The Jordan Air Ship, a limited edition (10,000 copies), went on sale on June 29 in Paris and will be launched on July 6 in the United States and the rest of the world.
“Our story began two years ago, when representatives of the Jordan company came to us to offer us the opportunity to participate in a program to promote our creative spirit. This resulted in a variation of the Jordan Air Ship’s design, inspired by Moroccan zellige,” says Mounir Abou Ghandour, co-founder of the Parisian store “Opium”, creator of this unique model which is intended as a “tribute to Morocco and its culture.”
The Jordan Air Ship sports a colorway that oscillates between white, black and several shades of blue and purple to finish in a fresco revealing a Moroccan zellige pattern.
Designed in Opium’s studios, it is decorated with stars and Moroccan mosaic. It then displays Swoosh logos that tear off to reveal the same pattern.
“It is the expression of our identity and a tribute to the Moroccan artisans who have perpetuated this ancestral art throughout the centuries,” Mounir Abou Ghandour stressed in a statement to MAP.
“Moreover, the brand’s advertising spot was filmed in Casablanca. The scene showing two old friends in jellabahs, chatting happily over a game of checkers and wearing the famous pair of sneakers, is a hymn to this blend of modernity and tradition that our country embodies,” he explained.
“By incorporating zellige into this shoe model, we wanted to highlight our Moroccan origins that we claim and wear loud and clear,” he said, saying he was surprised by the success and enthusiasm that this creation has met with among young people.
“We would not have believed for a single second that this little nod to our craftsmanship and our identity would have had such an international resonance,” he said, adding that after the sale of this model, a copy will be enthroned in the small shoe museum that he created with his friend Yace Aazib a few years ago, alongside other rare pieces, a passion that was warmly applauded by Nike.
“As young creatives from the Moroccan diaspora, Opium founders Yace and Mounir have shown courage and pursued their passions to create a successful community-centered boutique and creative platform. Their goal has remained the same since the store opened in 2001: to spread streetwear culture across the French landscape and inspire young people to bring original ideas to advance the culture,” reads the official website of the famous American brand.
The two Bidaouis do not hide, moreover, their pride in having been received, last Monday, by the Moroccan ambassador in Paris, Samira Sitail who paid them a warm tribute for their talent and their creativity that they have put at the service of the influence of Moroccan craftsmanship.
2024-09-01 05:16:17