The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 379 — Get to know Frank Cooke 👨🍳
Nike brought back a legend to help it find its cool again
Goooood morning, folks! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you!
My heart goes out to all of you impacted by Hurricane Helene. Thankfully, we’ve only gotten a ton of rain up here in the DMV area. I know some spots have fared far worse.
How to help: Here’s a list of directives from FEMA on how to help locals in the areas impacted if you can.
Let’s get things started.
Guess who’s back
We’ve got the first big headline of the Elliott Hill era at Nike. Designer and former Nike vet Frank Cooke announced his return to the brand on Friday.
Who he is: Cooke — known by most as Frank Cooker — is a designer who previously worked with Nike and Jordan brand until 2018. He worked on the brand’s NRG (energy) team, which created exclusive, high-heat products.
His resume speaks for itself.
Some examples include Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 1, Wings AJ5, and the “Top 3” AJ1.
He also worked on the creative teams that produced some of Nike’s biggest hits like Travis Scott’s Air Jordan 4 and “The Ten” by Virgil Abloh.
Where he’s been: Cooke has done his thing with freelance projects since leaving the brand. He’s done creative work on the brand side with Asics and Saucony and worked as Shoe Palace's creative director.
He’s evolved beyond just simply being a designer. Cooker is putting his stamp on things now.
He designed a Jazz 81 for Saucony as his first “official” collaboration.
Why he’s back: We’ve discussed the lack of energy and enthusiasm behind Nike’s biggest drops for the last few years. A move like bringing back Cooke demonstrates that it’s trying to regain that enthusiasm. This move could — and should — go a long way in doing that. But that all depends on what, exactly, Nike is bringing Cooke back to the brand to do.
A quick look back: Here he is in an interview with High Snobiety in 2021, talking about his capacity as a “curator and a storyteller” and his collaborative process.
“I’m a designer by trade, but I view myself as more of a curator and a storyteller. When it comes to the collaborative process, I always see what the vibes are like with whoever I’m working with. I want to share my opinion as we make this product, but I also want to make sure you get what you’ve dreamed of. If you come with an idea, I’ll build off of it and try to bring some new ideas to the table as well. I just try to remind myself that it’s their project and a special moment for them. Storytelling is foundational for my projects, so when I can combine that with good energy things usually work out.”
Why that matters: That’s the creative process that made Cooke’s tenure at Nike a special one. It’s also the process that Nike should double down on with him in his return.
Cooke says his goal with this stint at Nike is to “restore the feeling.” That’s exactly what Nike should let him do. Let him take the wheel. Let him tell the stories he wants to tell. Be ambitious with partnerships again — stop simply checking boxes.
The big picture: It remains to be seen what Cooke’s second stint with Nike will look like. But, as far as early moves go for Elliott Hill, this one sure does feel like a good one.
The Wu Tang Dunk came and went
Many of you had been looking forward to Nike opening up its vault to release the ultra-rare Wu-Tang Dunks. I imagine that some of you today might not even know that the release has already come and gone.
What happened: Nike shock dropped the Wu Tang Dunk release on Saturday morning at midnight.
There was no previous notification or indication that the shoes were coming.
The shock drop was insanely limited, according to Sole Retriever. There were only around 2,000 pairs available.
My take: If I were someone who was looking forward to copping a pair, I’d be livid.
To be clear, my thing the entire time with this release — and the other vault releases that are coming — is that they just shouldn’t be happening. Some shoes are best left as archival pieces. They had their moment. You can’t replicate it. Attempting to do so would only sully it.
Nike chose to do it. That’s fine. However, if you’re going to do this, then why not do it in a way that isn’t going to frustrate people?
There’s a huge difference between 2,000 pairs and, say, 10,000 or 15,000.
That’s still a small supply and demand will still be high. But it’s not impossible.
I know, I know. I’m complaining about something that I wanted to keep exclusive in the first place. But I just feel like if you’re going to do this, then do it. Don’t troll people, Nike. What’s the point of this, otherwise?
This proves that the move to open the archives was always just one for show — not one meant to appease customers.
What’s next: There’s slated to be another drop, according to Footwear News, with other retailers joining in. But the date and the nature of the drop haven’t been disclosed, leaving it, again, as yet another mystery for sneakerheads to decode.
None of this feels worth the trouble.
Kith’s ascent into ubiquity
Kith is collecting brand collaborations like Thanos collected infinity stones. The NFL and 47 were added to the gauntlet on Friday.
The details: Kith dropped a collection of NFL gear featuring the Giants, Jets, Eagles, Dolphins and Raiders.
The collection included vintage-aesthetic hats and t-shirts, per usual.
But it also featured varsity jackets designed by Kith and Jeff Hamilton.
Plus, there were 47 brand anorak jackets that were very clearly molded in the style of 90s Starter brand jackets.
The big picture: The collection was solid (and expensive). But its quality and look were less interesting to me than the fact that KITH has added yet another pillar of an institution in the NFL to its ever-growing Rolodex.
The names are impressive when you think about Kith’s collaboration list in 2024.
To name a few:
Footwear: New Balance, Adidas, Asics, Clarks, Birkenstock, Nike
Sports: 47 Sportswear, NFL, NBA, Team USA, TaylorMade Golf
Fashion: Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein
Pop Culture: Marvel
That’s a wide range of partners that attract a wide range of consumers. Kith is a brand that deals in exclusivity and scarcity, but it clearly wants to bring that exclusivity into multiple arenas.
I’ve got a lot of complaints about Kith as a brand that we can parse out another time. But, for today, I think this is pretty impressive.
StockX is back on the court
The secondary market platform has found its way back into the NBA. StockX will be the official jersey sponsor of the Detroit Pistons after agreeing to a multi-year sponsorship deal with the team.
What it looks like: Weird. Weird is the answer. Here’s Big Sean modeling in the jersey with the StockX logo on the top left.
To be fair, it’s not just these patches that look weird. Most of these NBA jersey patches do. This one is no different.
The backdrop: This isn’t new for StockX. The company previously sponsored the NBA’s G League Ignite team, which folded following last year’s regular season.
These sponsorships cost nearly $11 million annually, per Ticket Manager. On the high end, costs can reach up to $30 million per season. The Pistons stink, so I imagine it didn’t cost nearly as much for StockX to get in here.
If the Pistons are one of the worst teams in the league again this year? Whew boy. You can bet the jokes will fly.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Nike Air Max Sunder “Ice Blue” — Tuesday, October 1
Adidas Crazy 8 Low “Alcorn State” — Tuesday, October 1
Nike Pegasus Wave — Wednesday, October 2
Adidas Rivalry Low Crepe — Thursday, October 3
Nike KD 4 “Aunt Pearl” —Thursday, October 3
Adidas AE 1 “Preloved Purple” — Saturday, October 5
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. I hope you have a fantastic week.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns for me, don’t hesitate to reach out at mikedsykes@gmail.com or hit me here via Substack.
Until next time. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯