The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 299 — 🥱 Travis Scott and the milquetoast collab
Travis Scott's Utopia Air Force 1s were so plain, but that's part of the game in 2023.
Goooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me this morning.
HOUSEKEEPING: Remember, after today, the next KYW send will be on August 11. Won’t be gone for too long but I’ll miss you all the same.
For now, let’s get into it.
The most boring Travis collab yet
Travis Scott’s “Utopia” Air Force 1 broke the internet this weekend. And not in a good way.
What they’re saying: The overall sentiment about these sneakers is that they’re far too simple to cost $150.
The kicks in question are simply an all-white Air Force 1 with the album title of “Utopia” scribbled on the heel in that dystopian Travis Scott font we’re all used to.
The shoes retail for $150 and could be purchased in a bundle along with Scott’s albums to boost his streams.
The question: It’s hard to blame people for feeling this way about such a simple shoe. The only difference between this and a regular Air Force 1 is the signature on the back. Is that worth a $40 upcharge? That’s what it boils down to.
The answer isn’t as simple as most might think. There’s precedent for this. This is how many Air Force 1 collaborations go.
You can look at Drake’s Certified Lover Boy joints, for example. Those were $160 and almost just as simple.
There’s also the Supreme joint. The Roc-A-Fella joints. There are plenty more where that came from.
But…taking a look back at Scott’s own history, his Cactus Jack Air Force 1 retailed for $160 and was objectively much more interesting than his latest. There’s not a $10 difference there. The gap is far wider than that.
The critique people have for these Forces is fair. That $150 is a gaudy price tag. But it’s not a surprising one by any means.
The reality: The bar for collaborations is as low as it’s ever been. Let’s be honest about Travis Scott's collaborations in 2023. They’re empty and repetitive.
On the surface, they’re solid. Everyone loves a clean Jordan 1. The reverse swoosh was cool at first. But after the third time, what are we doing? The same critique can be applied to his album, too. He doesn’t give us any depth. Just great beats and curation.
Still, the product sells. His sneakers resell for hundreds. Fans can’t get enough. The jig still works because we allow it to. All just to be able to say “I own a Travis Scott” sneaker. It’s all for the flex.
This is what collaborations look like in 2023. It’s gross.
There are new “collabs” that come each and every single week from different brands, ensuring that none of them actually feel special.
Essentially, most of them are just GR pairs now with someone’s name attached to them and an upcharge tacked on. The market is oversaturated with these “special” shoes. That’s how we got here.
But there’s good news: We can raise that bar. Folks are doing it by simply asking these questions and refusing to participate in these shenanigans. You don’t think these sneakers are worth $150? Dope. Don’t buy them, no matter who’s attached.
That’s how we changed things. And I’m glad to see folks really beginning to think about that sort of thing more carefully.
The one retailer doing the right thing
You’ve likely already seen a ton of retailers selling Yeezy again. You know what you haven’t seen, though? Any of them say they’ll be donating any of the proceeds from the sales.
The only company I’ve seen mention any sort of charity work coinciding with the Yeezy release is James Whitner’s Whitaker group.
The situation: The company released a statement through its social accounts detailing where the proceeds from its Yeezy sales would be going. Here’s a look.
That’s a pretty cool thing to see, considering the fact that no one else seems to be doing this. Most retailers have pretty much shrugged off all the Kanye West drama off after Adidas moved forward with its Yeezy sales. It’s nice to see someone at least acknowledging it exists.
To be clear: I don’t want to dish out too much credit here. At the end of the day, this company is a business and it is here to make a profit. That’s what The Whitaker Group is doing.
But, at the same time, considering the fact this feels like a pretty strong initiative from James Whitner and crew.
It’s also a bit more specific than even Adidas when it comes to detailing what the money is going toward. We don’t have a percentage, obviously, but we at least know what some concrete goals from this are. That’s a start.
The bar is extremely low here. But shoutout to James Whitner and crew for clearing it pretty easily.
The LeBron 21 is upon us and, yup, it’s still a Kobe
The Kobe-fication of Nike basketball continues with the brand’s top signature sneaker line.
The skinny: LeBron James gave us a preview of his latest signature model, the LeBron 21, and, to be sure, it looks pretty good. The combat boot vibes from before are dead.
But it still looks like a Kobe 4.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think this is a bad thing. This is a positive development considering the signature line’s past.
Plus, if you’re going to lean on another model, the Kobe certainly isn’t a bad one to choose from. It’s the unofficial signature line of the NBA at this point.
But…at a certain point, you do want to see a bit more creativity when it comes from signature shoes. Not just LeBron’s line either.
These joints look like they could be a Giannis Antetokounmpo shoe, which also look like they could be a Paul George shoe, which probably looks like an old Kyrie Irving model. You get the point.
Signature shoes are supposed to feel special — not uniform. That touch feels remarkably absent in today’s landscape.
Again, I don’t want to complain here. Because I really like these Brons. I’m just thinking big picture. When will we see models that take on a player’s personality like we used to?
I hope it’s soon.
Ronnie Fieg smoked this X-Men collab
Kith and Ronnie Fieg have given us the most fun collab of 2023 with this latest Gel-Lyte III X-Men collaboration.
The whole inspiration behind it was trading cards. You open the sneakers like a mystery pack, not knowing what you’ll get. The intrigue is there from the jump.
On top of that, you get trading cards of whatever X-Men character you have, which gives you a nice little collectible to go along with your sneaker.
Here’s what got me: Part of the fun with this is — like trading cards — Fieg is pushing people to find trades for their sneakers. Which is why I thought it was pretty cool to see him create this post on Instagram specifically for trading.
I have my gripes with Kith — plenty of them. But I feel like this is probably the most involved I’ve seen a creator get with a collaboration in 2023. That’s a pretty cool thing. I just love to see it.
Hope y’all copped. I sure didn’t. This is still super fun, though.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Nike Zoom Vomero 5 “Light Bone” — Tuesday, August 1
Ader Error x Converse Chuck 70 — Tuesday, August 1
Nike Sabrina 1 “Iconic” — Thursday, August 3
A Ma Maniere x Nike “Understand the Why” Air Ship — Thursday, August 3
Ambush x Nike Air More Uptempo Low — Friday, August 4
Puma Stewie 2 “Water” — Friday, August 4
Billie Eilish x Nike Air Alpha Force 88 — Tuesday, August 8
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. Y’all are the best. Hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter!
Let’s chat again next week. Until then, peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯
I’m 43. I can’t buy no Billie sneakers, and yet, the embossing/debossing on that tongue is reeling me in haaard. Hopefully Nike includes those details on the GRs
I really like the LeBron XX - for his signature line having a low was a nice departure from the “combat boot” design you mentioned.
These look kinda boring, maybe the other colorways will make for a more interesting shoe but you’re point that this could be Giannis or PG’s shoe and no one would blink is the truth.