Goooood morning, family. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today.
It’s mailbag week! This Friday we’ll have the April drop for the monthly mailbag. Leave your questions here if you feel so inclined. We’ve already got some good ones in, but the more the merrier!
Let’s jump in.
Sometimes it’s good to let the past be the past
Retro is the lifeblood of the sneaker world — especially when it comes to the really cult crazy stuff that we’re into.
But…everything doesn’t need to be brought back. Sometimes, what happens in the past should just stay there. And that’s how I feel about the Galaxy Foamposites.
The skinny: Sneaker leaker zSneakerheadz says the 2012 Galaxy Foamposite is being retroed for next spring.
The shoe originally dropped in February of 2012 as part of Nike’s All-Star pack for the Orlando All-Star game.
It came along with absolute hit models in the LeBron James line, the Kevin Durant line and the Kobe Bryant line. Yet, this sneaker stood out above the others.
Flashback: This was truly one of those “you had to be there” things. These Foams were just timed so perfectly — Nike caught lightning in a bottle.
The Galaxy Foams dropped in the middle of a run from the Foamposite in 2012. Polarized Pink, Stealth, Electrolime, Metallic Red. Y’all know how we love Jordan 1s now? Foamposites were like that back in 2012 without the sheer volume.
So when the Galaxies game along, it was nuts. This was the very first printed colorway Foamposite coming to us in a golden age for the Foamposite as part of this new hyped All-Star collection.
People lost their damn minds over these sneakers.
There was a literal riot in Orlando surrounding this sneaker. People lined up around the block at the 21 Mercer Nike store in New York to try and get them.
Someone also tried to actually trade a car on Craigslist for a pair of these sneakers.
The big picture: That’s ridiculous. But that's what made this pair special. And Nike simply cannot recreate that moment with a retro or otherwise no matter how hard it tries. We saw that with the Galaxy Alternate drop in 2018. Sure, the idea was there. But…it just wasn't it.
It's like when you find that one food spot around the way with that secret sauce. You know what it's hitting on. And, more importantly, you know when it ain't the same. Those Foamposites weren't the same. They didn't have the sauce.
The 2024 version won't have the sauce either.
The Galaxy Foam hype wasn’t just about the sneaker — it was equally about that moment. Maybe even more so.
That shoe became a grail because of the cultural cachet it brought you individually. You were one of the ones who actually got em. That was special.
And it’s not even necessarily attached to a player. Yes, the Foamposite was a basketball shoe. We associate it with Penny Hardaway. But none of that had anything to do with what made the Galaxy Foams special. They were unlike Jordans in that way.
Bringing this sneaker back just couldn’t even begin to tell the entire story and that's the most important part. It’s not even really a store for Nike to tell as a brand — it’s the culture’s story. It should be preserved as that instead of just being corportatized and mass produced.
I understand trying to recapture the excitement around a silhouette. Brands do it all the time with retro releases. But there are tons of other shoes to do that with. Some don't need that treatment. Not everything is for everybody and that's OK.
Look, I know this is happening. I’ve already accepted it. I just wish it wouldn’t.
.Swoosh’s Our Force 1 is a gamble
The question for you is determining whether it’s worth it.
So, for those of us out of the loop, Nike is beginning its first true activation through its (dot)Swoosh program. The brand is calling it the Our Force 1 drop.
How it works: Nike is dropping a number of virtual customizations of Air Force 1s (not NFTs, apparently!) that will serve as digital collectibles for consumers.
Folks with .Swoosh accounts will get a chance to cop starting on May 8 for $19.82, which is the original year the Air Force 1 dropped.
Consumers will have a choice to grab a “Classic Remix” version, a “New Wave” version. They’ll also have the choice of opening the virtual box or just holding it and not knowing what’s inside.
Each box will have a 3D file (NOT AN NFT, APPARENTLY) that can be transferred to different platforms where applicable.
So, basically, you’ll spend $20 on a virtual box that will contain a digital collectible that might be transferrable to, say, your favorite video game. That’s cool. But there's more to it.
Here’s the kicker: Nike says the digital collectible will “unlock utilities in the coming months for special access to physical products and experiences.” And that’s where this gets spicy.
What that sounds like: It’s the question we’ve all been asking — will this stuff ever turn into physical goods? What else can we do with these?
That’s the whole point of sneakers. It’s collecting the physical thing. If paying $20 for a digital asset allows for that endgame, then I think a lot more people would be on board with this.
But this feels intentionally vague.
Physical products could be a number of things. Maybe it’s access to a 1 of 1 Air Force 1 or a grail pair you’ve been searching for. That feels far less likely, though, than a really cool t-shirt and a water bottle.
And what experiences are we talking about here? What does that look like? Is it a .Swoosh meet & greet in your local area? How is that experience going to be made unique?
These are all valid questions that we won’t find out answers to until “the coming months” actually come. That’s why that $20 feels like a much bigger ask than it seems to be on the surface. You have no idea what you’re spending that money on and what it’ll bring. Basically, is it worth the investment? Tune in and find out.
Someone will certainly do it. I’m just not sure it’ll be me. I'll need more convincing.
Hoka is shrinking to expand
There’s no denying the splash Hoka has made on the footwear scene over the last year or two. Now, it’s trying to expand that splash even further by making their products a tad bit smaller.
Here for the kids: Hoka is dropping its very first children’s collection.
The brand is dropping 3 new models for what its calling the “young athlete,” according to Footwear News.
The styles include the Speedgoat 5 youth, Clifton 9 Youth and Ora Slide 3 Youth. All are inspired by the brand’s adult line.
This is a big deal: Obviously, footwear is a young person’s industry — especially younger kids, considering they need new pairs of sneakers every year or so as they continue to grow out of previous sizes.
This is a no-brainer for a brand that has already caught fire. But the timing is perfect, considering how rapid the growth in youth footwear sales has been according to data from the NPD group.
Consumers spent more on kids’ footwear thanks to average price increases, the analytics firm’s consumer tracking service showed. Plus, spending per buyer grew 9 percent, year-over-year, according to Circana’s Checkout data, which tracks product sales based on consumer sales receipts.
Smart play by Hoka. Probably don’t buy these for your kids, though? They’ll still probably get roasted for wearing chunky shoes to gym class.
Jaylen Brown’s hilarious custom sneakers
Somebody tell Jaylen Brown that if you’re going to do a sneaker customization you’ve got to get it done right.
The Celtics star guard created a “Just Do Better” shoe where he argues that early Mayan civilizations actually created basketball — not Dr. James Naismith. He just…spelled it wrong. LMAO.
I can assure you, Jaylen, it definitely wasn’t who invented basketball. Neismith. We don’t even know who that is. El. Oh. El.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low WMNS — Wednesday, April 26
Nike Air Max 1 “Leopard Denim” — Friday, April 28
New Balance 990v2 “Inkwell” — Thursday, April 27
Bad Bunny x Adidas Campus “Wild Moss” — Saturday, April 29
Air Jordan 3 “Wizards PE” — Saturday, April 29
Thank you so much for rocking with me! I appreciate you.
Have a fantastic week. Let's chat again on Friday. Until then. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯