The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 148 — The Mambacita line is here
And it's mad expensive.
Gooooood morning, family! The Kicks You Wear is back! I missed y’all and I hope you’re all doing well. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there. Love y’all.
We’re still in giveaway mode. We’re about 500 subs away from 3k and I cannot wait to buy a couple of y’all a pair of shoes when we get there. There may be more surprises to come, too. Stay tuned 👀
Let’s get it.
The Mambacita collection is…expensive
(Photo by Olivier Collet on Unsplash)
Well, that was fast. Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate have already made their first move in the Mamba brand’s post-Nike era.
They dropped the “Mambacita” unisex apparel collection with DANIJO on May 1 to celebrate Gigi Bryant’s birthday. All proceeds to go the Mamba and Mambacita foundation, which is awesome.
Here’s a look. It’s pretty sleek.
This was great to see. The Bryant estate is already on the move in pushing their new product. That’s good! There were lots of other things to be encouraged by here.
This was a quick hit collaboration with DANIJO. It might be a sign of things to come for the estate in terms of how flexible they’ll be with the Mamba brand.
Their preorder strategy is exactly what we wanted from Nike. Whoever wants this stuff is going to get it — even if it takes a bit longer.
And all proceeds go to the Mamba and Mambacita sports foundation, which is awesome.
There were also some less encouraging things, too.
The product is flat out expensive. The hoodie and sweats combo was $332 in total and the kids’ set was $224. That’s…a lot.
Yes, preorders will get this gear in the hands of Bryant’s fans. But it’s totally valid for people to question what fans will be able to actually afford this stuff.
DANIJO moves premium product so this Mambacita drop runs in concert with their overall ethos, but it’s fair to question why the estate would make this move after complaining about how limited the Nike gear was. This initial drop was just as limited and more expensive which were the issues at the center of negotiations between the estate and Nike. On the surface this certainly feels a bit hypocritical.
But this is what it is. The estate is doing what they feel is best for Kobe’s brand and his legacy. And that’s all we can ask for as fans. It’s what we’ve wanted all along. And, clearly, there’s plenty more to come.
BTW…The Hall of Fame Kobe 5’s are dropping on May 12 at Undefeated.
Adidas bounce back game is crazy
(Photo by Henry & Co. on Unsplash)
Adidas is off to a hot start in their first quarter of the year. Business in footwear sales has taken off so far.
The numbers:
Currency-neutral sales are up by 27% with footwear sales, overall, increasing by 31%.
89% of the brand’s stores have reopened around the globe since shutting down last year due to the pandemic.
Sales in China have jumped by 156% (!!!!!).
Direct-to-consumer sales have jumped up by 31% overall.
After taking numerous hits through 2020, the three stripes has bounced back just fine so far in 2021. And it’s still early. The company is expecting sales to grow at a “high-teens rate” in 2021.
We’ll probably see this sort of boom all over the industry as brands continue to adjust to the new “normal” for consumers that exists outside of brick and mortar retail spots.
This is a double-edged sword. Don’t forget that while direct-to-consumer strategies are fueling this newfound growth for these brands, it’s also sucking so many smaller operations dry. And those smaller operations have long been the heart and soul of the sneaker industry.
Another decade, another Cool Grey 11
It looks like we might be getting Cool Grey 11 for 2021. zSneakerHeadz is reporting that the shoe has been confirmed as the December 2021 AJ11 drop.
This has been suspected for quite some time. If we do get it, it’ll be dropping for its 20th anniversary which is pretty dope.
This joint dropped back in 2001 originally. Then it retroed in 2010. And now, boom, here we are in 2021 potentially getting another. Three decades of Cool Grey.
You absolutely love to see it.
Rest in Peace, Paul Van Doren
Rest in Peace to an OG in the game. Paul Van Doren died on Friday at 90 years old, per the Vans Twitter account. He’s the guy who created Vans — a true staple in skate, surf and sneaker culture.
Props to this man. Thank you, and rest easy.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Stingwater x Nike SB Dunk Low “Magic Mushroom” — Monday, May 10
LeBron 8 Low “Miami Nights” — Tuesday, May 11
UNDFTD x Nike Kobe 5 Low “Hall of Fame” (!!!!!!) — Wednesday, May 12
Air Jordan 1 “KO” Chicago — Wednesday, May 12
Jordan 1 High “Shadow 2.0” — Saturday, May 15
Thank y’all so much for rocking with your boy today! Really appreciate you.
Quick shouts to the homie Sumeet Shah, who got engaged to the love of his life on Saturday! Send our boy a quick congrats! Show him and Tash some love.
Holla at y’all on Wednesday. Peace and love. Be easy. Be kind.
-Sykes 💯