The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 258 — 🤢 A new mold
More Lost & Found Jordan 1 problems
Goooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving.
Find any Black Friday steals yet? I know y’all are on it. I’m finna get my Christmas shopping done this weekend……………I’m lying I’m just going to buy stuff for me. Sigh.
This will be a quick one. No #TKWW today on the count of the holiday (aka my itis being so incredibly powerful). Let’s get into it.
These are too pretty to be moldy
The release for the Chicago “Lost & Found” Air Jordan 1 already hit the benchmark for complete dumpster fire but, as it turns out, things are not finished yet.
What is it now???: Apparently, Nike is riding a bit of a Lularoe vibe. Some pairs out there are experiencing some issues with mold. Yes, seriously.
Two have surfaced on the internet so far. Here’s a quick look:
Gross, right? Right. This is a quality control issue and one that obviously isn’t the sort of thing that’s supposed to happen with any shoe, let alone one as hyped as this one.
What they’re saying: Jordan Brand is aware of this. The brand sent a statement to Complex’s Victor Deng saying they’re aware of these issues. “We are aware of the issue and are working to address it to improve future experiences.”
Between the lines: There are various roadblocks that are supposed to prevent things like this. The YCM anti-mold stickers stickers are supposed to stop this from happening. And the boxes are supposed to be sealed well enough that moisture doesn’t slip in.
None of that is fool-proof, though.
If boxes are left out in the rain, for example, an overwhelming amount of moisture can still intrude.
There also could’ve been some sort of leak or spill on the trucks pairs were shipped on.
Don’t overreact: This almost certainly isn’t a widespread problem. The moldy pairs represent “less than one percent” of the pairs that have been sold, according to Complex. It’s also something that has happened before back in 2015 with the Bred AJ1 KO. It was taken care of then and it will almost certainly be now.
But still, this isn’t something anyone wants to see. Nor is it something that should be happening with a sneaker people are paying nearly $200 retail for. People deserve better and it’s up to Nike to give it to them.
Let’s hope they take care of this — swiftly.
Quick survey question for you all. I feel like quality control has been a huge issue in sneakers — not just with Nike, but across brands.
Do you feel the same? Let me know. And feel free to share any horror stories you have.
SNKRS exclusive access strategy might’ve been worse than we thought
SNKRS floated out an exclusive access strategy for both the Kentucky Dunks and the Lost & Found Chicago 1’s last week that seemed to bother just about everyone. That strategy may have gone a lot worse than initially thought, according to data given to the Kicks You Wear from the homies over at the Unboxed App.
What’s the deal: Unboxed put a survey out to its users recording which of them had 20 or more Jordan 1 L’s on the SNKRS app. Apparently, only 1 in 5 of them came away with access on the drop.
By the numbers: According to the data 40% of the users surveyed qualified but most of them didn’t come away with anything.
There were 523 people included in the survey total, so it’s not the biggest sample considering how massive SNKRS consumer base is.
But these are staunch sneakerheads we’re talking about — the target for this round of exclusive access.
As sneakerheads, we can’t have every release. And I think, especially on big drops, there are some of us who tend to get a little entitled with these things. But the issue here is it’s Nike literally telling you what you have to do to qualify. Saying that if you’re brand loyal regardless of past misgivings, you’ll be rewarded. Yet so many people aren’t feeling rewarded at all.
The transparency from Nike on the qualification standards is also appreciated. But — to put it bluntly — also felt like a slap in the face to a whole lot of people. That’s never a good thing.
Gregg Berhalter is pulling out heat for the World Cup
Seeing sneakerheads on big stages is always awesome. It gives you that Leonardo Dicaprio meme feeling — you know the one.
That’s me every single time I see Gregg Berhalter on the television coaching the US Soccer Men’s National Team. I’m like “AYE. HE WEARING THE THING, YALL.”
Anyway, for their first match against Wales, he wore the A Ma Maniére Jordan 4.
Dope to see A Ma Maniére on a global stage like this as a Black owned brand. Also, if this is what Berhalter is starting with I can’t wait to see what comes next.
We are officially on kick watch, folks.
Btw…We can have fun here. But don’t let these sneakers distract you from the fact that FIFA is very very shitty.
My conscience is cleared
Our Air Max 97s are legit. Won’t he do it?
Bless. Sneaker Gods.
That’s a wrap, y’all! Thank you so much for chatting with me. Let’s do this again next week.
Y’all know the vibes. Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯
Regarding QC issues, in past three years, where I may have seen a slight issue with a pair of Sauconys or New Balances, it seems that Nike doesn't care any more. This has slowed down my desire to go after most drops and I'm genuinely surprised when there no issues with my shoes (which has only been the case with my voodoo Zion 2s this year. )
I voted Just OK in the polls as much for deteriorating material quality as anything. Everything looks pretty out the box, and then a thimble of water will morph the whole shape of the shoe. Rip stop nylon or polyester that just splits, not even a seam or a stress point. Stuff like that