KYW Monthly Mailbag — 📩 Sneaker Psych with Sykes, the Royal 1s and more
It's mailbag time, folks! Let's get it!
Goooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me this morning. I appreciate you taking some time.
It’s mailbag time! Isn’t this exciting? My favorite. Remember, there will be another in a couple of weeks to end the month, too. I appreciate your submissions! Don’t trip if your question didn’t get in on this one. It might make it to the next!
Let’s rock.
Sykes, I need you to be my sneaker psychologist
The reader continues…I seethe with a mix of anger and jealousy when I see folks with money copping shoes resale (and for crazy prices). I try to give the gritted teeth "I'm happy for you" but to be honest, it feels like they're going through a completely fake and inauthentic experience… I don't want to be a gatekeeper, but it feels off for rich folks to be highjacking a hobby that has traditionally been for not-rich people.
This is a long one, but it’s a good one! Thank you so much to whoever asked this question.
Don’t worry: You are not alone here. This is something that I think many of us have experienced. And not even just in the situation you’re describing with the resale platforms.
Let me speak from my personal experience.
There were plenty of times between around 2017 and the late stages of 2020 that I’d find myself upset on Saturdays when I didn’t hit on the SNKRS app. And when I say upset, I mean visibly upset. Jaw clenched. Eyebrows furrowed. The whole thing. It was pretty ridiculous.
I’d be jealous of folks on the timeline getting sneakers that I couldn’t get. I’d be even more jealous of the folks who splurged on the resale market when I couldn’t. I wouldn’t even congratulate them. I’d just be upset about it for an hour or two. It was hilarious, honestly.
It was around 2021 that I decided I just had to delete the app to protect myself mentally. I needed a second to pause and re-evaluate. There was no way that sneakers should’ve been impacting my life — not in that way. These were meant to bring me joy, so why weren’t they? I needed to figure that out.
One day, I finally did. I realized I was so focused on not only what I didn’t have, but what everyone else was getting. I internalized that. I thought there was a problem with me. Why didn’t I put myself in a position to get these things that I want? I refused to recognize a simple fact: Everything is not meant for me. And the things that are not meant for me will not serve me.
Circling back: So I completely understand where you’re coming from. Sneaker culture has changed. It’s frustrating.
Like many other facets of life, this culture has been democratized in a way that both helps and hurts it.
On one hand, we have access to almost any sneaker we want at the click of a button. Time doesn’t matter. Release date doesn’t matter. It’s all there.
On the other, it’s now this neo-liberal space where there are no established rules or boundaries and the person with the most cash wins 99 percent of the time.
The person with the most cash doesn’t always have the purest of intentions. We’ve seen that over and over again with firms investing in sneaker start-ups claiming to want to help the culture. Two years later, they’ve bailed out.
It’s just about the look for some people. They just want to be a part of it, you know? They don’t really love it. They don’t really care. They’ll follow the trends wherever they go. Sometimes it’s for a buck. Sometimes it’s just for clout. It’s all just superficial.
But listen: Don’t let that affect you. You don’t need to be jealous of anyone foolish enough to spend their money on stuff that they don’t care about. It’s not worth your time.
In the end, if someone is splurging on the resale market to try and buy their way into the culture, then let them! It’s their money. They can spend it how they want.
They probably shouldn’t be spending it that way. It’s not smart. But it’s what they want to do. So let them.
Just because they might have the capital or opportunity to access something you can’t right now doesn’t say anything about you. It doesn’t mean you’re any less deserving. It doesn’t say anything at all.
The thing that you wanted just isn’t meant for you right now. And, to be completely honest, you probably don’t need it anyway. You never did.
Most of you probably know who Bobbito Garcia is. If you don’t, he’s an OG in the sneaker world and maybe the best prognosticator out there. He’s a sneakerhead’s sneakerhead. You know how many pairs of shoes he has?
Five.
Just five. He’s not out here buying everything in sight. He’s not getting upset at the things he doesn’t have. You know why? Because he’s valid. Those sneakers don’t make him who he is. He knows that. You should know that, too. You’re valid so long as you’re genuine about this stuff.
The bottom line: The stuff you already have is just fine. The sneakers aren’t what make you a sneakerhead. You could have a million pairs, but if you’re not truly passionate about this culture then what does that mean? Absolutely nothing.
Being a sneakerhead is about who you are. It’s about your passion. If you still have that, you’re doing just fine.
Keep that in mind and all that negative energy will be gone before you know it.
Sneaker of the year so far?
It is almost that time of year again, isn’t it? Sneaker of the year talks creep up on me every single November like the year isn’t going to end in a couple of months. This is when the conversation starts to get serious for me.
My criteria: Remember, there are always three things that I consider in my SOTY conversation.
Accessibility: How easy is it to get a shoe? Is it super limited? Do we really have a chance to cop?
Aesthetics: This one is pretty simple. Does it look good or not? That’s all there is to it.
Hype: This is my least important factor, but it certainly is a factor in my view. There has to be some sort of consensus that a sneaker is good for it objectively be the sneaker of the year. At least in my book.
Please note that the sneaker of the year is not necessarily my FAVORITE sneaker. That’s an important distinction.
My pick (FOR NOW): This is subject to change. But, with all that in mind, my pick today is the Kith x Asics X-Men Gel Lyte III. It’s the best thing we’ve been treated to all year.
The accessibility was there through the Kith raffle. Lots of people were able to cop these joints and it still kept a little bit of its mystique (yes, that’s a double entendre. Nerds. Love you).
The hype factor was there because you had no idea what pair you’d be getting out of the seven. It was a mystery until you opened that package. It also encouraged trading within the sneaker community, which was fun.
And the aesthetics? Come on. It’s the Gel-Lyte III. That’s one of the best-looking silhouettes of all time.
I didn’t get these joints when they dropped. But it’s certainly one I’ll consider circling back on someday.
Tentative runner-up: The J Balvin Air Jordan 3.
At first glance, I thought the Royal Reimagined look pretty fly...then I got a better pic to inspect.
The reader continues… Super wack. I really hope the reimagined run doesn't continue down this path. Have you heard any rumblings of Jordan ruining another dope sneaker with alternative materials again with their reimagined line?
There were LOTS of comments about the Reimagined Royal AJ1s and, not shockingly, most of them were not positive. Much like this one.
There’s more: More alternative materials are coming. The Bred 4 that we’re getting at the top of the year is supposed to deviate from its typical nubuck form for a leather look — similar to what we’d typically get with a Jordan 1. That’s just what has been reported so far.
Wait a second: Before you riot, let me play devil’s advocate here. I’m not a huge fan of these deviations, either. But isn’t this what the Reimagined line is supposed to be?
Reimagining these sneakers should mean bringing something different to the table with them. Even if we hate it. The shoe needs to live up to its name.
To be honest, I love the effort. The more creativity the better.f I just…also don’t think this is it. That’s just me (and a whole lot of you, too, apparently!).
One more thing: I want to mention a comment from the homie Brady Thatcher on this. He asked if the shoe would’ve been better without the suede and whether Nike was overdoing it, generally, when it came to the reimagined line.
I really want to hone in on that last part. I want to be careful in complaining about getting too many pairs of Jordans. Because this is what we’ve been asking for, right?
Nike is bringing us classic Jordan pairs in high quantities. That’s objectively a good thing for fans of these classic looks.
Nobody is complaining about too many pairs of the Lost & Found AJ1s or the White Cement AJ3s. And there were more than enough to go around.
The big picture: I’m unsure what comes next after this Bred 4, but I do know this — I hope whatever it is, we get a ton of pairs in that, too. The more people who are able to get them, the better.
You see the Stewies go on mega clearance last week?! Thoughts on that?
The reader continues… Overproduction or are they killing the line?
Speaking of overproduction, this is a great question from one of our readers on Breanna Stewart’s signature shoe.
What’s happening: Stewart’s first signature shoe is on one heck of a clearance sale right now. You can cop a pair for as low as around $15 at Dicks Sporting Goods. Seriously. That is wild. I didn’t peep this initially, so shoutout to this reader for alerting us to this.
One could see how that could cause concern for the model. Such a massive sale could be considered a reflection of the shoe’s performance on the market.
My take: I’m not too worried about it right now. But I do wish there was more of a push behind Stewie’s shoes from Puma. Have y’all seen a commercial for the Stewie 2 yet? She played in the WNBA Finals, man.
The branding behind Stewart’s first sneaker was so cool. She was breaking barriers. She was the first woman with a signature shoe in a decade. Puma took advantage of that.
With this new sneaker, we haven’t seen very much of that storytelling. It’s mostly been on social. It just doesn’t feel as big of a priority anymore and that’s not a good thing.
Hopefully, Puma doesn’t drop this ball.
M/F/K: StockX, GOAT, Tradeblock
Whew, what a precarious predicament you’ve put me in here. I don’t feel strongly about any of these three as far as favorites — I use them all equally. So I’ll just judge by my experience on each platform.
Side note: I’m keeping it PG again just like last time. Instead of M/F/K I’m doing Rock, Stock, Drop. My momma reads this so I gotta be careful.
Rock: StockX. I know a lot of you are going to disagree, but I find myself using StockX as a tool most frequently out of these choices.
The fees are generally ridiculous and customer service can be hit or miss. But the library is there and I like how convenient it is to watch prices.
Stock: Tradeblock. I haven’t made too many trades, to be quite honest. And I wouldn’t doubt that the experience is more pleasant the more you use it. But I’ve dealt with some folks on there who are, quite frankly, rude as hell. And the offers can be SO ridiculous sometimes. It’s mildly frustrating.
Drop: GOAT. I simply just don’t use the app as much. It’s fine! Definitely a resource. It just doesn’t feel as convenient and I can’t get myself used to the U/X.
After doing this I’ve decided that I need to make myself go use GOAT more. So thanks, whoever asked.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GET IT.
First, the homie Ray popped out to put some respect on the AJ2. RESPECK EM.
My guy Warren came through with the Safari Dunk Lows and I can’t get over the material switches on the overlays. SO GOOD.
The homie Alex popped out in the OVO 12s and they’re SO INCREDIBLY CLEAN. Wow.
The homie Azad came through in the Social Status Mac Attacks and I cannot get enough of that green. Reminds me of my Eagles. 🦅
The homie Matt came in with this classic pair of Air Max 1s. Simple! Yet perfect.
Then the homie Dandin took us home with the VINOOOOOOS! That’s crazy! Wow. What a pull, man. This dude really has the heaters in his closet.
Y’all smoked that, man. Sheesh. I cannot compete.
Thanks so much for reading, folks! I appreciate you. Hope you enjoyed that. And I hope you enjoy the fantastic weekend you have coming up, too.
Let’s chat again on Monday. Until then, folks. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
Nooo Mike, don't support blind boxes for sneakers! They may seem fun, but ultimately they're horrible for the consumer. You get less control over getting what you actually want. Like there were a couple of CWs I really liked of these, but fuck spending $200 to probably get a sneaker I don't actually like. And it's also basically a form of gambling. Because it's random the rarer, more popular CWs will be worth even more than usual, since even the people who copped a retail pair probably didn't get the pair they wanted. Hit on the right CW and you could make out like a bandit, which is just going to keep pushing people to buy sneakers with the hopes of flipping them, rather than wearing them themselves. It just seems really shitty.