 6 Retros in 2019. And in 2021, she reimagined the Jordan 1 High Zoom (which I own and love).
Melody Ehsani
In 2019, designer Melody Ehsani released her super dope Air Jordan I Mid “Fearless” sneaks. The colorful shoe features a decorative gold watch and a hand-lettered quote that reads, “If you knew what you had was rare, you would never waste it.” The shoe currently resells for over $1,000! Her second Jordan release, in 2020, was a recreation of the iconic Women’s Air Jordan OG sneaker. The silhouette was originally released in 1998 as the first Jordan created for female athletes. Melody’s OG sneaker features a black upper with red accents, 3M piping, and a cherry charm on the front. It was fittingly released during Women’s History Month. Melody currently holds the title of Creative Director of Footlocker Women’s Global.
Billie Eilish
In 2021, singer and songwriter Billie Eilish released two Air Jordan sneaker collabs. The Grammy-winning artist put her own spin on the Jordan 1 Retro AJKO and the Jordan 15 Retro. The AJKO silhouette originally released for $140. It is a fun, vibrant ghost green color that feels youthful and cool, like her. The 15’s retailed for $190. They are a nice contrast to the 1’s, as they are a neutral beige color that you can easily rock on a daily basis. Honestly, I’d love to cop both of them.
Jasmine Jordan
In 2016, non other than Michael Jordan’s daughter, Jasmine Jordan, joined the ranks of female sneaker designers with her “Heiress” sneaker drop. The Jordan 11 Retro Heiress “Night Maroon” features luxe velvet and gold details. Since then, she has released quite a few other “Heiress” sneakers, including the Jordan 11 Retro “Black Stingray” and the “Pure Platinum” 11 Lows. Jasmine studied sports management at Syracuse University (where I went to grad school! Go orange!!) and currently works as a field representative for Jordan Brand, according to InStyle.
Serena Williams
In 2017, Jordan Brand gave Tennis star Serena Williams her own Jordan 1 sneaker in honor of her 23rd Grand Slam title. The “Hyper Pink” shoe features her signature logo on the tongue and heel. She also helped design the unique silhouette of the Nike Court Flare AJ1, which relased in 2017 in both the Hyper Pink and Bred colorway. Serena has been signed to Nike since 2003 and has had many other shoe and apparel releases over the years.
Maya Moore
In 2011, WNBA legend Maya Moore was the first female basketball player to sign with the Jordan Brand. She’s had multiple dedicated colorways over the years, including player exclusives. Her 2017 Retro 10 features Colossians 3:23 on the heel as a tribute to her faith. And “Fuchsia Flash” details, which is one of her favorite colors that’s been used on a few of her Jordans. She’s released a couple of Jordan 1 colorways (check ’em out here and here) and some Retro 7s, to name a few. And in 2018, she teamed up with Aleali May for the design of another Jordan 10 with a blue upper and purple and red accents. The 2018 Jordan 11 Retro Low “Think 16 Rook To Queen” sneakers were also made to honor the hoop star.
Sheila Rashid
In 2020, Chicago-based designer Sheila Rashid joined the small club of women who’ve designed Jordans. Selected as part of the 8×8 UNITE collection, the AJ 1 Mids are inspired by the purple transit line in Chicago. The purple and gray shoe is unisex. You can also check out her clothing shop SheilaRashid.com.
Did I forget any women with Jordan sneaker collabs? Let me know so I can add them!
Who would you like to see design a Jordan sneaker?
Love this list!! All amazing!!
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Thank you so much for checking it out!