Marcus Jordan recently unveiled the exclusive Air Jordan + TROPHY ROOM XVI Retro Bleu Français edition, leveraging the talents of Nike senior footwear designer Wilson Smith, DJ Khaled, Valiant Pictures and director Masood Ahmed. The highly strategic promotional campaign celebrating the shoe's official release online at http://www.trophyroomstore.com represents the combined efforts of all involved.
"We've been working towards launching online from day one," Jordan began. "Starting with limited availability products including the TROPHY ROOM XVI, we plan on continuing to add new exclusive items over the course of the holiday season."
For Ahmed, this project was yet another opportunity to collaborate with Jordan, who opened the sports apparel and footwear boutique at Florida's Disney Springs Marketplace earlier this year as a tribute to his legendary father's legacy.
"Mainly, the concept revolved around the French blue color of the shoe," Ahmed began. "Together with director of photography Fletcher Wolfe, we decided to use a fluorescent blue kino rig to reflect the shoe's striking design."
Traveling to the exclusive Terminal 23 Jordan Brand facility in New York City near Madison Square Garden, the production team built a custom set to feature American record producer, radio personality, DJ and record label executive DJ Khaled interacting with the iconic new "French Blue" edition. Interestingly, Khaled and Ahmed grew up in the same neighborhood in Orlando, and both attended Dr. Phillips High School.
According to Ahmed, as a well-known Jordan advocate, DJ Khaled was a perfect fit for the promotion, especially based on his massive social media following. While the team captured HD imagery and footage to be distributed on YouTube, Facebook and beyond, they also produced imagery and video clips that DJ Khaled posted on Snapchat and Instagram – all of which instantly went viral. To prove that point, crowds gathered outside of Terminal 23 to greet DJ Khaled immediately after the shoot.
The Air Jordan + TROPHY ROOM XVI is inspired by a twist on a classic silhouette. Flooded in tonal French Blue, The TROPHY ROOM XVI is the first time the XVI model has been released since 2008. The original Air Jordan XVIs were designed by Nike Senior Footwear Designer, Wilson Smith. With Tinker Hatfield moving up the ranks at Nike, the XVI was the first Air Jordan model since the III Retro that Tinker did not play a role in designing. Smith incorporated several materials from classic releases, such as the clear rubber sole found in Retros V, VI and XI, and also incorporating patent leather.
"The TROPHY ROOM XVI resonated so well with me because of the model's premium details," Jordan explained. "The patent leather toe, the icy sole, the premium leather used on the shroud. All of those elements truly make this silhouette a classic."
Jordan continued, "For TROPHY ROOM to lead the return of the XVI with help from DJ Khaled is an honor."
CREDITS:
Client: Trophy Room
CEO/Founder: Marcus Jordan
Production Company: Valiant Pictures
Executive Producer: Matthew D'Amato, Vincent Lin
Director/Photographer: Masood Ahmed
Director of Photography: Fletcher Wolfe
Editor: Masood Ahmed
Music: Ayo The Producer
Principal On-Camera Talent: DJ Khaled