KYW's Back To School guide 📚 — Big stepping in the classroom for under $100
Yo. Kids are expensive, man.
Goooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today — appreciate you. Hope you had a fantastic weekend.
Let’s jump right into today’s fun. Back to school shopping!
It’s back to school time!
School is starting back up around my way this week! It’s probably already started back up for some of y’all around the country, too, so I figured now would be a pretty great time to put together KYW’s back-to-school sneaker guide. Got to have the KYW kids looking just as fresh as their folks, right?
So here we are. And I kept some rules in mind while browsing the internet on your behalf.
Rule 1: Nothing goes over $100. Kids are expensive! So are sneakers. We don’t need both being expensive all at one time.
Rule 2: No Jordans or Yeezys. They won’t be able to wear them again next year so what’s the point?
Rule 3: No silhouette appears on the list more than once. Otherwise, this would just be an Air Force 1 list.
With that being said, let’s dig in.
For the Little Kids
The NMD R1 ($54.99, on sale): The NMD is super flexible. It’s mesh, it’s breathable, it’s soft and cushiony. It’s also easy to clean. This is a good one for the playground.
Puma Suede Classic XXI ($24.99, on sale): This joint is more in that Preschool range as opposed to Elementary school, but $25 is such a great deal on these.
Nike Huarache Run ($73): This is just an outdoors shoe, through and through. It’s flexible and made to be beaten at the same time. There are also lots of colors, which is a big plus.
Nike Dunk High ($80): Dunks are a bit pricey, obviously. But they’re good casual shoes with lots of room. It’s the new Air Force 1. The kids love em.
For the Big Kids
The Air Force 1 ($90): Nothing quite says “going back to school” like a fresh pair of Ice White Forces. This is a staple and it always will be.
Nike Waffle Trainer 2 (From $39.97 to $70, on sale): Waffle Trainers have been in the midst of a moment for a while. And with some of those sale prices from Nike? It’s definitely worth at least taking a look.
New Balance 327 ($70): The 327 has that waffle vibe going with it but it’s a little stiffer than the trainers so it’s not the best sneaker for the playground or gym class. But it is fly. This shoe just looks cool. That means a lot.
Adidas Ozelios ($75): This is one of those Yeezy-lite sneakers Kanye West is probably mad about. If your kid loves Yeezy these joints are the next best thing. They’ll love this pair.
For the teens
Chuck Taylor All-Star Classic ($65): These joints are a staple in the same way the Air Force 1 is — maybe even more of one. There are so many different flavors in colors and different ways to style these. Your teen will love them.
Blazer Jumbo ($100): Really pushing the spending limit with this one here, obviously, but this is probably the coolest sneaker on the list. It’s really clean and gives that Off-White vibe with the unfinished tongue and huge swoosh. All you need is a sharpie.
New Balance 57/40 ($59.99, on sale): This might be New Balance’s most underrated silhouette. It’s got great quality, an amazing feel, lots of colors and is now on sales racks. It’s a great one.
Adidas Stan Smith ( $69.99, on sale): Can you really go wrong with the Stan Smith? It’s the Adidas sneaker. Very easy to style and an underappreciated silhouette these days, if you ask me.
By the way: Nike has a student discount available on their site for students ages 16 and up. Take advantage of that, y’all.
Jasmine’s section
My wife sat with me to think about this guide for a bit, so she gets a section. She dubbed us the Kicks You Wear brain trust before telling me “My brain has trusted enough,” after about 10 minutes. which meant she had better things to do with her Sunday afternoon. Can’t blame her.
But, anyway, she did leave me with some gems, so I’ll just throw them here for y’all.
Crocs ($34.99-$49..99, on sale): I totally forgot the kids love these now for whatever reason. So I found a couple of colors on sale for $35. The rest are going for regular price.
Classic Lined Animal Remix Crocs ($64.99): Ok. I won’t lie. These are kind of cool. I like animal prints and the fur is nice. I’d never wear them but if you want to get your baby some warm Crocs, these are good.
Stranger Things Custom Vans ($100): Again, we’re pushing the limit here. But these are objectively dope. And it’s Stranger Things! Who doesn’t love Stranger Things?
What’s droppin, bruh?
Y’all. There are 27 drops (!!!!) on the SNKRS app this week. You can’t lose em all, right? RIGHT?!?
FroSkate x Nike SB High “All Love” — Tuesday, August 30
sacai x Nike Cortez — Wednesday, August 31
Zoom Flight 95 “Light Orewood Brown” — Wednesday, August 31
Tom Sachs x Nike General Purpose Shoe “Sulfur” — Friday, September 2
Air Jordan 6 “Georgetown” — Saturday, September 3
That’s all, folks! Any feedback or suggestions on this B2S guide are more than welcome. Let me know if I’ve helped you at all with this.
Til Friday, fam. Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯
Love this idea fam and shout out to Jasmine!