KYW Monthly Mailbag 📥 — BalenciArmour?!? Another big Nike cut and more
Balenciaga x Under Armour was absolutely NOT on my Bingo card
Gooooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks for rocking with me today. I appreciate y’all for sharing some time with me this morning. It’s Mailbag Day! Thank you so much for sending the questions.
Let’s jump into it.
Balenciaga and Under Armour?!?!? For real???!?!?!?
Want to talk about things I did not have on my bingo card in 2024? Under Armour and Balenciaga linking up is at the top of that list.
The timeline: Balenciaga rolled out the surprise Under Armour collab this week like an IG boyfriend reveal. It came out of nowhere.
First, the brand posted a picture of some UA-shaped earrings along with a caption on Wednesday that had a release date of Spring 2025.
Then, the brand showcased some of that collection on the runway in Shanghai/
After that, it dropped a mini-capsule of UA x Balenci gear, which included $1,450 hoodies, $475 hats and $150 socks. Whew. I’m broke.
This is so confusing because these are just two brands that no one would’ve ever expected to see working together.
It’s hard to describe this one as a perfect marriage considering the two ends of the spectrum they’re coming from. On one end, you’ve got a sportswear brand that has typically specialized in creating accesible athletic gear. On the other end, you’ve got a company that has spent over a century being one of the most exclusive brands in the world.
But…I think that’s why we’re seeing them work together here. Both brands are in a space where they covet each other’s audiences.
Part of Kevin Plank’s recovery plan for Under Armour (if we’re calling it that) is to add more premium products and price points. He covets a big-spending consumer base willing to buy expensive products. A tie-in with Balenciaga grants Plank and UA access to that audience.
Meanwhile, Balenciaga has been trying to clean up its image since 2022 following its disgusting BDSM teddy bear campaign.
My question is whether any of this will work in the end. For a collaboration to be successful, there has to be some common ground between the two audiences. And I’m just not sure there’s enough of one here for either of these brands to flourish from it.
There’s a chance it actually doesn’t matter if it will work, though. The point for both brands is to just shift the narrative. The fact that these two brands are working together generates headlines that make that possible.
And, if you look at it from that angle, it starts to make a bit more sense. Even if it does feel a little desperate.
What are your thoughts on Nike firing some of its archives staff?
The reader continues: I know the Nike layoffs are bad, generally, but this feels terrible.
For those who haven’t heard, Nike has reportedly laid off some of the staff who tend to its archives department. I can’t say I expected to see this news today.
The why: Nike’s archives department is easily one of the most important at the brand.
The archives department stores and catalogs every sneaker that has ever been ideated and created under the Nike umbrella.
The workers in the department collected and maintained those models. Now, those left will have to stretch their bandwidth even further.
Remember that institutional knowledge we always talk about Nike losing? It’s happening here again.
The big picture: $2 billion is a lot of money. The goal of Nike’s layoffs and cuts is to shave that much from its budget so, naturally, cuts should’ve been expected.
But is it just me or does it feel like there’s no rhyme or reason to any of this? You hate layoffs in general, obviously. But where’s the strategy in this?
The brand’s layoffs have been extensive, affecting key departments in design, sustainability, archives, and more.
It’s lost access to key designers like Dylan Raasch who’ve created absolute hits for the brand before.
It’s even removed to much that Converse has been impacted by the brand’s cuts.
This feels like it could come back to haunt Nike in a few years’ time. We’ll see.
It feels like SNKRS has lost some excitement lately.
The reader continues: I remember a time when there were fun things coming out all the time. Things feel boring now. Is it just me or do you think it's a down era for Nike?
To be completely transparent here, I rarely use the SNKRS app these days. And, I guess, that tells you about the state of Nike’s content machine.
Don’t get it twisted: I’m unique in that. There are still thousands of users who use the app every single day.
SNKRS generally releases something every few days, at the very least. And there’s always someone out there looking to buy whatever is dropping.
The app also generally has weekly content, whether it be the SNKRS Live shows, the polls, catalogs or the release calendar itself. There’s always something to look at.
Yes, but: The “In Stock” tab is pretty full these days. Just check the app right now. There are pairs of Latte Jordan 1s sitting. The Medium Curry Dunks are available. The Taxi Flip 12s are sitting. That was unheard of just a few years ago.
That shows that there is a bit of a disconnect between the brand, its consumers and the products currently being pushed. I do think it’s fair to consider that a “down” period for Nike. So I’d say yes.
My take: That’s OK. I wonder whether this is honestly how the SNKRS app is supposed to function in the first place.
We spent years being frustrated by how quickly things moved on the app and how tough things were to buy. Now that it’s a bit slower and much easier, I don’t want to rush back to the chaos.
Why was there a crazy lineup for AJ17s?
Nature is healing, fam! That’s why! No, but seriously. Last weekend’s Jordan 17 Lightning release was pretty shocking.
The excitement was driven by nostalgia. The Jordan 17 is a pretty special despite being a non-Chicago Michael Jordan retro.
Presentation is at the root of it all. This shoe’s briefcase packaging was groundbreaking in 2002 when we first saw it.
Jordan Brand's decision to bring that back was a great move. It tapped into the nostalgia of people who grew up in that era.
It’s also the perfect Jordan Brand Y2K-era shoe to bring back. It’s old, but it looks futuristic in a fly way. That works well today.
Add all that together and you’ve got people mobbed up outside of UP NYC’s doors clamoring for these shoes. This will probably inform a lot of Jordan Brand moves moving forward.
#TheKicksWeWear
First, the homie Sumeet popped out with in the 180s. These are so clean, man. Really glad he got em.
The homie Jed came through with the Gyakusou Zoom Flys. I miss mine so much! This is a special shoe.
The homie Young Choi came through with the Nigel Sylvester AJ1s and I STILL NEED THESE.
The homie Floyd popped out in the Futura SBs. He really came up, man. Always pop into your local skate shops, folks. Never know what you’ll find.
The homie Jess came through with the Inverse Toxic MB.01s. This is SUCH a clean sneaker. I don’t talk about Lamelo’s line with Puma enough.
Then my dog Bo sent us home with the CPFM Air Force 1s. These joints so CLEAN yo. Wow. Almost makes me want to buy a pair of forces.
Y’all SMOKED this. Once again. Best sneaker community on the internet.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. I appreciate you. I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯