What’s the connection between Air Jordans and riding lawn mowers? Here in the U.S., dad’s ubiquitous grass-stained New Balances are the shoes we’re probably most likely to associate with riding lawn mowers. Air Jordan’s urban mythos seems as far removed from cuttin’ grass as streetball is from the ‘burbs. Leave it to German luxury car modifier Mansory and sneaker/street fashion licenser BSTN to cut down our cultural expectations.
The BSTN GT XI is a riding lawn mower based on a famous sneaker. In 2020, the Air Jordan XI turned 25. Nike commemorated the event in December by releasing the Air Jordan XI “Jubilee.” Mansory and BSTN took the anniversary hubbub, added a dash of arcane Jordan design lore, and ran with it.
The result — the BSTN GT XI riding lawn mower — is an adventurous exercise in cultural sublimation and brand leveraging. Lace up your mowing footwear of choice and fire this baby up.
Several Odd Couples: The Lore of Riding Lawn Mowers and Sneakers
The Air Jordan XI has inspired a riding lawnmower. Er, is it the other way around? According to legend, renowned designer Tinker Hatfield generated the Air Jordan XI with lawnmowers on the brain.
The shoe that would attain sneaker immortality through Space Jam featured odd materials like patent leather and carbon fiber.
Mansory develops Hatfield’s curious lawnmower ideation with the BSTN GT XI. First, the mower’s sleek black body and whitewall tires cut the same iconic black-on-white colorway as the sneaker. Carbon fiber and leather elements (Mansory’s calling cards) abound. Find a sprinkling of silver Jumpman, BSTN, and Mansory badges in various locations on the mower’s body and wheels, and complete your sneaker lawnmower fantasy with a racing-inspired seat.
Copping The Goods: Release Details
The BSTN GT XI released in December 2020, marrying iconic sneaker anniversary with design legend and lawn care.
The advertising campaign (led by BSTN) features FC Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies in yet another tangential reference to pop culture: the young shooting star is a self-proclaimed Air Jordan XI lover.
This bizarre phenomenon of cross-branding and cultural-fantasy sublimation — I mean, this riding lawn mower — can be yours by visiting Mansory’s website and following the “contact a dealer” link.
So lace ‘em up, dream your hoop dreams, and get cutting.
