Good morning, folks! Happy Friday! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with your boy on such a glorious Friday. Hope you had a great week.
Did y’all cop the Notre joints on Thursday? I certainly did not. Fat Ls over here. Don’t forget — another chance is coming on Saturday via SNKRS. Good luck, family.
Let’s dig in.
Certified Nike Boy
(Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash)
This was one of the biggest questions we had for Nike this year. What were they going to do with Drake? Would he finally get that Travis Scott treatment? Is that something he even wants?
We seem to have answers now. And that answer seems like it will definitively be a yes across the board. The rapper was spotted in the stu wearing a pair of white kicks that I initially thought were a pair of Air Total Max Uptempo’s.
Turns out they’re something totally different. They’re the Hot Step Air Terra from Nike x Nocta, per Pyrates.
This is new. It’s like a fusion between the Air Terra Humara and the Air Total Max joints we’ve seen hit the basketball court. Even in a triple white colorway, this is still a pretty slick look.
We knew something was coming down the pipe when we saw dude riding down on jet skis on Nike’s campus. Then we had CLB merch drop. Then we had NOCTA x Nike. And it looks like we’ll get these in the fall to go along with all of that.
New questions arise surrounding this drop now that the big one has been answered. There’s much more to this thing.
Is this going to be the only colorway we get? It does follow the monochromatic vibes we’ve gotten from Drake through his previous drops via Jordan. But…it’s sort of boring. That leads us to our next question.
How will this be received? Is this going to carry a Travis Scott like hype wave? Drake has never been a star known for his fashion or eccentric flavor. He’s always been the dude who leans in on the zig when everyone is zigging. He just does it better than everyone else. Seeing how that translate to shoes will be fascinating.
The last point, and maybe the most interesting one, is that this is not a signature shoe. It’s a collaboration — seemingly a NOCTA take on a new Nike model. Do we see a general run for this joint soon? Or is this just a Drake thing? We’ll see.
Don’t forget that this is a leak. And, while it’s an interesting leak, it is still not necessarily indicative of what the final product will be when it reaches the public in Fall 2021.
Still, the moves Drake is making with Nike are fascinating from the album-centered drop to releasing a sub-label under the brand and, now, a new footwear collaboration under that label.
Watching this evolve throughout the year will be worth keeping an eye on.
The hype is behind sustainability
(Photo by Ryan Kwok on Unsplash)
Last year we talked about how big a deal it was that sustainability was being translated into hype. It was becoming a key cog in sneaker culture.
Brands weren’t creating a sustainable shoe to check a box. They actually designed something that had staying power. We saw that through and through over the last year on a number of different drops.
The Space Hippie had success with all four of its different silhouettes dropping in different colors. The materials were also used on more popular pieces like the Dunk and the AJ1.
We also saw the Yeezy Foam Runner (as much as I hate that damn thing) have a huge year. It was one of the most coveted Yeezy drops of 2020 as a clog.
There will be plenty more of that in 2021. The people want it. Sustainability had a dominant 2020 on the aftermarket, according to Yahoo’s Reggie Wade. He spoke to StockX’s Jesse Einhorn about predicting 2021’s biggest footwear trends and sustainability was one of them.
“Einhorn says that sneakers made with sustainable materials will be a big part of the StockX platform in 2021. In the previous year, users spent more than $10 million on sustainable footwear. The Nike Space Hippie alone brought in more than $400,000 in sales on StockX. Adidas algae-based Yeezy foam runner was also a big seller.”
As much as we hate hype culture and the seeds of frustration it sews for consumers, seeing this sort of success is essential.
Brands like Nike and Adidas use aftermarket success to determine how much staying power within the culture Nike’s Space Hippie line will have.
The better it performs, as irritating as it can be, the more a brand will be willing to build off of a product and include it in their future plans.
So seeing those numbers are a good thing. It means people are not only excited about sustainable product, but they’re also buying it. Which means we’ll get more of it down the line. And that’s a win for everyone.
Sneaker politics
There were sneakers all over the place during President Joe Biden’s inauguration. I’m pretty sure sneaker Twitter snapped in half when we saw the Dior 1’s walking down the steps on Nikolas Ajagu, Vice President Kamala Harris’ nephew-in-law.
(Can yall tell how pressed I was to write that?)
Then we found out Maisy Biden, Joe’s Granddaughter, was rocking the Sisterhood AJ1’s. Sorry, y’all. I will not allow you to hate on these mids. Not today.
This was just cool as hell to see. Not just because they were rocking sneakers that were familiar to us all, but because it officially deads the narrative that sneakers can’t be used as formal wear. They absolutely can. And this was the biggest stage ever to prove that.
Shouts to these folks. Can’t wait until we get some J’s up in the Oval Office.
When the bag brings back memories
My favorite thing about folks signing deals with Adidas is that the immediate and complete heel turn they do on their past with Nike. Speaking of which, here’s Jerry Lorenzo in a pair of Sambas telling us about how he used to rock them all the time in High School.
Boy, that bag really gets you to talkin’. I tell you. Memory becomes crystal clear at the same time the check clears. Sheesh.
Shouts to Jerry, man. Cannot wait to see what he brings with the three stripes.
#TheKicksWeWear
Y’ALL KNOW WHAT IT IS. THE KICKS. WE WEARIN EM.
First, the homie Kyle started us off with jokes and the Starfish 13’s.
Then the homie Jay came through with the Bred 350 v2s. Love this colorway so much yo.
The homie David popped out in the Storm Blue AJ1’s keeping it clean, as always.
The homie Kev popped out in the Titan 23’s. BOY I ain’t seen these in a minute.
The homie JW popped out in these sleek Enda joints. They are niceeeeee.
My dog Chim was spotted out here in the He Got Game 13’s. Sick.
The homie Josh popped out in the Nike Dunk By You joints inspired by Georgetown. Glad to see someone hit on these.
The homie Izzy was out here killing it in the New Balance 327’s while staying safe in these FedEx streets.
The homie Mariano popped out in the Lance Mountain Blazers. My GOODNESS.
Then the homie Greer sent us packin’ with the Travis AJ6’s and a killer sock combo. SHEESH.
Thank y’all so much for rocking with me! Truly appreciate you and your time, folks. Y’all are the best.
Be safe and have a great weekend. Talk on Monday!
Y’all know the vibes. Be safe. Be easy. Be kind. Peace and love.
Signing off.
—Sykes 💯