[Review] VRL VibeRemakeLab Jordan 1 High 85s Storm Blue from Rare

Had to pick up a pair of these and see what the hype was about. These were selling for $600 after the last dance documentary, which is crazy for reps/customs/handmade reps/ whatever you want to call them. Luckily, Rare bought up VRLs stock which I believe he liquidated and is now selling for $150 per pair (better deals for multiple pairs listed below). At this price I couldn’t say no and am glad I super happy I copped. Pros and cons below.

Pros:

  • Leather is thick and premium, much better than LJR and other AJ1 batches on the market. I haven’t had a DB pair in hand so can’t compare there. This leather feels great and should age well when beaten up.
  • Soles are sturdy as hell. I recently copped the Travis 1 low velvet brown (miraculously on SNKRS) and getting them in hand reminded me just how solid new AJ1 soles are. These easily tick that box.
  • 85 cut is very well done, heels look great. Toe box on my pair also looks good, not too chunky.
  • The colourways on offer. Particularly this storm blue. This was one of the main reasons for purchasing. I’d been trying to find the storm blue highs for a long time, LJR has been out of stock (and no plans to produce again I believe), and there aren’t any decent batches around. This colourway looks beautiful in hand.
  • I’m a fan of the aging of the soles, it’s not overdone IMO.
  • They fit TTS. I would ask for QC photos of insole measurement and for a photo of underneath the insole where it shows the size to confirm the size is correct. These don’t have any size tags apart from the bottom of the insole.

Cons:

  • I believe these have been in storage for awhile, so out of the box mine had a pretty strong musky smell. Left them out for a day and gave them some sunlight which got rid of most of it. Not major, and not sure if unique to my pair but worth mentioning.
  • QC photos took almost two weeks. I had read posts stating similar waits so I was expecting it and didn’t mind. Once I GL’d, shipping progressed as usual with DHL and took about 2 weeks all up to get to Europe.

As far as the experience with Rare, everything was good. I think his English is limited so don’t expect a long conversation, but he answered all my questions, very polite and responded within a few hours each time I messaged. It’s worth noting that Rare is the only seller offering these VRL pairs.

Price:

1 pair: $149 2 pairs: $139 each 3 pairs: $129 each 5 pairs: $600

WhatsApp: +852 9195 4827

IG: Raresneaker1

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