Good morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you, once again, for rocking with me on this beautiful Friday. Hope you had a fantastic weekend.
Weather update from your boy: We did not get much snow here in the DMV. Just slush. Also, mood update from your boy: Extremely disappointed by that.
Anyway, let’s jump in.
Y’all really love the Dark Mocha, huh?
(Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash)
Welp. We’re here, y’all. We’ve finally reached the final four in our Sneaker of the Year competition and, somehow, someway, y’all SNUCK THE DARK MOCHA 1 in here. Here are the final results.
The Kobe 5 pack, Chunky Dunky, TurDunken and Dark Mocha have all managed to survive to this point. And it’s pretty clear what our headliners are.
I strongly agree with this tweet.
But instead of doing that, let’s talk about it.
It is absolutely wild to me that the Dark Mocha made it this far. I underestimated this shoe, clearly, once again.
Also, man. The STRANGELOVE IS OUT TOO. That, along with the FJG 992, were the two most beautiful shoes that dropped this year, in my honest opinion.
I am legitimately surprised that the JoeFreshGoods 992 and the StrangeLove Dunk performed so poorly. But after chatting it out on Wednesday’s thread, it’s clear to me why this happened.
It was all about access.
Both kicks were extremely hard to get when they dropped in February. Particularly with the JFG 992, you had to be in Chicago during All-Star weekend to even cop. That matters.
On top of that, both kicks are extremely expensive on the secondary market — they’re both hovering around $1,000 on StockX right now. That also matters.
These battles about hype versus access, and its clear what won out. This particular comment from our guy Jimmy Daugherty struck me.
The Mocha is a clean colorway that is easy for everyone to rock. Plus, it's riding the Travis wave but unlike Travis these are much easier to come by. The JFG NB were super limited, resales for $1-$2k, and (for some) a questionable color palette. The AJ1 Mocha is a shoe for people and JFG 992 is super limited [if you know, you know] type vibe.
So, yeah. A shoe might be better, but if you never actually have a chance to get it then why would you vote for it as your sneaker of the year? I can’t really be mad at that.
Moving on to the Final Four. Here’s a look at our bracket.
Y’all can vote for our finals matchup here. The turnaround on this matchup is going to be quick — on Monday we’re announcing our finalists. Make sure you get your votes in over the weekend.
This feels like the Kobe 5’s tournament to lose at this point. But, hell. What do I know? This thing has gone off the rails. And I love it.
Jumping into Another Lane
(via Another Lane)
We live in an age where sneakers are treated as a commodity, more or less. They’re assets. Stocks. It’s why the culture has lost its soul and why things have become as frustrating as they have.
Another Lane is here to change that. This new secondary market space launched this week and I’m super excited about it.
The entire launch event is worth peeping, but here's a quick trailer in the meantime.
Just calling it another secondary marketplace feels too simplistic. It’s deeper than that. This is a platform founded by Chad Jones (aka Sneaker Galactus) and Adena Jones — two sneakerheads who are for the culture and of the culture with a true love of kicks.
They didn’t create this just to simply give you another option for flipping – they're creating a community. This is a platform that connects you with people who love kicks the same way you do. They aren’t nameless and faceless, as they are in other spaces. They’re also part of the same community you are.
The details.
There are no seller fees for Insider members. You won’t find that anywhere else. You built your collection up, you put effort into it, so they want you to reap those benefits. Plain and simple.
Every member is vetted by the staff upon signing up. Again, it’s not just a space for flipping. It’s a community of people with a dedication to the culture.
The best part might be the fact that not only can you set up your own sneaker shop on the platform, but they also help you market and promote your products and your shop. It’s incredibly dope.
This is a game changer. It’s a space for sneakerheads, made by sneakerheads. It’ll be handled with care. And, plus, it’s Black owned. It doesn’t get any better than that.
A look at your 2021 Dunk SP’s
If you thought Dunks came back in a big way in 2020? Just wait until you get a load of what’s coming in 2021. They’re back on a general release schedule.
We got a quick look at some of the early January 2021 releases for the Dunk’s general release run thanks to the good folks over at Sole Savy. And, I gotta say, these are hittin.
This is a pretty big deal. It might mean the end of the hype train for the Dunk, which isn’t great for the silhouette’s popularity in the long run. But it also means that you’ll have a much better chance of copping moving forward.
Of course, there’s a chance that that doesn’t happen and this won’t matter in terms of hype. Just look at the Jordan 1 — it’s completely oversaturated the market and they’re still selling like crazy with so many different colorways.
Either way, there are more Dunks coming. And that’s something that everyone should be happy about.
An edible sneaker box
Well, this is just the coolest thing ever.
My fiancé wants to face off in a gingerbread house competition and share it with everyone which, really, just means she wants to publicly shame whatever trash gingerbread house I make on the internet.
Imagine her surprise when I come back with this, though! W for your boy. Let me figure this out.
#TheKicksWeWear
First the homie Marcus popped out with the OBJ Air Forces. DAMN I miss these joints.
The homie Marino popped out in the FOG Air Raids and, damn, we need more FOG stuff soon.
The homie Steve popped out in the Biohack AJ1’s. These colors are popping y’all.
You already knew the homie Storm was gonna flex on us with the Kyrie 6’s. Wait til she cops them 7’s.
My boy Jimmy jumped out in the Emerald City Kobe 10’s. SALUTE.
The Better Mike popped out in the Dallas Air Max 97’s in a bomb pic.
The homie Matt flexed on us in the Orlando 10’s. Joints is SICK.
The homie Jumie hit us with the Utility 500’s and this sick fit.
The homie Isiguzo hit us with the John Geiger 003’s and these joints is FIRE.
The homie Greer popped out in the 2012 Volt Air Max 95’s. Joints is CLASSIC. What a flex, man. Shouts to the Volt Queen.
My dog B Mart came out flexing with the Bruce Lee 5’s on. SHEESH.
My dude Garrett put together a sick lace swap on the Air Max 1 N7’s. Why don’t they come like this in the first place?
The homie Cesar popped out in the ACG Blazers and these joints are CRAZY good.
The homie Josh flexed on us with the Bred Yeezy’s and the KYW tee. Cop ya merch, family!
Then the homie Jimmy sent us home in the Air Tech Challenge Christmas Sweater joints. Happy Holidays indeed, fam.
SMOKED IT.
That’s a wrap for Friday, fam! Thank y’all so much for rocking with the boy today. Really appreciate you!
Don’t forget to vote in the poll for Monday! The Finals are almost here.
Until next time, family! Peace and love. Be easy. Be well. Be kind.
Signing off.
—Sykes 💯