When Flight 23 was unveiled in New York last month, sneakerheads rejoiced at the fact that it was fully stocked with nothing but Jordan Brand products—the first of its kind in North America. From its beautiful decor to retro restocks, sneakerheads were in complete awe of the space when it first opened. A month after its grand opening, though, does Flight 23 offer enough for the passionate Jordan Brand loyalist? That's exactly what Jon Caramanica of The New York Times highlights in his piece, "An Unrewarded Leap of Faith."
Caramanica's underhwleming experience at Flight 23 isn't one that you would expect from an O.G. Jordan fan himself. He writes, "Blame this falling-short on the disconnect between the Jordan of fantasy and the Jordan of reality, the brand as it once was and as it is."
Caramanica is referring to the old days of the brand where there was a certain magic attached to each sneaker. The Jordan Brand of today? Well, simply put, they're gotten too big and there's more of an emphasis on quantity than quality. With a huge breadth and depth of products, he states that Jordan Brand is "essentially selling the mystique for cheap" and that Flight 23 is "less a celebration of the brand than a souvenir shop."
Caramanica thinks Flight 23 is missing an opportunity to cater to the brand's rabid fan base and even states that "everything about Flight 23 appears designed to dissuade such intensity. "Flight 23 is a store for the masses and Caramanica believes that "for the faithful, there is nothing here that hasn’t been seen, and barely anything worth salivating over."
[via The New York Times]
