The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 305 — A real "What If" sneaker 🔮
The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 305 — A real "What If" sneaker 🔮
Diving into Joe FreshGoods' latest.
Gooooood morning, family. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me. I appreciate y’all.
I missed y’all! I hope you had an awesome Labor Day weekend and a fantastic week to follow. NBA 2k24 just dropped so I’m excited. You know I love you lots because, instead of playing the game, I'm editing this. ❤️
Let’s jump in.
If Marvel’s “What If” was a sneaker
When it comes to storytelling in sneaker culture, the waters can feel a bit muddied at times. Sneakers are mainstream. Corporations are involved now. Everything always feels so manicured and careful.
What’s happening: Joe FreshGoods’ latest “Stuntman” 650 rails against that in a way that I’m enjoying way too much. I have no idea how this project got cleared by New Balance’s legal department, but I’m certainly glad it did.
The backdrop: The “Stuntman” 650 is basically Marvel’s “What If” in sneaker form.
The shoe is a very, very, very subtle nod to the sneaker industry’s biggest icon — Michael Jordan — and his brief relationship with New Balance.
There’s not necessarily a direct link to Jordan here with this sneaker. But the cool part about this shoe is that if you know the history there, then it’ll immediately click for you.
Behind the scenes: JFG actually sent a pair of these to yerboi to check out, to be completely transparent.
If you haven't seen them, here they are.
The details are so fun.
When you open the box you see 1984 in the middle of the top. That’s the year Jacob Rentmeester took the photo that inspired Nike’s Jumpman logo for a LIFE Magazine photoshoot ahead of the ‘84 Olympics.
There’s also an image of a hand with a basketball in it getting ready to dunk on the tongue tag, just like we see in the Jumpman photo.
In Rentmeester’s original photo, Jordan is wearing a grey pair of New Balance basketball sneakers. The same color as the Stuntman 650.
Even that name, Stuntman, is a play on Jumpman.
To me, this sneaker plays on one of the most fascinating questions we’ll never have an answer to. It’s not just “What if Jordan signed with New Balance” which is what JFG is presenting here. But, for me, it’s “What if Jordan didn’t sign with Nike?”
What if he had gone to Adidas? That was his first choice, after all. What if his former UNC teammate James Worthy convinced him to kick it with New Balance? What if he’d gone the way of the big stars before him and signed with Converse? This is the sort of stuff I wish we could explore more, but it’s rarely ever touched.
There’s a good — and obvious — reason for that.
Michael Jordan is Nike. He’s the reason the brand is so iconic.
This is the sort of question I thought about a ton when reviewing AIR. Could Nike have made another MJ? I doubt. That’s why the brand doesn’t play about him or the designs it creates using his image. Just ask Kool Kiy.
On the other hand: That’s why I find the “Stuntman” 650 to be so fascinating. It teeters that line without crossing it and provides amazing context to one of the most amazing stories in sneaker culture.
Not just Nike’s history. Not just New Balance’s history. But the complete history of this culture we all love at large. That’s awesome.
My gripes: I do wish that there were more than 500 pairs of these things.
I totally get why there aren’t. This project already blurred lines enough. Mass production might completely erase them.
Still, to teach people about this history, I feel like access matters a ton. With that being said, I wish there could be more just so more folks could get to enjoy this story.
Regardless, I’m glad it’s being told. And I hope it pushes more creatives in the sneaker realm to go for it in the same way.
Just stick with it
Travis Scott’s upcoming signature sneaker is a big deal for Nike. It’s arguably their most important influence project since Kanye West’s Air Yeezy line.
Yet, somehow, it still doesn’t have a name. At least, according to Jordan Brand anyway.
Wait, what?: In an interview with Complex, Jordan Brand Vice President Reggie Saunders said the brand still hasn’t landed on a name for the sneaker. Everyone has been calling it the “Cut the Check” but, according to Saunders, that’s not it.
“I’m not gonna say the name. People keep throwing out a name, but that’s not the name. We haven’t even landed on one yet. It’s a feeling. It’s gonna be interesting what we come up with, because we’ve been throwing out all kinds of names.”
My thoughts: It's interesting that Saunders is playing coy like that. I'll tell you now — I don't believe it. This shoe is slated to come for the holiday season and it still doesn't have a name yet? Come on. Who are we kidding?
I really do hope it's Cut the Check, though. That just works so well. Plus, it has legs now.
It's not necessarily the catchiest name out, but it's what folks are used to now.
If it's something else, that'll change. But it certainly won't feel as charming. Especially if it's something bland like “The Cactus 1” or something along those general lines.
Why it matters: Everything about this shoe feels like it matters so much. Even something as small as a name.
It doesn’t necessarily need to work because Travis’ Nike collabs are already successful. But if it does work? That takes this dude to another level.
Don't mess this up, Nike.
School is in session with the Kobe Brand
Nike's Kobe Brand is kicking into overdrive fast.
The skinny: Bryant unveiled the full list of partner schools for the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation via Instagram.
We already knew about Kentucky, but the full list includes six schools in total:
University of Connecticut
University of Kentucky
University of Oregon
Duke University
University of Southern California
Louisiana State University
The basketball teams will be laced up in Kobe Bryant’s signature sneakers and apparel for the season.
There were even rumors that this could come with Kobe branding on the team’s jerseys.
The big picture: These are some of Nike’s premier clients at the collegiate level. This is a pretty huge step for a brand that is quite literally just beginning.
Rihanna made her first move
It’s official. The first Fenty x Puma sneaker collab since Rihanna’s return to the brand is coming and it’s happening much sooner than you think.
The pop star turned business mogul announced the release of the Avanti — a sneaker she’s been seen wearing frequently in recent months.
It also has a release date of September 15, which is basically just one week away.
A quick look:
That release date is coming a bit too quickly for me, but it’s Rihanna. She’s going to drive people in regardless of how short notice the drop is.
This is exciting. Can’t wait to see how it goes.
#TheKicksWeWear
First the homie Sam got us poppin with these AMAZING grape SBs. Sick.
Then the homie Preet popped out in the cleanest AJ11s of all time. Yeah, I said it.
The homoe Young Choi came through with the Mac Attacks looking fly.
Then the homie Guru came in with the Social Status joints to set it off.
The homie JerLisa popped out in the Cool Grey 3s. TORCH.
Then the homie Warren sent us home with the Lost & Found AJ1s. These joints are SO GOOD. I've got to wear mine more, man.
SMOKED IT. Sheesh.
Appreciate y’all for rocking with me today! I hope you have an amazing weekend ahead of you. Thanks for a bit of time today. Let’s talk again on Monday.
Until then, peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯