Mistakes Were Made: The Time I Put My Air Jordan 11 Space Jam In The Washing Machine

Welcome back to Mistakes Were Made, a look back at sneakers, or sneaker related stories we wish we were never a part of. Today we look back at a younger and more naive version of myself who thought it was a good idea to put an Air Jordan 11 Space Jam in the washing to machine to clean. Just like you’d expect, the end result was not a pretty one. Enjoy at my own expense.

When it comes to sneakers, I’d have to consider myself to be a late bloomer. I really didn’t get into shoes until my mid-twenties. Sure I bought sneakers during my adolescence, but for the most part I had no real connection or knowledge about the shoe I was buying. I would base my purchase off of how “cool” the shoes look and if they would match with my wardrobe. I remember owning shoes such as the Puma GV Special Coastal, the adidas Originals Superstar, a Nike Dunk High coming in a brown leather that I got for a steal at a local boutique , and a handful of Nike Air Force 1 Lows and Mids. Nothing major, just a couple of name brand shoes that I felt comfortable in.

When it came to Jordans, I really didn’t know much about them aside from the fact that I was able to recognize them because of the Jumpman logo on them. Back then I would not have been able to tell the difference between and Air Jordan 4 and and Air Jordan 12, or even worse, the difference between a retro and a Team Jordan. I just knew they were cool, and that’s about it.

To give you an example of how uninformed I was when it came to Air Jordan retros, I’d like to go over the time I decided to wash a pair of Air Jordan 11 Space Jams in my washing machine, unprotected, in hot water. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t a pretty outcome.

Back when I was in college I used live close to campus the whole time I attended school. I would be there Monday through Friday and return home to see the family on the weekends. During one of those visits back home my mom surprised me with a pair of decent looking and well taken care of Jordans that she picked up at a local thrift store. Although I did not know what shoes they were back then (circa 2004?), I later on found out they were a pair of Air Jordan 11 Space Jams. I didn’t really care though, since all that mattered was that they were a pair of Jordans and now they were mine. I was pretty hype that I came up on a pair of Jordans that I began to wear them plenty and often. But just like I had previously stated, not only did I not have any knowledge on shoes, I also didn’t have any connection to them.

So when a friend asked if I had an extra pair of shoes to go play basketball in, without hesitation I let him borrow my Space Jams. He ended up keeping the shoes for a couple of years because I would always forget to him for them everytime I would see him. Years later, we both finally remembered that he still had them and he gave them back to me the next time we met up.

Around the time I got them back was when I began getting into sneakers. One day I saw them on the corner of the floor in my closet. I took them out, placed them in my hand. There was dirt on the outsole, minor scuffs on the patent leather, scrapes on the midsole, but nothing really major. So I thought to myself, “you know what, with a little TLC, these shoes can look good as new”. So I decided to clean them. Not by wiping them gently and carefully, but by throwing them in the washer into some hot water.

Being completely naive of what I had just done, I was not prepared for what I was about to see. About 45 minutes after being in the washer rattling back and forth, the shoes were ready to be taken out. I proceeded to open the washing machine door. The shoes were clean alright, but they were also completely trashed. I picked them up, and the very moment that I did the sole began separating from the upper as if they were trying to talk to me. It never crossed my mind that the hot water was going to melt that glue that held the shoe together (I know, I’m a dumbass). I tried fixing my mistake by supergluing the two pieces back together, but being that I used the wrong type of adhesive, it didn’t hold for too long. To make matters worse, instead of trying to salvage them, I didn’t think anything of it and decided to get rid of them and throw them in the trash! Keep in mind, the shoes were still totally salvageable, I just needed the right type of glue to put the two pieces back together. Back then, it felt like a lost cause and too much of a hassle to go through just to save a pair of Jordans, so throwing them away was not really much of a big deal back then.

Now that I look back and think of what I did, I can only help but cry laugh at my ineptitude towards sneakers. You live and you learn, right? Besides, I heard there’s a rumor going around that that same exact shoe, the Air Jordan 11 Space Jam is rumored to release at the end of the year. Ah yes, redemption awaits!

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