What’s good, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with your boy. Hope you had a fantastic weekend!
Took an L on the A Ma Maniere 3’s last week but I’m resilient. I’m determined to cop for my wedding. Plenty of time still. Yup. I’m not mad at all. Nope. Perfectly fine.
Anyways, let’s do it.
Don’t wear LeBron’s to the club, them s**** ugly Pt. 2
(Photo by JC Gellidon on Unsplash)
The LeBron 19’s have officially been unveiled by Nike and they are, uh, uhhhh, something else.
They’re debuting in LeBron’s upcoming Space Jam movie, which is a pretty dope way to unveil a shoe. But that’s exactly why this look is so disappointing.
This feels recycled. The looks like a fusion of the LeBron 10 and the LeBron 18. And that’s just kind of boring.
It doesn’t fit the occasion here at all.
Space Jam is a huge production for James, Nike, and SpringHill entertainment and Warner Bros. This shoe is part of that but it doesn’t feel like a “Space Jam” shoe at all.
It’s weird that Nike’s having this struggle with LeBron’s line. They’ve shown a clear understanding of what works with him, like the LeBron Watch, for example. You'd think the design team would have plenty to work with.
Here’s the thing: I wrote about the unique struggle Nike has with James’ line in the very first issue of KYW.
He may be the most unique athlete in the world with his combination of size, strength, speed and balance.
LeBron’s shoes are like combat boots because, otherwise, he might just shred them to pieces on the court.
That’s why it’s so hard to create an appealing LeBron shoe for the public. You can't translate that to the everyday person’s foot.
But at the same time…something has to give. LeBron’s line has been too much of the same for too long to be the leading signature shoe in the sneaker space.
What could they do? I’m not sure. But maybe it’s switching designers might help.
Jason Petrie is good and has been working with LeBron since 2009 with the LeBron 7. But maybe someone else has different ideas that may bring a new vibe to the table.
I’m not sure if that’ll help, though. Or if it’s something Nike even cares about at this point. The fact or the matter is Brons still sell, so my complaints of being bored with the shoe may ring a little hollow from a financial perspective.
Regardless, I can tell you one thing: I’m never calling these the Space Jams, no matter what happens. That, we can be sure of.
Yeezy x GAP is here and it’s sort of expensive
(Photo by Simon Champagne on Unsplash)
Yeezy x GAP is officially here.
The first piece dropped for preorder last week to celebrate Kanye West’s 44th birthday. It was the blue puffer jacket that we saw Kanye rocking in the same photo he was wearing Nike in.
The details:
This joint is called the “round jacket.” It’s a unisex piece from the collection.
It’s slated to drop in the fall of 2021, so it sounds like Q3 is a more realistic timeline for a full drop.
It retails at $200.
That retail price feels expensive — especially for just a puffer vest. But this number is just about right. It’s a high-quality product with a premium name attached to it.
And when you compare it to something like Drake’s NOCTA puffer at $400, that price makes sense.
This price, along with the preorder strategy, is a fairly good sign for folks looking for some accessible Yeezy in terms of price and availability.
Personally, this jacket isn’t my favorite. But more looks are certainly coming down the pipeline soon. And this drop certainly gave us some things to be encouraged by. There should be plenty more to come.
SPECIAL DELIVERY: Happy Pride!
Really proud of last week’s episode of Special Delivery. We got a chance to unbox Nike’s brand new BeTrue collection for 2021 and explore the themes there.
This year’s collection is about visibility. It’s about shining a light on the communities within the LGBTQ community — the individuals that make up the colors on the flag. I thought that was pretty dope.
Plus, we give a little bit at the end. I hope you can join in and help us out!
Happy Pride!
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This is pretty damn cool
Russell Westbrook and Jordan Brand are teaming up to create a documentary about Crenshaw. This seems like it’ll be pretty cool.
Anytime we can learn more about signature athletes, what drives them and what inspires them, it’s always a good thing. Russ is really passionate about his home, so that should shine through pretty well here.
I can’t wait to see it.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Nike Dunk ABUSH “Deep Royal” — Tuesday, June 15
Nike Air Max 90 “Cork” — Tuesday, June 15
Nike Zoom GT Cut — Tuesday, June 15
Bodega x New Balance 990 v3 — Wednesday, June 16
Nike Dunk Low “Dusty Olive” — Thursday, June 17
Thank you so much for rocking with me, family! I appreciate y’all so much! Have a fantastic week.
It’s still giveaway SZN. We’re closing in on 3 stacks, though — slowly, but surely. Hope y’all are ready for this raffle because I certainly am!
Holla at y’all. Peace. Love. Be safe. Be kind. Til next time.
-Sykes 💯