KYW Monthly Mailbag 📥 — Are on-location drops bad for sneakers? 📍
Plus, a Bronny James signature shoe idea
Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me.
It’s Mailbag Friday! Thanks to everyone who took the time to send in questions for today’s mailbag. I appreciate you. This is one of my favorite parts of the newsletter. Chatting it up with y’all is so delightful.
Let’s dig in.
I’m so frustrated by these on-location drops this week
The reader continues: For the Joe FreshGoods 990v6, you’ve got to be in Paris. For the Kith, Asics and Marvel drop you’ve got to be at San Diego Comic-Con. Are they going to ask us to travel to Mars next?
EL. OH. EL. Okay. I hear you. Let’s talk about it.
So, folks, two collaborative drops are releasing this week, requiring you to be on-site at a certain location.
First: Joe FreshGoods’ 990v6 release at his “A Friend Named Cousin” exhibit in Paris on July 27.
Second: Kith’s latest collaboration with Marvel and Asics is being released at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday and Friday.
What these are: Both are “on-location” drops with product releases exclusive to consumers only at specific locations for the weekend. Clearly, that has some folks frustrated.
These sorts of drops are a bit of a double-edged sword.
On one hand: They’re useful in fostering community. Getting people to travel and spend money with you requires a commitment and fosters a loyalty that’s hard to build in this day and age.
On the other: It certainly leaves others frustrated at times. It can be hard for people to participate in things like this. Consumers can show their loyalty in other ways. When they’re left hanging like this, they might turn them away.
Speaking for myself: Sure, as someone who is also not at either San Diego Comic-Con or Paris, France, this week, I can admit it’s disappointing that I won’t be able to participate.
But, to be frank, it’s not something I’m upset about.
Here’s why: First, I think the moves the creatives are making behind the both make sense on a surface level.
On Kith’s end, this is the second Comic-Con drop the brand has done with Marvel. The drop involves specific characters from Marvel’s canon, so releasing the shoes at Comic-Con first makes sense.
Joe FreshGoods is doing an exhibit in Paris. It makes sense to want to make that experience special for the people who come to see it.
The big picture: In a world where everything has shifted online, getting people to go outside again should be considered a good thing. I generally think these experiences in the footwear and retail world are positive. That doesn’t mean they’re only positive when they benefit me.
The bottom line: Look, gang. Not every sneaker is meant for us. Sometimes, there are things we’re just going to be unable to get. That’s alright! Coming to that realization makes sneakers a much more fun space to navigate. That’s the mentality I think is missing in the space these days. You don’t have to have it all.
So, to answer the question, I probably won't be there if they’re making us travel to Mars for shoes someday. I’ll leave that for the Martians to handle.
I know NBA Summer League was rough for Bronny James, but…
The reader continues: Could you talk me into a Bronny James signature shoe? I dare you.
Let me start by saying the idea of Bronny James having a signature…anything is ridiculous at this point.
Bronny is not a very good NBA player right now. Maybe he will be someday, but he isn’t today. There’s no world in which Nike — or any other brand — should consider making him a signature athlete. I’m not sure if he’ll ever be that good.
But if you galaxy-brain it… There is a reason for some brand to let Bronny be the ambassador for something. I mean, we’re sitting here talking about him, right?
The kid is popular. There’s no denying that. He’s not a good NBA player at this point, but he puts up numbers off the court.
Bronny was one of the highest-paid name, image, and likeness athletes in college sports when he was at USC, valued at $3.2 million.
Be smart: There’s value there — even if he’s not great. He’s got a following. He’s got fans. People are rooting for him to succeed.
It might not be Nike. But could, say, Call of Duty make him a global ambassador? Could he get a Nike x Call of Duty x James Gang collab someday? I think so! That might be interesting.
See what happens when y’all dare me to do things?
Are there any off-the-radar shoes you’d recommend?
There are some models out there that I wish I saw more of on the streets. Here are a few I’m eyeing.
Mizuno MXR Sportstyle: With how mesh shoes have taken over footwear these days, I’m always surprised I don’t see more Mizuno out there. The Sportstyle sneaker fits the trend perfectly.
Adidas Predator Mundial: The Predator Mundial carries the footy vibe that comes with some of the Adidas models we’ve fallen in love with over these last few years. This SNS collaboration on the model is fantastic.
Puma Palmero: The Palmero is a beautiful sneaker and is only $90! We should see this outside way more.
Under Armour Apparition: I’ve talked about the Apparition here before. This is another one of the #MeshBoyz that I think gets slept on. These are great on foot. Super comfy.
Saucony ProGrid Triumph 4: Saucony is cooking a lot lately in general, but I think the GR ProGrid Triumph 4 is such a good sneaker. It’s worth your time.
Wow. I’m really into mesh sneakers these days, huh?
What’s the most disappointing shoe of all-time?
Let me tell you something, man. Dwyane Wade is one of my favorite athletes ever. He’s just a great guy. Great dad. Really awesome basketball player. I’d still argue that his performance in the 2006 NBA Finals is the greatest NBA Finals I’ve ever seen.
That’s why I was so mad in 2011 when Jordan Brand released the Fly Wades and they looked like this.
Let me be clear: To each their own. I’m not here to trash anybody who loves this sneaker. I’m sure there are people out there.
I’m just not one of them.
These looked like some generic NBA 2k joints, man. I was so distraught seeing these — especially considering that this was a follow-up for Wade from the Jordan 2010 model he was essentially the face of.
For the brand to take D Wade from that to the Fly Wade had me so tight. I’m not going to lie to y’all. I’m still mad about it to this day.
Dive deeper: To counteract my hate, here’s a Weartesters video with a ton of good things to say about this shoe.
Who are some good people to follow on Twitter (refuse to call it X lol) and IG to stay up to date with new releases?
I’ve been trying to remove myself from Twitter/X/whatever folks call the app these days. But there are still some really good social follows that help a ton.
SNKR_TWITR is probably the best follow for notifications about releases, official images and restocks.
Sneaker Shouts is along those same lines for me. SNKR TWITR is a bit faster but following both has been valuable.
Sole Retriever also does a great job of keeping up with releases online, and the account isn’t afraid to throw in a bit of social commentary. Their app is also fantastic. I recommend it 10 out of 10.
Unboxed isn’t technically on Twitter, but the notification system is probably the fastest one on my phone for releases. Plus, the app's social aspect is pretty clever. I love it.
You can’t go wrong with any of these options.
#TheKicksWeWear
First, the homie Joey got us poppin with the AE 1 lows in this Ascent colorway. I need these, man.
The homie Jordan came through in the FOGs. My boy was NOT playing with em tonight. Sheesh.
The homie Rhe came through with the Plum Dunks and the Gengar shirt. I love the vibes, man. Gotta catch em all.
The homie Martemar popped out with the Crazy IIInfinity joints absolutely SMOKING these. Wow. Great shoe.
Then the homie Warren took us home with the A Ma Maniére AJ5s. LOVE this shoe, man. It looks better every time I see it.
SMOKED THAT, gang. Good stuff. GOOOOOD stuff.
That’s a wrap! Thanks so much for reading, gang. Appreciate you. KYW will be out til August 12. I’ll see you all then.
As always, feel free to hit me up with any questions, comments or concerns at mikedsykes@gmail.com. You can also shoot me a message here on Substack.
Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
The Fly Wade was incredibly generic -- you're 100% right there. They did perform well on court. Kinda emblematic of the performance side of Jordan to this day. It's rare they produce something that looks good. They have some solid performers but nothing with crossover appeal.