Jordan 1 Taxi

Air Jordan 1 Taxi

Since its debut in 1985, the Air Jordan 1 has been known for its dynamic colorways. Its first year produced more than a dozen – a set of eye-catching designs that are still sought-after today. In fact, despite the release of many new AJ1 sneakers through the decades, these original colorways have continued to reign supreme, with few since reaching the same levels of popularity. One notable exception to this is the Jordan 1 Taxi. A relative newcomer in the pantheon of Air Jordans, the Taxi normally combines three tones – white, black and a radiant golden yellow with the same name as this striking colorway.

The first sneaker to carry this yellow hue was the 1996 Air Jordan 12 Taxi, but there wasn’t an official Air Jordan 1 Taxi until 2022, though the color had already been used on a 2018 Friends and Family release made for American musician and sneaker enthusiast Zach Myers. His band Shinedown had just launched their new album – Attention, Attention – so the shoe was given the same name and even took some of its design cues from the album’s artwork, whose bold yellow cover sports a large black exclamation mark in the center. The former lands on the sneaker’s toe box, heel overlays and Nike Air branding, and the latter is printed onto its lateral heel.

The AJ1 Attention, Attention was incredibly limited, and fans of its look had to wait another four years until the debut of the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG Taxi in 2022 before they could get their hands on anything like it. Known to many as the Yellow Toe for its use of a color-blocking style reminiscent of the 1985 Black Toe, it looks similar to Myers’ version but without the exclamation mark on its lateral heel. Taxi yellow covers the outsole, toe box and heel overlays, Sail can be seen through the midsole and midfoot, and the forefoot overlays, eyestay and swooshes are black.

In addition to this High edition, Mid and Low versions of the Jordan 1 Taxi came out during the Autumn of 2022, with men’s and women’s options available alongside those for kids. The Low version features a more pristine white than the Sail of the high-top, the color appearing through its midsole, midfoot and toe box. Black then highlights the heel counter, collar and laces, as well as showing up on the Jumpman embroidered into the tongue. Taxi yellow fills out the rest of the design, from the outsole to the forefoot overlays to the Air Jordan Wings sewn into the heel.

Meanwhile, the Mid Taxi uses the same three colors but in a different arrangement to both its Low and High counterparts. White is only found on the midfoot and midsole, with portions of black through the toe box, the tongue, the laces and the collar. The branding comes in black too, including the Jordan Wings on the lateral collar, the sidewall swooshes and the Jumpman on the tongue patch. Taxi then coats the overlays in the forefoot and heel, as well as the eyestay and the outsole.

For kids, there were two Taxi models – the Jordan 1 Mid Alt and the Crib. Both feature child-friendly adaptations, both being secured with a Velcro strap, and the latter alone made with a soft, flexible sole appropriate for very young children. Color-wise, each employs Taxi yellow on different parts of the shoe. The Alt has hints of the eye-catching color on its otherwise white sole unit, as well as more clearly through the overlays, while the Crib dons it on the heel and toe, as well as the pull tab at the back of the collar.

In the weeks following these initial releases, several more Jordan 1 Taxis were brought out so that by the end of 2022, the range had already grown quite substantially. One of these was the Air Jordan 1 Low FlyEase. Designed specifically for those with restricted movement, it has a zipper that extends upwards around the back of the heel to the medial side of the eyestay, where it connects to a Velcro-secured pull tab. The eyestay is also held down by a patch of Velcro, allowing easy access for the foot. Along with this adapted design it has a black, white and yellow aesthetic that matches the other Taxi releases, with the titular tone on the forefoot overlays and eyestay, the swooshes set into the white midfoot, the Jumpman logo on the tongue and the Air Jordan Wings printed onto the heel.

Another notable Taxi design to come out at the end of 2022 was the Jordan 1 Mid SE Wear-Away. Released in versions for adults, teenagers, children and even toddlers, this sneaker has a more retro look thanks to its off-white midsole and the worn appearance of its overlays, which display hints of Taxi yellow with a blackened and faded aesthetic. The inner lining features an eye-catching graphic that merges black, yellow and deeper tones of orange and red to produce the illusion of flames, while bold yellow Jumpman logos have been placed on both the insole and the tongue.

A mid-top specifically made for women was also released around this time. Known as the Chutney Taxi, it combines the vivid yellow of the other Taxi designs with a deeper Chutney yellow that has an orange tinge running through it. While the former color coats the toe box, heel overlays and swooshes, the latter provides a tonal counterbalance on the forefoot overlays, the eyestay and the collar. Black across the midfoot, tongue and Jordan Wings logo accentuates these rich hues, and a Chutney-colored Jumpman highlights the tongue label.

The Air Jordan 1 Taxi is a sneaker that has defined its own path by taking the color arrangement of the original AJ1s and enlivening it with a vibrant yellow flourish. A number of different designs are already out there, but the Jordan 1 Taxi is just getting started, and new variations of this stunning colorway can be expected in the coming years.