Union’s Long-Rumored Air Jordan Collaboration With Fragment Design Is Officially Confirmed
After early availability during NBA All-Star Weekend, one of the most coveted sneaker collaborations of the last decade will be officially returning with a new look Thursday as Union launches its latest Air Jordan 1 collaboration. In addition to that pair, the brand has teased a secondary sample colorway mixing the sneaker’s “UNC” and “Royal” styles. But there’s still even more to come, including a three-way collaboration with Union, Jordan Brand, and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design.
In an interview with Sneaker News, Union owner Chris Gibbs detailed the process behind the brand’s latest Air Jordan 1, noting that the aforementioned “UNC/Royal” sample was originally intended to be released but was ultimately not mass produced due to factory limitations. While fans may be disappointed to learn that the “UNC/Royal” won’t be widely released, there is yet another version of the sneaker on the way which should satisfy even the most hype-driven consumers.
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“We have the Fragment Design collaboration that’s coming later,” Gibbs revealed, also confirming that the tri-brand affair will appear on the Air Jordan 1 silhouette. A Fragment Design x Union x Air Jordan 1 High has been rumored for several months at this point, but this is the first official word that the project is actually on the way.
In-hand images of the upcoming collaboration have yet to surface, but early rumors indicate the mash-up look will combine the white, black and royal blue upper of 2014’s Fragment Design x Air Jordan 1 High with the ankle collar of the black-and-red “Bred” (aka “Banned”) Air Jordan 1, which was also used on Union’s 2018 “Storm Blue” version of the sneaker. Branding is expected to include Union’s yellow “UN/LA” tag along with Fragment Design’s lightning bolt debossing at the heel.
Gibbs further pulled the curtain back on the three-way collaboration by stating that he met with Fragment Design founder Hiroshi Fujiwara in September 2024 while filming Jordan Brand’s celebrity-studded “Unbannable” commercial. There, he says a meeting took place that set the groundwork for the anticipated collaboration.
A release date for the Fragment Design x Union x Air Jordan 1 High has not been confirmed, but the pair is expected to arrive before the end of the year.
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