The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 162 — "He stole my whole flow, bar for bar"
All of these sneakers are really starting to look the same. Here's why.
What up, family! Thank you so much for reading KYW today. Appreciate you! Love you!
Giveaway news: I’m going to push back the sneaker drawing to next week so it matches up with the SNKRHUD giveaway. And you still have plenty of time to jump in that, too! Go sign up and create a DED stock! Send it my way via Twitter or tag me in on the app. We’ll get you locked in so you can win The First Pair.
The Spider Man meme, but sneakers instead of Spider Man
“Man, why do all of these sneakers look the same?” That’s a go-to for most non-sneakerheads. Most times it isn’t true.
But it’s easy to come to that conclusion after seeing Giannis Antetkounmpo’s latest signature offering — the Freak 3. Look at this thing.
Now, don’t get me wrong: This is a good looking shoe! I like it a lot. But that’s not really surprising. Mostly because, well, it looks like a lot of other Nike shoes we’ve seen.
This looks like the PG 1 which also looks like the Kyrie 6 which means it looks like every other Kyrie ever which means it also looks like the KD 7 which means…you get the point.
We’ve seen this same design quite a few times already. It’s that same mid-to-low cut with the same midfoot strap and the same Cushlon outsole. It’s the formula.
There’s a reason this keeps happening.
The tech and specs of all these shoes are similar. And that tech also has to be built into specific designs.
The Freak 3 has to account for the double-stacked zoom pods in the sole, for example. It has to have room for its midfoot strap. You get the point.
And that’s the thing. The design has to make room for these tech pieces — not the other way around. That’s why, as these sneakers have performed better, they’ve become objectively more boring.
That’s why it’s time to dial it back. Yes, as far as performance, there’s nothing more you could want from most of these sneakers. Especially when you compare it to offerings from previous decades.
But, sometimes, it feels like overkill. Some pieces feel redundant. And players at the highest levels of sport don’t even wear them — they’ll opt for older models instead.
There are folks all over the NBA and WNBA who play in old sneakers all of the time. And it’s not like they’re getting hurt. Their shoes are customized to fit perfectly, anyway.
Most of the players in the NBA bubble wore Kobe 5’s. The 5’s! That shoe is a decade old.
If things were a bit toned down on the tech side, doors to more interesting designs would be wide open. And that’s something we’d all be happier with.
Reebok moves coming soon — for real this time
(Photo by Mark Broadhead on Unsplash)
Adidas is focusing in on finding buyers for Reebok and it looks like things will come to a close soon.
The brand has a shortlist of firms they’re looking at as potential buyers for the Bok, per Reuters, and they’re asking the groups to submit final bids in August.
The short list:
Wolverine and Authentic Brands Group
CVC
Cerberus and Sycamore
Advent
The most intriguing group in this in my eyes is Wolverine and ABG.
Wolverine World Wide is a footwear manufacturer so, obviously, there’s a big connector there.
On top of that, ABG also manages Shaq’s brand. So there’s the potential for some retro synergy there.
That’s why they make the most sense. Whoever taps into Reebok is going to have to tap into their history. They’ve got a deep, rich archive to dig into. Potentially having access to Shaq — who has also previously expressed interest in owning — would be big.
What the sale will come down to is how close Adidas can get to its original $3.8 billion spend on Reebok.
The brand isn’t expected to sell for more than $1.2 billion, but we’ll see how strongly these groups feel about it when the final number comes down.
GAP’s big purge ahead of the YZY drop
Ye must cost a pretty penny these days, man. Sheesh.
GAP is set to close 81 total stores between the United Kingdom and Ireland between the end of August and the end of September, the company announced on Wednesday.
They’re closing them incrementally in a “phased manner.” It’s unclear how many employees will be impacted, but you can bet there will be a lot.
GAP says market dynamics are the reason for the shift. They’re moving their operations online, where they say most of their consumers are shopping.
Let’s be real: This is certainly a cost-cutting move. They’ll save on labor costs, commercial retail space and everything else that comes with running a brick and mortar operation.
And while they’re cutting on one end they’re growing on another. The timing couldn’t be more convenient.
An analysis done by Wells Fargo says YZY x GAP could fetch as much as $1 billion in sales as soon as next year.
Don’t let GAP fool you the next time shares fall. They’ll be doing just fine.
One more thing: They’re set to close 30% of their commercial retail spaces in North America by 2024, per the New York Times. It’s not just Europe.
YERBOI GOT THE UNION W
I have no idea what’s going on with the Union raffle, fam. But go check y’all email. There were some W’s going out yesterday — I got one of them.
I was more confused than excited. And don’t get me wrong — I’m finna wear the hell out of these J’s. But I just thought the raffle was over!
This is probably Union reallocating canceled bot orders and sold invoices. I’m unsure. Either way, I’ll take the dub.
I’m finna cut up in my Sparks jersey now. Y’all not ready for all that.
#TheKicksWeWear
Y’ALL KNOW THE VIBES! Y’all really had it popping yesterday.
First, we got a few DED stocks starting with the homie Sumeet.
My guy Yosh came through with another joint in these BEAUTIFUL Pumas. Sheesh.
The homie JCash popped out in these Russell Westbrook 10’s, too. Here’s to Russ coming home to LA.
SOOOOO GOOD. Then, the homie Storm kept us movin with the PG 5’s. Wavyyy.
Then my guy Ajay popped out in the 350’s with all the vibes.
The homie AJ popped out with my favorite AJ mids — the Blue The Great’s are still classic in my mind.
The homie Pat popped out in the Air Structures. Fam. These are SO GOOD.
My guy Izzy popped out in the Forums and it’s definitely a Forum summer after seeing these.
The homie Janelle pulled out an absolutely CLASSIC with the Air Swoops. SHEEESH.
The Better Mike popped out in the Pride Pre-Days. These joints are beauties.
And then my guy Andrew sent us home with the Cement 3’s. Maybe the best Jordan ever? I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
Yuuuuuuuup. Smoked it, family. Sheesh.
That’s a wrap, fam! Thank you for rocking with me. I’ll holla at you on Monday.
Post those DED stocks! We absolutely love to see them! Peace and love, fam. Be easy, be well, be kind.
And we out.
-Sykes 💯