What do retro, reissue and OG mean?
A retro is a new release of an older design. The word appears in product names: the Nike Dunk Low Retro, the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG. Reissue means the same thing in plain English, and you will see both words in listings and articles.
OG stands for original. In a product name it signals that this release copies the details of the first one, such as the original logo on the tongue, rather than a later version. In a listing written by a seller, OG can also just mean the first release itself. Read the rest of the listing to see which meaning the seller has in mind.
The nickname stays the same across every release. A pair called Chicago in 1994 and a pair called Chicago in 2022 share the name and the colours, and they are two different shoes.
Why does it matter which release it is?
A search for the nickname returns every release mixed together. The listings will show different years side by side, often with different prices, and it is easy to buy the wrong one.
Each release has its own style code, so the code on the label settles the question when you can read it. Each release also has its own resale price, because each was made in different numbers and at a different time. And the details differ, which matters if the reason you want the pair is one small thing you noticed in the photo.
How do five Chicago Jordan 1s differ?
The Air Jordan 1 in red, white and black, nicknamed Chicago, is the clearest example. It has been released at least five times since 1985. Sneaker press, including Complex and Hypebeast, have photographed the releases side by side and listed what changed.
| Year | Release | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The original. | Nike branding on the tongue label. A pair from this year will show real wear or age. |
| 1994 | The first retro. | A taller ankle collar, and rounder holes on the toe box. |
| 2013 | A retro with a new tongue. | A Jumpman logo on the tongue label in place of the Nike branding. |
| 2015 | Style code 555088-101, released May 30, 2015. | Nike branding back on the tongue, on white tongue fabric. |
| 2022 | Lost & Found, style code DZ5485-612, released November 18, 2022. | Made to look old: a cream midsole, a faded red sole, a cream tongue and cracked leather on the black collar. |
Two of those codes also fit the colour pattern in the style code chapter. The 2015 pair ends in 101, with white listed first in its colour string. The 2022 pair ends in 612, and its colour string starts with Varsity Red.
Notice where the changes are. Four of the five rows mention the tongue. On any retro, look at the tongue label first.
Is a restock the same as a retro?
No, and the difference changes how you search. A restock is more of the same product: same code, same details, sold again after the first batch. A retro is a new product with a new code, even when it copies an older one.
The Panda Dunk is the standard example of a restock. Nike first sold it in 2021 and has restocked the men's pair many times since, always under the code DD1391-100. The women's pair has a code of its own, DD1503-101, as the style code chapter would lead you to expect. Sneaker Freaker and Sole Retriever have both reported the repeated restocks, and Sole Retriever describes it as a carryover release, meaning a product kept in the range rather than sold once.
For a restock, the release date makes no difference to what you get. A Panda Dunk from 2021 and one from 2024 are the same product, and any listing with the code is the pair in your photo. For a retro, the year is part of what you are buying, and you need to know which one you are looking at.
Is there a date printed inside the shoe?
On many pairs, yes. Next to the style code, the size label often prints a production date range, showing when that batch was made. That range dates the pair directly. A Chicago Jordan 1 with a label dated 2022 is a 2022 pair, whatever the listing title says.
In an outfit photo you will not be able to read it. In a seller's close-up of the label, you usually can, and it is one of the fastest ways to settle which release a listing is offering.
Where do makers change a shoe between releases?
On a famous colourway the colours stay the same between releases, as the Chicago table shows. The changes happen in the details around them.
- The branding. Which logo sits on the tongue, the heel or the insole, and in what font.
- The collar. Its height, the amount of padding, and the size and position of any leather flap.
- The toe box. Its height and shape, and the size and shape of the holes punched in it.
- The midsole colour. Pure white, off-white, or a deliberate aged cream.
- The materials. The thickness and finish of the leather, which changes how the shoe creases.
The same list works for other retros. Look at the tongue, the collar and the toe box first, because these are the parts that show clearly in most photos.
How do you tell an old pair from a new pair made to look old?
The 2022 Lost & Found release was made to look like a pair kept in a box since the 1980s. Its midsole is cream, its sole is a faded red, and its collar leather is cracked. In a photo, it can pass for a genuinely old pair.
Real age appears where a shoe was used. The toe box creases across the top. The sole wears down at the heel and under the ball of the foot. Dirt settles into the stitching. Yellowing is often uneven, stronger on the side that faced the light.
Age made in a factory is even. It appears on both shoes in the same way, on a pair with a clean sole, a smooth toe box and no creases. If a pair looks old but shows no sign of being worn, it is more likely to be a release built to look that way.
What if the photo does not show the detail you need?
Often it will not. A video shows a trouser hem over the collar and the tongue out of frame. In that case, decide what you actually want.
If you want the look, the release may not matter. Search the model and the nickname, then pick whichever release is sold in your size at the best total price. The colours will match the photo.
If you want the exact pair, you need more information. Look through the rest of the video or the creator's other posts for a closer shot of the tongue. Some creators answer questions about their shoes in the comments. Resale listings also put the release in the title. Flight Club lists the 2015 pair as Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Chicago' 2015. StockX lists the 2022 pair as Jordan 1 Retro High OG Chicago Lost and Found. Once you know which release you want, copy the title wording into your search and most of the other releases drop out of the results.
What does this mean for a Snagfit search?
Snagfit reads the shoe from the photo and searches current listings. For a colourway that has been released several times, the results can include more than one release, because they look alike. Before you buy, open the listing and check the year or the style code. If a listing gives neither, the seller should be able to tell you. The pairs in the results will all match the photo in colour. The code tells you which one matches it in every other detail.