How to Lace Jordan 1s?

Nike Air Jordans have taken the world by storm due to the refreshing colorways, iconic silhouettes and the supreme quality that is synonymous with the brand. The constant drops of Jordans over the past few weeks inspired me to write the article on how to clean your Jordans which you can find on our blog page. While writing the article, I mentioned that you have to completely remove the laces from your sneakers but didn’t mention how to lace them up again. Therefore, today, I am writing this article to help you lace up your Air Jordans in the best way possible. I will be sticking to writing about the Jordan 1s but this lacing method can be applied to any sneaker (even if they are not Jordans!)

How do you lace up Jordan 1s?

First of all, if your 1s are laced, we will begin by completely unlacing the shoe. At this point, you can choose if you want to stick with the same laces as before or you can switch them out to give your 1s a unique look that won’t be seen anywhere else. I like to switch up the laces – this is due to a few different reasons. Usually, the material of the laces that are provided by Jordan fall short of the quality of the laces that are available from some third-party brands. I also like to switch up the laces as it provides me with an option to change the whole look and vibe of my Jordans – I usually lace up my sneakers really quickly before I go out (following the steps in the guide below!) to match what I’m wearing, and this helps complete the ‘fit’.

Start off by taking one tip of the laces – pierce the very bottom eyelet on the right-hand side (either hole, it doesn’t matter but we are just going to say the right eyelet) and pull the lace through. Pierce the hole from the outside and work your way inwards. With the other tip, pierce the bottom eyelet on the left-hand side (also from outside to in) and pull the lace through. Please make sure that the laces are flat all the way and do not twist them while putting them in the eyelets as this will ruin the look of this lacing method.

Take both tips and make sure that they are equal in length when you pull them; if they are not equal, make them equal by pulling one side and adjusting them from the eyelets. Once they are equal in length, take the tip that you pierced the right eyelet with and pull it through the eyelet above on the left-hand side (from inwards to outwards). Do the same thing with the left lace – pull it through the eyelet above on the right-hand side. This will create an X, and this is what we are looking for. Don’t pull it too tight as this will be uncomfortable when you are putting your Jordans on. Make sure that the laces are flat the whole way and in no way are twisted.

Repeat the steps above and make the crosses all the way to the very top eyelet. I cannot stress this enough – make sure that the laces are flat and even all the way through. I would recommend checking if your laces are equal after every X you make. If they are not equal, it will not look good when you wear the shoes. I would also suggest not making the laces too tight as this may make the shoe uncomfortable to wear. I would definitely recommend using a shoe tree while you are lacing your Jordans up as this will help you in knowing how the Jordans will look while they are on feet and will help you in lacing them up too. If you do not have a shoe tree, you can lace the Jordans up while wearing them or just lace them up without a shoe tree.

You can complete the crosses that have been described above to any eyelet you like. I would recommend not going lower than the 2nd one from the top, but I personally like to go all the way to the top myself. You can also choose whether you would like to go through the small tab that helps keep the tongue up. Personally, I do go through the tab as it looks better (in my opinion) and makes the shoe a bit easier to put on.

Just before you reach the penultimate eyelet (or the eyelet that is before the last one you want to lace you want to lace), make the cross and do not pierce the eyelet from in to out. Instead, take the tips of the laces and pierce the penultimate eyelet from out to in and pull the lace through. Complete this on both sides but do not cross the laces over when you complete this step – for example, if you are taking the left lace, pierce the penultimate eyelet on the left-hand size.

Now, both lace tips should be inside the shoe. Take the lace tips and pierce them through the last eyelet from in to out and voila! Your Air Jordan 1s have been laced.

This lacing method provides a relaxed, cool vibe to your Jordans and should be perfect for your 1s. If you ever want to lace any of your Jordan 1s up in this way, just read the steps above again and you should be good to go!