“How did I manage to create something like this? Well, based on a lot of patience, effort and sacrifice, especially economic. I’ve been buying Air Jordan shoes for about ten years, always with the purpose of having a collection that could be of interest to the general public”, explains Ezekiel Iturralde, owner of the ZKL collection, which brings together at least one pair of each one of the different models of the mythical saga, from the famous Jordan I to the revolutionary and recent Jordan XXXV, through legendary models such as ‘Olympic’ (for the Barcelona Games)‘Flue Game’ (for the mythical fifth game of the 97 finals, which Michael played in very bad shape) o ‘Last Shot’ (for which the sixth ring of those mythical Bulls was worth).
An exhibition entitled ‘History of a legend’ allows now (and until the next day 27) to contemplate the work of Ezekiel. Located in the Plaza Loranca 2 Shopping Center in Fuenlabrada (basketball city after all, with a team in the highest category), the sample is the most complete option among those that allows us to offer the number of accumulated models. There are already 100 pairs today, because it should be noted that the Jordan shoe factory is still at full capacity and with monthly news: new models, reissue of some of the first ones, additional colors… in that sense, ZKL must necessarily be a living collection.
I have created the collection based on a lot of patience, effort and sacrifice, especially economic
Display cases of different sizes also contain additional accessories. “When I thought I already had a decent collection, I also started buying the accessories that I thought would make it grow: figures, t-shirts, posters, trading cards, newspapers… There I had to pull a lot of second-hand pages, especially to find the newspapers of the time. It has been a very long but very rewarding process, seeing month after month and year after year how everything was taking shape,” Ezekiel tells Primera Plana.
The intention is to show the evolution of the most important saga in the history of sneakers, including technological advances. As for the color range, and taking into account the existing variety, models I to XIV appear at least one pair with the real colors that Michael Jordan used during his career. Those first pairs and those immediately after its definitive withdrawal have always generated a lot of curiosity, for this reason they are accompanied in the exhibition with basic and interesting data. Another interesting issue is that the four models after the mythical number 23 stopped following the classic numbering, using instead the year of creation (from 2009 to 2012), returning to the original nomenclature starting with model 28..
Jordan shoes are highly coveted, which has historically led to a large counterfeit market, sometimes with a quality similar to that of the originals. The sneakers from the ZKL collection have, however, been purchased at points authorized by the Nike-Jordan brand throughout the planet.. “In the official dossier the stores where I usually buy appear, it may be that some are missing. Physically I have bought in Spain, and through the Internet in Europe and the United States, mainly. I also have contact with other collectors who notify me when they want to sell some of their shoes”, explains Iturralde. “Almost every week I check the reference pages to see if they have any sales or discontinued models that might be interesting for my collection. More than once I have paid more for duties and customs than for the shoes themselves!” , complete.
More than once I have paid more for duties and customs than for the shoes themselves!
19 years after his final retirement, the figure of Michael Jordan does not lose an iota of greatness. In strictly sports, they contemplate those six rings or the Olympic gold, in addition to being ten times the NBA’s top scorer, five MVP of the season, six best player in the Finals or three steals leader, but it is that this list of winners of what is considered the best basketball player of all time is even minuscule when compared to the halo that continues to have him as a leader in sports marketing so much time later, that one that has made everyone know what an ‘Air’ is… even without having seen its original wearer play (who by the way wore an American 13, more or less a European 48). To show, the exhibition even shows a model, the Jordan XVII… with a metal briefcase and an explanatory CD!
