Travis Scott is a superstar in every sense of the word. The rapper-born Jacques Berman Webster II received early cosigns from some of the greatest that music has to offer, such as T.I. and Kanye West. Listening to his early musical offerings, it became abundantly clear that this guy was different. His creativity, however, did not end with music.
The risk-taking, innovation and twists put on otherwise original things is a staple of his aesthetic.
Always the creative, the rapper nicknamed La Flame has been tapped to lend his musical ear and panache to some of the greats. Those talents made him comfortable in the collaboration space and has served him well as a sought-after face for many major corporations, including Sony and McDonald’s.
His most notable collaboration effort, however, is without a doubt with Nike. Though he collaborated with other brands in the early days of his career, he found his sole mate once he contributed his name and flair to Nikes.
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Travis Scott’s relationship with Nike eventually progressed to him using his creative vision to bring new life to some of our all-time favorite silhouettes.
Travis Scott is rarely heard from outside of his music and sparse interviews, but when he drops, whether it be a song or collaboration sneaker, the Nike Boy sends his fans, both casual and loyal, into a complete frenzy. Much like the signature “Straight Up!” ad-lib, Scott’s presence in the sneaker world is equally as undeniable.
Pre Nike Collab
Travis Scott’s first delve into the sneaker collaboration waters was with a luxury brand created from the mind of Austrian artist and fashion designer, Helmut Lang.
The Travis Scott x Helumt Lang capsule dropped on Jan. 30, 2017, and included branded hoodies, bomber jackets, both long- and short-sleeved T-shirts and leather jackets. The collection also included denim, shorts and more that gave a nod to the rodeo, which was the title of his smash debut album and ties to his Houston roots.
The rodeo/cowboy theme continued onto the footwear that was dressed in black nylon and leather, and finished with a forefoot strap on both the high-top and low-top iterations. Each shoe also featured a bullhead stamped on the tongue and forefoot strap. When they dropped, the collaboration was not very popular, but pieces of the collection are still available to purchase.
Early Jordan Ties
Before the rapper’s Cactus Jack logo found its way to more well-known Air Jordan selections from the brand’s numeric retro series, Travis Scott’s first project with Jordan Brand was much more unique.
Scott explained in an interview released by the company at the time, “I didn’t want to do anything traditional,” he said. “I wanted something different; to see that model differently.”
That model he spoke of was the Jordan Trunner, a more seldom-seen addition to the Jordan Brand lineup originally released in the early-2000s.
Scott put a colorful spin on the half-runner, half-trainer, which was a cult favorite since it first dropped. Royal blue and pastel pink accents teamed with white mesh for this never released collaboration.
As its name suggests, the shoe is half-trainer, half-runner, and it’s always been something of a cult classic amongst Jordan fans. Scott’s pastel-accented twist on the pair never hit mainstream stores, but it did pop up at Beacon’s Closet during fall 2017.
The Travis Scott Trunner was never duplicated and had little fan far due to its rarity and the overall divisive nature that comes with such a cult favorite shoe, it planted the seed to what would be a mutually beneficial relationship with the Jumpman.
Reworking the Nike Air Force 1
Travis Scott’s first foray into official collaboration with Nike began with the Air Force 1, one of the most popular models from the brand to date. In celebration of the silhouette’s 35th year anniversary, the collaborative pair reworked the materials by replacing the normal leather up with a less often used canvas material.
A gum outsole, another sneaker fan favorite, and removable lace adornments provided the finishing touches on this limited release. The separating feature, however, was the velcro Swoosh that replaced the normal stitched branding. The shoe came with a few colors of the Swoosh so that customers could get in on the design.
The Travis Scott x Nike Air Force 1 Low originally dropped on Dec. 5, 2017. The price point was $150 then, but today it will cost you quite a bit more to get your hands on a pair.
Eight months later, Nike and Travis Scott got together to run it back by releasing the same collaborative Air Force 1 in a new color. The first pair was dressed in crisp white coloring while the sequel, released in August of 2018, was adorned in sail coloring.
Just over a year later, Travis Scott returned to the trusted Nike Air Force 1 canvas for a more detailed, bespoke pair. The third installment of the Travis Scott x Nike Air Force 1 pairing took the partnership in a completely different direction.
A patchwork upper integrated a litany of colors, materials and patterns. Even on a busy upper, all eyes were drawn to the removable zip-up corduroy shroud lying atop the laces. More variation lay underneath the shroud as a plaid tongue is revealed when the shroud is removed.
The third Air Force 1 installment of a now lengthy Travis Scott collection, and the first “Cactus Jack” labeled iteration, featured a multitude of materials and details and was released on Nov. 16, 2019. They are available now at places such as StockX.
Cactus Jack Air Jordans
Between the Nike Air Force 1 releases, Travis Scott began to make serious headway with the athletic giant’s popular subsidiary, Jordan Brand. In June 2018, he blessed the sneaker world with an update to one of its favorite Jordan models.
Since the Air Jordan 4 was retro’d in 1999, it has rarely been missed on a colorway. Whether it be a collaboration with Undefeated or a colorway made especially for rapper Eminem, the history of the Air Jordan 4 is an impressive one. The Travis Scott collab was no different. The powder blue uppers provided an eye-popping nod to the original colorway of the Houston Oilers, Scott’s original hometown NFL team, and was accented by hints of red and finished with a black outsole.
The original “Cactus Jack” Air Jordan 4s hit shelves for $225 and its release was celebrated at a commemorative Cactus Jack Festival in Houston. The special occasion signified how big of a star Travis Scott had become. Other colorways, such as the “Purple Suede” edition, would be available to only friends and family, but it was clear that a relationship with long-term implications had been cemented, and Jordan Brand had a new collaborative partner.
Jordan Brand had an extensive history of player exclusive by the time they partnered with La Flame. However, unlike Jordans that the namesake wore during his playing days, the performance line struggled for relevancy off the court.
With the peak of Travis Scott’s Midas touch, Jordan figured it would tap its golden creator for a lifestyle take on a performance offering. The Travis Scott version of the Air Jordan 33 brought a bit of validity to the sneaker as the rapper was featured in the TV commercial and advertising.
Unfortunately, even the collaboration wasn’t quite enough to catapult the on-court sneaker into many closets or on many feet. Relative to what the relationship would become, this Travis Scott x Air Jordan contribution would be considered a miss.
The hits definitely returned, though, and did so with a vengeance. The two came together seemingly immediately and put their collective brains together to produce a classic sneaker just four months after the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 33 dropped.
The Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 “Cactus Jack” became an instant fan favorite after debuting on the feet of Maroon 5 lead singer, Adam Levine, during Super Bowl 52 Halftime show in February 2019.
Mocha coloring dressed the upper while the Swoosh decal on the lateral side was turned backwards for just enough change for the seemingly simple design to cause an unprecedented frenzy. So much so, Nike expedited the release date after Travis himself wore them during a Grammy performance in May 2019.
The amazing year for Travis Scott continued as the relationship with Nike developed further and the product kept coming. Controversial among sneaker fans, Nike and Travis Scott decided to lend their collaborative talents to a low version of the Air Jordan 1 “Cactus Jack” just two months after the hi version was released. This Air Jordan 1 low, like most others, was met with a lukewarm reception, but if it wasn’t before, the Jordan Brand x Cactus Jack connection was cemented.
Travis Scott would go on to make his mark as a high-level Jordan collaborator and present us with highly sought-after adapted versions of the brand’s retros. In the same Super Bowl performance that saw Adam Levine sport the Air Jordan 1 High “Cactus Jack,” Travis Scott debuted a collaborative Air Jordan 6 cloaked in olive coloring and featuring a stash pocket that would hit stores in limited quantities in October 2019.
It took a year and a half, but a second pair of Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 hit the streets in April 2021. Earth tones had been the calling card for most of La Flame’s efforts with Jumpman, and that remained the case on the “British Khaki” Air Jordan 6. The aesthetic of the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 “Retro Olive” stayed intact, but the darker hue was peeled off and replaced by a lighter khaki colored hair suede on the upper and infrared and white accents throughout the shoe and the midsole, respectively.
Collaboration Trifecta
The extensive partnership between Nike, Jordan Brand and Travis Scott, who was the face of the brand’s lifestyle sector, reached a crescendo when the two called in for gratuitous reinforcements. The Fragment x Air Jordan 1 was a fan favorite prior to the rapper’s genius adjustment. The mostly white, tumbled leather sneaker included royal blue on the toe box, heel and collar. Black laces and a backwards black Swoosh finished the upper and sat atop an aged midsole and royal blue outsole.
Like the “Mocha” pair, the Fragment x Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 also came in a low version that was received far better than previous Air Jordan 1 Low selections. Minimal color blocking painted the Fragment x Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low, which also featured his signature backward Swoosh. The High hit shelves on July 29, 2021, and the low dropped two weeks later on August 13.
Travis Scott is the ultimate superstar. Fashion, music, festivals, celebrity relationships. You name it, this man has it. His impact on the culture, including reinvigorating the Nike Dunk’s crossover appeal, is undeniable. Nothing has been solidified yet, but we as sneaker fans can only hope that more kicks are in store.
