Jordan Brand’s Senior Vice President, Howard “H” White, spoke exclusively with Esquire about the role their sneakers have played in the deaths of innocent consumers. This is the first time the company has talked about the violence.
For a long time, Jordan Brand sneakers have been some of the trendiest kicks on the block that also happen to come attached with a lucrative resale value. This fact makes sneakerheads alike the perfect target for those who are looking to make a quick buck on Craigslist or simply just don’t have the money to buy the latest pair of Js.
H gives his perspective on the far too common, unfortunate events and chooses to shine light on the positivity buying a pair of Jordan‘s does as opposed to the deaths behind them.
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“Let’s say this person goes on to find the cure for cancer,” White tells Esquire. “Let’s say that the person that kept hope graduates from school, goes to college, and all of the sudden their family is able to rise. That’s worth its weight in gold. If you ask the parent to put a price on a dream they will say it’s priceless. So what I tell people is, maybe that kid is impoverished money-wise, but if this unleashes that force within them, what’s that worth? What price is that worth? So, the unfortunates: I don’t know if they could ever outweigh the positives.”
With many celebrities and Hip Hop stars, such as Drake who has been dropping his own pair of special edition OVO Air Jordans, rapping about and rocking the latest Jordans every release, it’s easy to see why owning a pair has become a coveted superficial symbol of one’s status.
The latest incident to hit the media was news of 21-year-old New Jersey sneaker shop owner Jamal Gaines, who was slain in his own store. It’s an epidemic and topic that major sneaker brands shy away from commenting on, including Michael Jordan himself.
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Read Howard “H” White’s full statement here.
