The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 247 — The Kobe-fication of Nike is here
The LeBron XX has arrived and it looks like a Kobe sneaker
Gooooood morning, family. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today.
Hope you had a good weekend. We got a fire pit at the crib and — let me tell y’all — the s’mores were immaculate. Invest in one of these joints if you can.
Let’s dive in.
The Kobe LeBron has
Nike’s LeBron XX is finally here. It’s the 20th signature sneaker in the LeBron James line — an accomplishment only Michael Jordan has to his name in the sneaker world. It’s probably the best-looking LeBron sneaker in a decade to boot.
And all anyone is talking about is how much it looks and feels like a Kobe sneaker.
That’s not a mistake: It’s pretty much what the entirety of Nike’s basketball line looks like at this point.
The question is why? LeBron James is the athlete at Nike. It’s odd to see this sort of adoption of another signature style in his sneaker. There are a few reasons for it.
Reason #1: Waves don’t lie.
Kobe’s sneaker has been the most popular among NBAers for years now — it became the most worn signature model across the league in 2019. It practically became the sneaker of the NBA bubble.
And we know how the shoes have moved on the resale market, which has been beyond frustrating. But it’s clear, the people actually love these.
Some of this fanfare behind the sneakers is partly because of his death. Folks idolized Bryant and having his shoe feels like keeping a part of him with you.
Reason #2: But it’s also elite functionally.
It started with the Kobe 4, designed by Eric Avar. Bryant wanted a lightweight model that allowed him lots of mobility and movement. That’s what his line is all about.
The other signature models are following that. The likes of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo have similar signature looks. Even inline styles like the GT Cut seem to be inspired by it.
(Potentially?) Reason#3: From a business sense, when Nike lost the Bryant estate’s business, it would make sense to do take-down models of the line to keep things moving forward. It’s just my speculation, but that could be a thing here.
So here we are. You add all that up, and you get LeBron James’ newest signature model. It’s a major reversal from the bulky sneakers we’re used to from James.
It’s not a coincidence that Bryce and Bronny James had a hand in crafting the XX. The Kobe model is the one the new generation of hooper leans toward, too.
We’re on to the new with LeBron James’ signature models. And the new looks like Kobe sneakers. Thank goodness, too. Those combat boots were tired.
2023 starts now for Nike
Nike’s Q1 2023 earnings call is coming on Thursday and I’m not really sure what to expect.
Where we are now: Market analysts aren’t painting the brightest picture for the swoosh ahead of the call.
In June’s Q4 call, Nike beat expectations but revenue only grew by 7% year over year with income falling by 5%. Not bad. But low.
The major headwinds the sneaker industryed in supply chain issues and inflation pressures on consumers were somewhat alleviated, but have not disappeared.
On top of that, China has imposed lockdowns as the country attempts to contain COVID-19 outbreaks. That comes as sales in China were on the up-and-up after a steady decline over the last year.
These problems aren’t going away. Inflation, in particular, is still a huge issue looming large over Nike’s consumer base.
Many folks aren’t necessarily armed with the cash to splurge on sportswear brands like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and the like, writes Yahoo’s John Schafer.
With inflation remaining near 40-year highs, high-end consumers have appeared to be more resilient than some of the consumers normally buying at Adidas, Under Armour, and Nike, according to Kernan.
The pandemic is still impacting Nike just like its impacting everything else. Expect to hear more of that in Thursday’s call.
Kanye is wrong (sort of) about Sway being right
“You ain’t got the answers, Sway.” Those are the words that have been ringing in Kanye West stans’ heads for the last decade. West chastized Sway Calloway on his own radio show for telling him he should do fashion independently.
A decade later…Ye admits Sway actually did have the answer as he’s plotting exits in all of his deals.
This is hilarious. Not only because it’s a rare moment where West admits he thinks he was wrong, but also, just look at that face.
But hold on a sec: I’m actually going to push back on Sway being right here. I think Kanye actually had it right back then…sort of.
His argument was that he actually needed the stamp of the fashion industry for people to take his brand seriously, which was true.
Had he not built relationships with Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga and all the other high falutin brands he worked with, he’s probably not as highly regarded.
He had prestige back then, sure. But he was still only a rapper who dabbled in fashion and apparel. Now? It’s the reverse.
Sway is right — for Kanye today. But for Kanye back then? Nah. Independence probably wasn’t the right move.
The Air Baklava Boi’s in action
If this is part of New Balance’s rollout for the 990v6, I’m completely here for it. Action Bronson just unveiled his pair in his wrestling debut for AEW.
This man is out here completing all the side missions. He was a chef who became a rapper who became a wrestler who now has his own sneaker.
I know what an 2K Sports storyline when I see one. Y’all ain’t slick.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Air Max 1 “Tour Yellow” — Tuesday, September 27
Nike Dunk Low “Magma Orange” — Tuesday, September 27
Nike LeBron XX “Time Machine” — Thursday, September 29
Tom Sachs x Nike GPS — Thursday, September 29
Air Jordan 4 “Black Canvas” — Saturday, October 1
Thank you so much for rocking, fam! I appreciate you! Let’s chat again on Friday. It’ll be a blast.
In the meantime, let’s do something fun! Send in picks of your fall rotation. You can tag me on Twitter @MikeDSykes using #TheKicksWeWear hashtag throughout the week or just respond here via e-mail. I want to see your favorite fall kicks popping up in TKWW this week. Let’s get it popping.
Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯