KYW Holiday Gift Guide — 🎄 Shopping for your favorite sneakerhead with $100 or less
It's that time of year again!
Goooooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you.
You know what time it is. The holiday season is upon us. I love this time of year so much. That warm and fuzzy feeling you get for the entire month is just the best. It’s even better when you share those moments with the people you love, so please make time to do that if you can.
KYW Schedule: Today, I’ve got the holiday gift guide ready to unpack for you all. Next week will be the final week for KYW in 2024, barring any emergency stuff later this month.
We’ve got:
A 2024 year in review coming up on Monday
And the 2025 year expectations coming for next Friday
Can’t wait to get into all that when the time comes. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Holiday shopping time.
Shopping for the sneaker lover in your life ❤️
Sneakerheads are difficult. We are hard people to shop for.
You wouldn’t think that’d be the case considering the thing we want the most is pretty obvious. It’s that next pair of sneakers!
But that next pair isn’t easy to come up on. It can’t just be any pair. It has to be that one. And, usually, it gets pretty expensive.
That’s why I always tell people not to buy me sneakers — at least not as the go-to gift. I don’t want you to spend that much on me! You also don’t need the added of doing CAPTCHAs, waiting in virtual lines and hitting queues.
So the best route, then, is to buy sneaker-adjacent things for that sneakerhead in your life. And that’s why the Kicks You Wear’s Holiday gift guide exists.
I’m giving you non-sneaker options for your favorite sneakerhead. The best part? They’re all under $100!
Let’s get into it.
Ice ‘em out 👟
Lace Charms Bundle Pack ($60): When I say ice out your sneakers, I mean that. Hit them with that Cuban link! This jewelry pack from Lace Charms will get you right.
Shoe Lace Supply replacement laces (From $6.99 to $12.99): You already know how I feel about laces here. They give your sneakers character. The right lace will make a shoe look like a completely different pair.
Lace Labs lace lock bundle ($13.00): Lace locks aren’t necessarily essential, but if you want to make your shoes stand out they’re a great way to give them a different look. They’re not quite jewelry because there’s a functional aspect to them, but they’re still awesome.
Etsy custom lace buckle ($17.99): A good lace buckle is always fun! Especially when you can customize it.
A good pair of socks does the trick 🧦
Bombas Half-Calf socks vintage 4-set ($53.20): These Bombas joints are interesting. They’re not quite short enough to be considered quarter-length socks but they’re also not tall enough to be considered calf socks.
Sockjig “The Game is the Game” socks ($10.00): Big shoutout to the homie Sockjig. You should listen to the podcast. If you do, you already know how it goes with the socks. This would be a nice pair to pick up.
Apthcry Earthy Essentials ($87.00): If you’re looking for a pack of socks, the Apthcry earthy essentials pack is a solid pick. They’re pretty expensive for socks, but it’s a seven-pack, and it comes in a bunch of earthy tones. You get versatility with this.
Nike Everyday Plus Cushioned socks ($28 plus CYBER coupon code): Nike has a pretty good sale going. This six-pack of crew socks is just $28, but you can also add the CYBER code to take a bit more off.
Organize, organize, organize
Container Store drop-front sneaker boxes ($54.99-$79.99): Organization is key. You don’t want to have shoes all over the house like SOME of us around here do (looks in the mirror). The Container Store’s drop-front boxes have long been a sneakerhead staple for keeping things straight. You can grab a six-pack here.
Etsy floating sneaker shelves (set of 10 for $82.60-$93.10): If you’re looking for more of a display vibe, these shelves on Etsy seem like a solid move. You can grab a set of 10 here and hook your sneaker sanctuary up.
Rebrilliant 50-pair 10-tier shoe rack ($43.99): Some might just be looking for a simple shoe rack. This one holds 50 pairs of sneakers and has 10 tiers. That’s tall, but an excellent use of space.
Oceanstar 2-tier bamboo shoe rack ($28.99): If the sneakerhead you know is always on the go, they probably keep some sneakers by the door. This bamboo rack has the aesthetic and the function going for it. It’s also not very expensive.
Good reads! 📚
A History of Basketball in 15 sneakers, by Russ Bengtson ($21.24): There are so many solid books about sneakers, but I highly recommend this joint from Russ. It’s fantastic. He’s got a firm grip on the history of hoops — particularly through the NBA lens — and did an incredible job retelling that through footwear. There are lots of really good anecdotes in this one.
Peter Moore: Sneaker Legend, by Jason Coles ($47.30): This is one I haven’t picked up quite yet, but something I’ll have to grab soon. Peter Moore is a legend. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the guy who designed the Jordan 1. Coles goes through how he reshaped both Nike and Adidas in this book.
Where’d You Get Those? By Bobbito Garcia ($45.00): Bobbito Garcia’s classic piece here takes you through the earliest days of sneaker culture in New York, starting with the 1960s. Pick this up for the sneakerhead who loves hisotry.
Sneaker Wars, by Barbara Smit ($28.27): This book by Smit dives deep into the war between a post-WWII feud between Adi and Rudi Dassler — the founders of Adidas and Puma. She dives into how it split their footwear company and their hometown.
A to Yeezy, Diaper Book Club ($25.00): The kids gotta read, too! This is for parents looking to share their expensive hobby with their babies. More power to you.
Clean is key 🧼
Crep Protect Tube Kit ($41.25): I swear by Crep, man. This kit has saved me so many times.
Reshoven8er Essentials kit ($34.88): Reshoven8er is pretty good, too. This essentials kit has the basics for cleaning up quick messes with your sneakers.
UGG Shoe Guard ($50): The Ugg shoe guard isn’t really meant for sneakers, but if you’re shopping for someone who lives in a place where there’s a ton of rain or snow or whatever, this might be something good to pick up!
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. Hope I helped make your holiday shopping a bit easier today!
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, hit me up at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message via Substack.
Until next time. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯