It all began with Chuck Taylor. He was a former Semi-pro basketball player who really found his calling in shoes. The Chuck Taylor All-star while not officially a signature shoe is the first shoe named for and sold by a basketball player and it is still popular to this day even after almost 100 years. Since then there have been many shoes by many different players and brands but there is one brand that stands alone as the one true king of the signature shoe. Jordan.

As the reigning rookie of the year and first time all-star, Michael Jordan had a massive reputation. This led to him being a hot commodity that many brands were actively trying to sponsor. He was originally signed by Nike for around $500k annually, but as the brand grew in popularity that figure rose rapidly. Michael Jordan initially had his doubts about the shoe. He was worried he might look like a clown. Up to this point, every shoe worn in the NBA was a standard color while his new shoes would be red & black.

Those red & black shoes famously became known as the “banned version” which made their popularity go through the roof. Michael Jordan actually got fined every single game he wore them, and Nike kept paying the fines for him, telling him to keep wearing the shoes.

There are several reasons that led to Jordan being one of the most popular shoe brands, like the immense star power that Jordan had during his career. As well as the relationship the NBA has always had with shoes, but what really sets the Jordan brand apart is how it became a part of popular culture. This was accomplished through their marketing.

Celebrity endorsement is a tactic used by many highly reputable brands including Beats headphones, a.k.a Beats by Dre, which happened to be Dr. Dre using his own personal brand as leverage. Other examples include:

And so on and so forth.

They’re known for running limited edition campaigns, where only a certain amount of a shoe model is sold, giving it rarity, exclusivity, and consequently higher value. This is simple economics: when the demand is higher than the supply, the value goes up. This enables Nike to produce less shoes and make more profit.

Other companies use this marketing strategy as well like Supreme and Justin Bieber’s clothing brand, Drew House.

A side effect of running limited edition campaigns is that people begin to create counterfeit products, imitations, and “unauthorized authentic” products, which means that everything is the same as the products from the original brand including material, design, and sourcing, except that it’s being sold by a different company.

In 2014, Air Jordans saw a drastic dip in sales. According to Business Insider, Matt Cohen, a sneaker collector and the vice president of business development and strategy at GOAT Group, told Business Insider he believed this dip was due to “a shift in fashion and a lack of consumer connection to Jordan, the man.”

Since then the brand has had a fashion renaissance. It’s had collaborations in the past few years with other brands. Sneakerheads have become more popular, and Jordan has been releasing more limited edition models. Nike released a retro version of the original Jordan line which ultimately flopped because of a higher price tag and just less public interest in the brand at that time.