Lifestyle

When it comes to Michael Jordan and his signature sneakers everyone stops to look at the latest edition of the most popular shoe line. Last night Jordan Brand showcased the new Air Jordan XXXI in Las Vegas. Defiance is at the heart of Michael Jordan’s success. Throughout his career, the champion faced hurdles — injury, repeated defeat, illness — and continuously soared above them to realize the unexpected. Along the way, he redefined basketball’s relationship to style, the sport’s connection to youth counter-culture and the game’s creative potential.

When Jordan’s footwear arrived during his rookie season, it shared with the world some of its namesake’s tradition-breaking bravado. A black and red colorway violated the league’s uniform policy, earning a stern letter from league officials and generating a $5,000 fine each time the player wore the shoes on court. “Around this time, if you knew anything about Nike…Nike stood on this kind of rebel behavior,” recalls Jordan Brand VP Howard “H” White, in reference to the runners and tennis players connected to the Swoosh. “This Jordan, that color of the Air Jordan I, kind of galvanized that universal scope.”

The Air Jordan I set the tone for Jordan’s future, and his eponymous brand, transcending the court and finding favor across a broad spectrum of society, even with, as White reminds, skateboarders. “You just can’t make those stories up,” he says. “If somebody said, ‘Hey, here it is: Take the pen, take the pencil and draw it up just the way you want it,’ you probably couldn’t have drawn that up the way it came out.”

The Air Jordan XXXI represents a balance of Jordan Brand’s tradition of game-changing performance and its transcendent style: lightweight support for the world’s highest-flying athletes, including Russell Westbrook, and rich material details that exude an off-court sensibility.

The shoe’s first-of-its-kind Flyweave and leather upper incorporates a number of iconic Jordan elements, reintroducing the original Air Jordan “Wings” logo and a subtle Swoosh — not seen on a Jordan shoe since the Air Jordan I and the first time it has appeared alongside a Jumpman logo. And in its launch colorway the Air Jordan XXXI pays homage to the “banned” story.

Informed by Jordan himself, the Air Jordan XXXI also follows on a tradition of low-profile cushioning. “He needed to feel closer to the floor — that was his thing,” recalls White of the origin of Jordan’s desire for low-to-the-ground sole units. As such, the Air Jordan XXXI features FlightSpeed technology with full-length Zoom Air that enhances court feel, responsiveness and lateral support. “We really wanted to focus on propulsion in the forefoot, so when you’re coming down you’re engaging the FlightSpeed with the Zoom Air bag,” notes Kuerbis.

The Air Jordan XXXI “Banned” will be available globally September 3 in select retail stores and on Jordan.com. Stay tuned to @Jumpman23 on Instagram and Twitter for more information on the Air Jordan XXXI.

There has been a battle for the top spot of MT. Dew beverages. It has been going on for the past three months. The country has been engaged in a passionate election that has changed the course of history forever: DEWcision 2016. Members of DEW Nation have cast their votes for either MTN DEW BAJA BLAST or MTN DEW PITCH BLACK, two specialty flavors that developed cult followings over the years, and after months of voting and wild online challenges, the results are now in. With more than 2.9 million votes, PITCH BLACK has edged out BAJA BLAST by less than a half of a percent of the total 5,789,284 million votes. PITCH BLACK has won the election. And PITCH BLACK will become a permanent member of the MTN DEW retail lineup, making its debut on shelves this September.

“Over the course of DEWcision 2016, you, the members of the DEW Nation, pulled out all of the stops to show your passion for these two flavors,” said Ryan Collis, senior director of marketing, Mountain Dew. “You dyed your hair. You built towers. You conquered mountains. Although there could only be one victor, you showed us that neither flavor was going to go out without a fight. And that’s the relentless, unyielding, no-holds-barred spirit that DEW Nation stands for.”

Never shy of innovation the Jack Daniel Distillery is always looking for the next best thing. Recently they partnered with FCB/RED and The Mill to create a fully immersive 360-degree virtual reality experience that artfully displays the timeless craftsmanship of America’s first registered distillery.

This new technology transports fans of Jack Daniel’s to sensory rich locations on the hallowed grounds of the distillery. From the blazing inferno being stoked at the rick yard, where sugar maple ricks are burnt down for use in the whiskey’s charcoal mellowing process to flying over the rolling hills of Lynchburg to the top of the barrel house with Master Distiller Jeff Arnett, this new technology provides a vital tool to give consumers a better perspective of the craft that goes into making Jack Daniel’s.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Jack Daniel Distillery, America’s oldest registered distillery. “We all have our anniversaries. They allow us to honor the important events in our lives and to ensure the lessons of the past are not forgotten,” says Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller. “This new technology is a way for us to celebrate the Jack Daniel Distillery with fans everywhere and bring them closer to Lynchburg. The 360 degree video experience will allow Jack Daniel’s consumers a chance to “visit” the rick yard, see the cave spring hollow and feel as though they are right there in Lynchburg where each batch of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is crafted, and has been for 150 years.”

Co-directed by The Mill’s Bowe King and Rama Allen, the VR component was produced to digitally manifest one of Jack Daniel’s favorite phrases turned distillery mantra: ‘Every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can.’ Today friends of the Jack Daniel’s family of brands can experience the VR component via YouTube 360 and Facebook 360 versions. The Gear VR Goggles will be available for consumers at special Jack Daniel’s events and activations this summer including Lollapalooza, Life is Beautiful, Chicago Open Air and numerous other venues world-wide.

The visual style of ‘mixed time’ was developed for the content where moments slow down and time seems to stands still. The highly stylized, cinematic visuals combine with ambient surround sound. This style of film borrows from the visual language of cinemographs, allowing viewers to linger in moments of mixed time. Combining real-time and frozen elements in one shot, the mixed time film technique was developed by The Mill specifically for the Jack Daniels VR Experience.

To learn more about Jack Daniel’s and the new 360 degree experience, follow @jackdaniels_us or visitwww.jackdaniels.com for more information.

Crown Royal is known for their great work for the Your Hero’s Name Here Program. This week they announced the winner of this year’s program. In just a few short weeks, racing fans from across the country will flock to Indianapolis for one of NASCAR’s biggest events of the summer. And despite being named the winner of the annual Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” program, which renames the Brickyard 400 after a deserving hero, retired U.S. Navy SEAL Jason Redman’s name won’t be displayed around the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway – for good reason.

Redman instead asked that the race bear the name of the charity he and his wife, Erica, founded. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race will officially be referred to as the Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard.

Today, during a special surprise event in Suffolk, Va., Redman was announced the winner of the annual program while completing his one hundredth skydiving jump. Redman witnessed the reveal of the official race logo, painted in the landing area at Skydive Suffolk, from mid-air as he approached the ground.

After the logo unveiling, Redman was greeted by Erica, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, and Crown Royal Associate Brand Manager Dany Penn. Redman was then escorted to a nearby hangar for a party where he was able to celebrate the announcement with his closest friends, colleagues and family.

“What an amazing and humbling opportunity to have my organization as the official title of the Brickyard 400. This race is an icon of NASCAR, Americanism and patriotism,” said Redman after being named the winner of the 2016 “Your Hero’s Name Here” program. “I can’t wait to arrive in Indianapolis and meet the fellow finalists, the awesome race fans, drivers and crews!”

Redman, of Chesapeake, Va., enlisted in the Navy following high school and served 11 years as an enlisted SEAL before enrolling at Old Dominion University. After graduation, Redman was commissioned as a Naval SEAL Officer and served ten more years. Throughout his career he served five deployments including two combat deployments.

In 2007, Redman’s Assault Team came under heavy machine gun fire and he was wounded with shots to the face and left arm. While recovering from his 37 surgeries at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, Redman wrote and hung a sign on his door which became a statement and symbol for wounded warriors everywhere. The original sign on the door now hangs in the Wounded Ward at the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda.  Redman was honored with the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medals and two Combat Action Ribbons.

Following his recovery, Redman founded the non-profit organizations Combat Wounded Coalition and Wounded Wear to help combat wounded warriors overcome the wounds of war. The Combat Wounded Coalition provides free clothing, clothing modifications, and connections to other vetted service organizations for combat wounded warrior needs. To date, the Combat Wounded Coalition has helped over 500 wounded warriors return to daily life after serving.

This will mark the tenth time Crown Royal has renamed a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, and the first time a race will be named after a charity, through the whisky brand’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” program. After receiving hundreds of entries during the nomination period, five heroes were chosen as finalists and adult fans had the opportunity to cast their votes for the person they felt was most deserving of the honor.