The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 126 — Folks, we’ve got a [SNKRS] problem
SNKRS talk. Buckle in, folks.
Good morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with your boy today. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!
Doubling up on pods today! Chopped it up with the homie DP over at Sole Savy this weekend. Then, today, I’ll be on with the homie Kofie Yeboah aka the young GOAT. Make sure you subscribe to his pod to be ready when it drops.
Alright, fam. Let’s jump in.
OMG, back at it again
(Photo by Kristian Egelund on Unsplash)
Shouts to Yella Beezy. New year, same problems. It’s 2021 and Nike’s SNKRS app is still absolutely dreadful.
This weekend’s Notre x Nike Dunk launch was horrendous. Classic SNKRS experience.
People complained about insane loading times, error screens, address deletion. Just about everything that could go wrong did.
And so here we sit, defeated. Just like with the Chunky Dunky’s, just like with the Grateful Dead’s, just like with the Off-White 5’s and just like Mamba Week. It’s the same story and it’s truly frustrating.
The SNKRS app is fundamentally broken. It’s just not good enough and that’s on Nike.
The app is just clearly not built for the high levels of traffic that they get on these super-hyped releases. Server overload is a consistent theme with this thing.
There are millions of users who use the app, yet there’s no real system that determines who gets access to what, when they get access and how. There’s no order. Or, at least, there doesn’t seem to be.
Sneaker culture is mainstream in a way that it never has been before. It’s more popular than ever and it continues to evolve. Yet the app has largely remained frozen in time since debuting in 2015.
And the thing about that is it wasn’t intended to be this big. It was a side project, as Sole Savy founder Dejan Pralica brilliantly pointed out on Saturday.
Yet, somehow, this side project is the gatekeeper for every single one of Nike’s hyped releases. So you can see how this could morph into a disaster. We discussed this point on the SoleSavy pod and much more.
Now, there’s another side to this. And that side correctly points out that the SNKRS app is probably the best that we have. In principle, it’s fair! Everyone gets one shot at the drop. It’s password protected. There is some bot security there. There are worse alternatives.
But at the same time, it still sucks. Just because this might be the best option we have in our broken system doesn’t mean it’s actually good. And it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s something we, as consumers, should put up with.
This can be better. Nike can be better.
First of all, they can release more shoes. That solves just about everything.
On top of that, they can build a better app. They can build a better algorithm that rewards people for coming back instead of having folks go years between W’s.
And in the meantime, we can change our habits, too. We don’t have to chase every single hyped release. We shouldn’t. We’re rewarding Nike and everyone else that feeds off of hype with our time and with our dollars. That includes brands and resellers. We deserve better. So much better.
Plus, there’s way too much other heat out here for that.
The numbers are in on 2020 and…
(Photo by Kamil Pietrzak on Unsplash)
The NPD Group’s Matt Powell released a thorough analysis on the footwear industry’s retail numbers from 2020 and there were so many brands that struggled.
Sales declined in the mid-single digits for the market overall in 2020, per Powell. Some of the business’ biggest brands were hit the hardest.
Nike saw a single-digit decline in sales, overall, for the year. Jordan Brand saw a small increase but that slowed in the second half of the year.
Adidas sales saw a decline in the mid-teens last year despite positive movement from Reebok.
Under Armour declined in the low teens in 2020 overall and had a strong finish to the year.
There were some positives to take away, though. Puma had a fairly strong year, surprisingly, with sales up about 20%. Performance running, as a category, also did well. “Brooks, On, and Hoka One One all performed as if there was no global crisis,” Powell writes.
My takeaways:
Lifestyle wear is going to continue to struggle. This isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. People are, rightfully, staying safe in their homes as the pandemic rages on. That’s not good news for the retro game.
At the same time, it’s refreshing to see performance categories doing well — particularly running. I wonder if this leaves any space for lifestyle running models to come back strong in 2021? We’ll have to wait and see.
Brons are already on the move
Nike’s LeBron PE tournament is over. We, apparently, picked the LeBron 10 “Ring Ceremony” joints as our drop.
This is a good player exclusive! I have to say, the community rebounded fairly well.
That’s not the big news, though. Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about how Nike was already in the process of building out Bron’s retro line and shaping his sneaker legacy? Yeah, it’s already started.
James himself announced the return of the #LeBronWatch from 2018. On the 23rd of each month they’ll be dropping a new…something.
It’s unclear what that something is. In 2018, the LeBron Watch was Nike dropping retro-inspired versions of the 15’s. It looks like this time they might just be dropping retro Bron sneakers? If so, that’s super dope. We also see, immediately, what the PE tournament’s true purpose was.
We’ll see how this plays out. Overall, it’s great to see James’ line being scaled in a way it hasn’t been just yet. Hopefully, Bron fans get a chance to grab some heat.
Special Delivery is BYKE
This episode might be my favorite so far. Y’all know how much I love the Gel-Lyte III as a silhouette. I got a chance to unbox a pair for SPECIAL DELIVERY.
Peep the Asics x END. Pearl Gel-Lyte III. The shoes are dope as, but the story is better.
Make sure y’all subscribe, like and comment! There’s plenty more of that to come.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Nike Dunk Low “Medium Curry” — Thursday, January 28
J Cole x PUMA Dreamer 2 — Thursday, January 28
Converse x Concepts Chuck 70 “Souther Flame” — Thursday, January 28
Patta x New Balance 991 — Friday, January 29
AJ9 “Dark Charcoal” — Saturday, January 30
That’s a wrap for Monday, fam! Thanks so much for rocking with your boy and giving me a bit of your time this morning.
Hope you have a fantastic week! Talk to you on Wednesday.
Be safe. Be easy. Be kind. Peace and love.
Signing off.
—Sykes 💯
Good stuff here...I feel like you are right about not needing to chase every single hyped release, which unfortunately I found myself doing on more than a few occasions. 2021 I'm trying to be much more selective with my pursuits and also trying to diversify my collection. Have a great week!