“Fresh Prince” remake: sneakers are already here

The remake of US sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and launched Will Smith’s Hollywood career, was announced only a few days ago but sportswear giant Nike is already celebrating it with a new edition of its Jordan 5 sneakers.

In his role as the rebellious teenager Will from Philadelphia who lives with his uncle and aunt in Bel-Air, Smith, apart from oversized t-shirts in bright colours and busy patterns, also wore the latest sneakers. Especially popular: Nike's “Air Jordan 5” model, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. Smith wore it in the cult series in Metallic Silver, Fire Red and Grape as well as other Nike classics like the Air Jordan 7 Cardinal, the Air Jordan 9 Space Jam, the Air Jordan 7 Hare and many other models.

Nike drops new edition of Jordan 5 Alternate Bel Air Ghost Green

In anticipation of the “Fresh Prince” remake, Nike dropped a new edition of its Jordan 5 Alternate Bel Air Ghost Green model. It comes with white uppers and various coloured accents in the neon colours so typical for the 90s.

In honour of Will Smith’s 50th birthday in September 2018, Nike reissued the Jordan 5 Retro Grape Fresh Prince, which made its debut on the show already in the fifth episode. Inspired by the style of the Air Jordan 5, Smith wore the shoe without laces. For the new edition, the laces are missing and the lace hoes are sealed as an homage to the sitcom. The “Air Jordan” lettering is inspired by the series' logo.

The Air Jordan 5 OG was one of the most popular models in the 90s and Smith wore the Black Metallic ones already in the very first episode. Though the Black Metallic sneakers from 1990 are almost impossible to find today, Nike released the Air Jordan 5 OG Metallic Sneaker at various times, in 2000, 2007, 2011 and 2016.

The Jordan 7 OG Colorway “Hare” became world famous through Nike’s 1991 commercial, which shows Bugs Bunny donning a pair of Jordans before teaming up with Michael Jordan to challenge a rivaling basketball team. Smith wore the sneakers in the 54th episode of the show.

Not only sneakerheads are aware that many popular sneakers are no longer available in stores and through brands, but only through resale platforms such as StockX. The reboot of the “Fresh Prince” sitcom should further increase the popularity of the models shown and drive up prices, which currently range from around 200 US dollars to several thousand US dollars. Some even break records like Michael Jordan’s game worn Nike Air Jordan 1 high tops that fetched 615,000 US dollars at a recent joint auction by Christie’s and Stadium Goods.

Photos: courtesy of StockX