A Pair of Dior Air Jordan 1s Stole the Show at the Inauguration
Today's swearing-in ceremony was a surprisingly stylish affair. It was, in fact, an event so full of big fits (Bernie Sanders in Burton! Ella Emhoff in Miu Miu!) it could rival any of the most captivating shows beamed in recently from Milan. But the swerve that really got people chattering online involved Nikolas Ajagu, husband of Meena Harris and nephew-in-law of Kamala Harris, who showed up to the ceremony in a pair of extremely rare Jordan 1s from the brand's 2020 collaboration with Dior. (A sneaker so good we named it one of the best of the year.)
Streetwear and its accouterments have long since crossed over into the upper echelons of the luxury mainstream—that the Dior x Jordan collab exists at all is a testament to the culture's influence—but a sneaker this rare turning up on live TV during a presidential inauguration (and damn near stealing the show, too) is a new milestone, even for a shoe as coveted as the Dior 1.
Incorporating the shoe into his look was a savvy choice on Ajagu's behalf, one destined to make the right type of headlines. (As of this afternoon, the term "Dior 1s" is trending worldwide on Twitter.) It also seems indicative of a broader shift in the national psyche, a symbolic means of heralding a real change in the perspective and priorities of the governing party. After a presidential term defined, in part, by holding up the trappings of traditional luxury as proof of some form of political legitimacy, here's Ajagu, in a pair of shoes that speak to a new (and frankly far more relevant) idea of what people actually consider covetable.
Yes smh
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) January 20, 2021
The Dior 1s aren't exactly the populist option, per se—at retail the shoe cost over $2,000 and on the aftermarket its price only goes up from there—but it does signal a certain level of cultural awareness that was sorely lacking in the cast of characters that filtered through the Trump White House over the last four years.
All that's to say, the image of one of the most talked about sneakers of 2020 slowly padding down the stairs of the plush inaugural dais is one most sneakerheads won't soon forget. It's a clear W, and a big one at that.
Well played, Nik. Well played. And if you don't mind me asking: Who's your plug?!
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