The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 128 — The Mids are sellin'
The Jordan 1 game is crazy
Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear! Thank you so much for rocking with your boy on this wintry Monday morning.
Did y’all get some snow? I know we did out here in the DMV. It ain’t the blizzard of 2010, but I’ll take it.
Let’s get it poppin’.
The alternative route
(Photo by Matthew Dagelet on Unsplash)
The Jordan 1 is the hottest shoe in the sneaker world right now, but it’s also probably the most divisive.
Take this new Aleali May Jordan 1 Zoom Comfort, for example. It’s dropping soon and it looks pretty sleek.
This is a continuation of the trend that started in 2019 with the Jordan Brand Fearless collection that put AJ1 mids and lows on a pedestal they hadn’t had to that point.
Opinions on it are mixed, though.
On one hand, people love it. And what’s not to love? It’s an Aleali May AJ1. The details are incredible. The design is dope.
On the other? It’s a Jordan 1 Zoom CMFT. It’s not the Jordan 1. And so they hate it.
And there lies our problem. The Jordan 1 comes in all shapes, sizes and colors now. AJ1 Mids are as popular as they’ve ever been. Same goes for the AJ1 Low. Now we’re adding the CMFT, too.
They’re all different variations of the OG silhouette. But because they’re not the OG, people constantly disparage the shoes and people who wear them. Mostly because of what they’re not.
That’s gatekeeping. And that’s not good — especially not today.
We know how hard it is to cop AJ1 OG’s right now. We know how expensive the resale market gets. These alternative models are the closest a lot of people can get to that without blowing a bag.
On top of that, these models are introducing people to the culture. For some kid out there, an AJ1 Mid is going to be their first Jordan shoe. And that’s an amazing feeling no one should be robbed of. Whether it’s a mid or a Team Jordan.
And, look, I get the other side. The Jordan 1 is everything sneaker culture is about. It started all of this. Without this shoe, the culture probably isn’t a thing. And if it is, it’s definitely not what it is today. We should always want to preserve that history.
But telling people what they should and should not wear has never been a good look. It’s especially silly in this case because we didn’t even care about Jordan 1’s when they were sitting discounted on shelves just a few years ago. And now if you wear a mid you’re sullying the shoe’s legacy somehow? Please. Miss me with that.
We all aren’t going to vibe with everything, but that’s OK. This culture wasn’t built on that. It’d be extremely boring if it was. Let everyone wear what they want.
The Cosmics are coming soon
(Photo by Cris Baron on Unsplash)
Sustainability in sneakers is taking another big step already in 2021. Nike’s Space Hippie kicks on the court are coming soon.
Nike is ramping up the Cosmic Unity’s visibility, which normally means a drop date is somewhere in the near future. We don’t have specifics yet, but something’s coming this week.
WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson was seen in a photoshoot with two different pairs. She dropped a hint for us with some eye emojis.
Anthony Davis was spotted hooping in them during the Lakers game against the Celtics on Saturday.
We don’t know when these are coming yet, but y’all know I’ve been endlessly excited about getting my hands on a pair. First of all, they’re fire. They look like Allen Iverson’s Questions which is always a big plus for me.
But, more than that, this is another big step for sustainability in sneakers. The NBA is the biggest stage in the footwear industry. Having Nike’s recycled material on that stage is a big move that puts eyes on it.
We’ll see how the campaign carries forward and probably soon. With the way it looks, it should certainly be a mover.
So icy, so icy
It feels like Beyoncé and Adidas literally just dropped their last Ivy Park capsule, but they’re right back again already.
Icy Park is coming. Ivy Park and Adidas are dropping a winter collection with ice white gear. They’re also tapping in with some pretty interesting silhouettes. They dropped a promo video last week featuring Big Wop AKA Gucci Mane in the campaign.
They’re scheduled to drop on February 20. Yo, this new boot silhouette? Sick.
I was hoping for a bit more from a footwear standpoint — they’ve used the Ultra Boost, Supersleek 72 and the Forum a few times now. But that boot? Yeah, certainly makes up for that.
SPECIAL DELIVERY IS BYKE
We are back with another SPECIAL DELIVERY drop, folks! I was really excited about this one. It’s a trip down memory lane for me.
Peep Reebok x BBC Ice Cream’s ‘Running Dog’ Question Lows. It’s not the flashiest shoe in the world, but it brought together two of my GOATs in AI and Pharrell. I’m very thankful for that. Y’all can watch me get all giddy.
PLZ DO NOT ROAST ME FOR THAT THUMBNAIL THX.
What’s droppin, bruh?
New Balance 550 — Monday, February 1
AMBUSH x Dunk High — Thursday, February 4
Jordan 5 “Anthracite” — Saturday, February 6
Jordan 12 Low “Super Bowl” — Saturday, February 6
New Balance 237 — Saturday, February 6
That’s a wrap for Monday, folks! Thank y’all so much for rocking with your boy today! I appreciate your time.
If you’ve got a snow day, get outside and go take a walk. It’s lovely. Cold, but lovely. I promise.
Til next time fam. Be safe. Be easy. Be kind. Peace and love.
Signing off.
—Sykes 💯
Copped some Royal 1 Mids at Finish Line when they were just sitting there. I bought an Angelus starter kit to try my hand at painting some stuff because I want them to look more like the highs, but there's no reason why Mids shouldn't be a viable purchase. I think they should still have Nike Air on the tongue but at least there's no Jumpman on the back anymore lol
I'd rather someone have a 1 Mid be their first Jordan than some of the old Team/Flight/Hybrid designs they used to pump out.
Very happy for you and your sneaker my guy 😂