Signed Chicago Air Jordan 2s from 1994

We had so much fun teaming up with A1 Restorations for the Air 4orce 1 Customs that we figured we’d bring him back for another unique project. But this time, the stakes are much higher: we will attempt to restore a pair of 1994 Chicago Air Jordan 2s signed by Michael Jordan himself.

This pair is insane. And yes, they’ve been authenticated. The signature and shoe are legit, but the midsole is all but dust at this point. Vick and A1 will perform a full midsole swap on this pair of signed Jordan 2s. The tricky part? Preserving that MJ signature…we can’t afford to mess that up.

Whether you have a pair of older Air Jordans that need a new midsole, or you’re an MJ collector who loves awesome Air Jordan memorabilia, this video is for you. Make sure you watch the entire video before you move on to my commentary! 

Spoiler: If you’re squeamish, you may want to skip ahead. Vick and A1 had to tear apart a $500 pair of the Chicago Air Jordan 2 Lows to get a suitable donor sole for this 1994 signed Jordan 2 restoration. 

Trust me; it will all be worth it in the end.

Sole Surgery

The restoration process on this 1974 signed Air Jordan 2 started as most of Vick’s restorations do, assessing the damage and taking the necessary steps to fix it. In the case of this pair, we need to entirely remove the midsoles, old glue, and any other residue to prep the uppers for a new sole. 

Removal of the midsole was pretty easy…the shoes were practically crumbling in Vick’s hands. The old glue and sticky residue came off with the help of a heat gun and a scraper. A1 Restorations has seen his fair share of OG midsole swaps, so he was able to guide Vick in the right direction. 

Now for the hard part; separating the donor soles from their respective shoes. The Air Jordan 2 is notoriously hard to take apart; the normal method of pouring acetone in the shoe doesn’t work here. Instead, A1 showed Vick how to cut the midsole from the plastic heel tab before finishing the process with the traditional acetone method. 

Despite the new donor soles being the same size as our 1994 pair, the fitment isn’t perfect…yet. To make these new soles sit flush onto our shoe we need to carve them out with a Dremel. Sounds like a job for A1; he’s done this exact process a time or two! 

Time for glue! As always, our bonding agent of choice is Barge Super Stik Cement. We can’t use any old glue for a job like this; we want this pair of signed Air Jordan 2s to stand the test of time this time around. 

The last big thing we need to take care of is the back tab. The back tab has become severely discolored, and we couldn’t wipe off any of the stainings with a RESHOEVN8R Sneaker Wipe, so back to the drawing board we go. 

After some deliberation, Vick decided it would be best to paint it…if only we knew someone good with an airbrush. 

Vick got those back tabs looking right! 

Finally! Now we can replace the sticker that deems this pair authentic and be on our way. 

GOAT Status Restoration

I don’t know about you, but this restoration was A1! Everything about this restoration turned out precisely the way it was drawn up. The signature is still intact and clean, the shoe is wearable (although these are more of a display piece), and we only lost two shoes in the process.

The question remains: was ripping apart the pair of 2016 Chicago Air Jordan 2s worth the results? I think so. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments!