UNC Tar Heels and Florida Gators Receive Luxurious Air Jordan 1 PEs

Jordan Brand frequently blesses its sponsored schools with ultra-exclusive PE footwear, and the latest beneficiaries are the UNC Tar Heels and Florida Gators, both of whom have received ultra-exclusive Air Jordan 1s. Constructed from faux stingray, croc and cracked leather, both collegiate colorways boast a high-end air of lifestyle luxury that’s normally not spotted on player edition designs. Limited to a scant 250 pairs per style, they also use a recognizable slanted Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG cut — not the flat collar plane from the new Air Jordan 1 Hi ‘85.

UNC — Michael Jordan‘s alma mater — leads things off with crisp white quarter panels surrounded by obsidian Swooshes, toeboxes, heel counters and collar flaps, plus powder blue mudguards, eyestays, collars and ball-and-wings logos. This familiar palette is ramped up by its luxurious textures, and an ever-so-small lasered “UNC/FB/” graphic on the medial quarter indicates that this design may be for the Tar Heels’ football team. NC branding replaces standard Nike Air hits on the left shoe’s tongue tag and insole. The look is completed by a white midsole and dark navy outsole.

While the UNC PEs present a brisk, chilling look, the Florida Gators tap into a more vibrant style. Quarters remain white with royal blue used on the throat, mudguard, eyestays, collar and ball-and-wings graphic plus vivid orange tones gracing Swooshes, heels, toeboxes and collar flaps. Much like the Tar Heel pair, the left shoe discards Nike Air hits for a school-specific graphic — in this case a growling green gator head. White midsoles and orange outsoles finalize the stylings.

As both are institution-exclusive makeups, neither will see a retail release. However, you can check ‘em out in detail here, both alone and alongside corresponding Air Jordan 4 PEs from 2018.

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