Disclaimer: If you don't give a damn about stuff like this and don't mind if your laces aren't the same (or damn close) to the ones that originally came with the shoes, this post is NOT for you. Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time here. Ok, now that I've warned you, hopefully you wont leave some asinine comment like "Who gives a damn about stuff like this?!?" or "I don't mind if my laces aren't the same (or damn close) to the ones that originally came with the shoes!!!". Because that would be ridiculous.
If you're like me, and you wear your J's, chances are you've gotten the laces dirty at some point, either from spilling coffee/soda/bong water on them accidentally, or just from normal wear (read: pollution) giving the laces a "LA Smog"-type tint. Changing your laces out with new ones, while cheap to do, can drastically change the appearance of your kicks.
That being said, I've been on a bit of a journey the last few months, searching online and in-store for the perfect set of replacement laces. You see, Jordan Brand doesn't sell "Official Laces" for their Retro Models, nor is it common knowledge who supplies their laces. Laces are not like men in the eyes of our Founding Fathers (not counting African Americans); they were NOT created equal.
I've purchased laces from Finish Line, Walgreens, and various online retailers, only to find the laces that I'd ordered were not the same as the laces I was trying to replace. By "same", I mean that the weave of the cotton was different and/or the color was slightly off, giving the shoes a slightly different look when re-laced. Most people probably wouldn't care, and would just go on about their day; I, unfortunately, am not "most people".
If I am able to, I'd like to get as close as possible to the original materials used, and that goes for anything I am a collector/fan of. If I were having my car re-painted, I wouldn't want them to use a color "almost" like the original one; I'd want as close as possible to the damn color, and if it wasn't available, I'd go with Candy Apple, damned what my girlfriend thinks! If I were assembling a Nintendo Entertainment System, I would want to use the EXACT parts used in the original, down to the screws (if it was possible to find out which screw manufacturer they used). Some (read: most) would call this obsessive, others a wee bit crazy. Even more would say I have too much time on my hands, and need to find a better way of utilizing my free time. But me? I call this "paying attention to details", and I don't view it as a flaw, but as a positive.
Whether you're a re-seller or just someone who wants things to be how they originally were, my hopes are that you will appreciate this post, and be thankful that I have found that coveted source of OG-quality laces, something I've spent months (ok, more like hours/minutes... but it did take several months for me to find them!) looking for. Now, I'm sure there are other sources that sell laces that are identical to these, but to date, I haven't found anyone giving a definitive answer as to where, nor posting visual proof that said source had the bonafide goods . That, my friends, is why I decided to write this (fairly long-winded) post.
Included in the pic are my CDP 5s. The shoelace that I am holding is from the pack I recently purchased. As you can see from the up-close pic, both the weave and the color is identical. The laces on the CDP 5s are the same laces used on every retro model from 1 to 6 (even the laces from the 7s use the same weave, though they have the metal tips).
The link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009OWLPM2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01
(Make sure to order the 51" laces if they're for mids; not sure how far the smaller size fits).
(Make sure to order the 51" laces if they're for mids; not sure how far the smaller size fits).
So there; I found them. No need to thank me, friend. Just promise me that you will lead on your fellow Brother in
J's if they ever should need to find the perfect set of replacement laces. Peace.
Note: This post was copied from my original post at Niketalk.com. Yeah, I could've rewritten this piece and added some new groundbreaking facts or more detailed pictures, but fuck you. Thanks for reading! Peace.
-TPR
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