The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 311 — ⚡ IT'S ALIIIIIIVE! ⚡
.Swoosh finally gave Nike customers something to wear. Like, literally. Plus, bye bye, Atmos. We'll miss you.
Goooooood morning, family! Welcome to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you.
Happy October! It’s officially spooky season out there for all you ghosts and ghouls. I’m glad you’re having a blast with this. FYI I hate it here. It’s not Halloween that’s my problem — I just miss summer. But don’t let me rain on your parade.
Let’s jump in.
This is not a JPEG…
…Is kind of the corniest way possible to introduce the first tangible product to come from Nike’s .Swoosh program, but that’s where we are!
What’s happening: Earlier this week, Nike revealed its “TINAJ” (READ: This is not a JPEG) Air Force 1 as its first physical sneaker drop.
Take a look: The shoe looks good! It’s a simple, yet very clean, Air Force 1.
It’s basically a combination of a white and black Air Force 1 with some buttery (very good looking, btw!) leather materials and a few embroidered hits that give it that .Swoosh branding.
There’s a logo on the mudguard there and one on the back heel encircled by “This is not a JPEG” in text. Really driving that point home, Nike.
It’s not necessarily anything to write home about, but it gets the job done. The pair passes the eye test.
How to get it: This is a product being made available exclusively to the “Our Force 1” holders in Nike’s .Swoosh program.
Remember when Nike sold those virtual boxes of Air Force Ones for $19.82? You had to purchase one to get in on this pair here.
You also must have actually opened the virtual box you received after purchasing it to be eligible.
Don’t worry: If you’re a holder who hasn’t opened it yet, Nike says you still have until Oct. 16 to get on it.
So here it is: This is the take. I’ve got to be honest — as good as these sneakers are, I must admit I’m a bit underwhelmed by this. I guess was hoping for a bit more fanfare behind the first physical drop.
We got a SNKRS Live session, which was cool. But with the way this was hyped up I figured there’d be some sort of physical event attached to the release folks could participate in.
To be fair to Nike, that could very well be a thing that’s coming when these joints finally drop. It could also just be my own expectations getting in the way, too. We’ll see.
Plus, I’ve got to say, the whole TINAJ branding is a bit too meta. We know this isn’t a JPEG, Nike. Can we move beyond that joke?
The big picture: While I have my gripes here, I think this is a good thing overall.
Nike has at least begun to deliver on part of its promise to their .Swoosh community to connect them with physical products and experiences. That’s fun. It’s different. It’s something many other companies haven’t been able to do just yet. It should all improve from here.
Thanks for the good times, Atmos
In a pretty surprising turn of events, Atmos is closing its three North American flagship stores in Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C., according to Footwear News’ Peter Verry.
What’s happening: Basically, Atmos saying goodbye to North America.
The brand is closing down the stores and its U.S. website to shift its focus and resources completely to its biggest market in Asia.
The brand was founded in Japan in 2000. It expanded its footprint, obviously, but its core base remains there.
The backdrop: Foot Locker bought Atmos in 2021 for $360 million. It was also highlighted as one of the company’s prime spots for future innovation. Now it’s not even present in Foot Locker’s most prominent region.
Reading the tea leaves: I didn’t see this coming, but looking back, it’s easy to see why it’s happening. Foot Locker is shifting dollars around to amplify strengths after a porous second quarter.
Atmos’ overall sales fell by 10 percent in the second quarter. The North American arm was basically a cut to offset that.
The brand still exists. North America is not the end-all-be-all. The Asian market is massive and lucrative, too. Atmos already has success there. The brand will cater to that audience and bounce back as a result. At least, that’s probably Foot Locker’s hope.
On the other hand: The company did seem to be a key cog for Foot Locker moving forward. Now that it’s gone, I just wonder what other changes Foot Locker is going to make to its grandiose plans. There’s probably more coming sooner than we think.
On a personal note…We’ve lost yet another sneaker store here in D.C. This is getting ridiculous, fam. Georgetown used to be the spot. Now we’re down to Major D.C. Slim pickings outchea.
What I’m reading: A History of Basketball in 15 Sneakers
The homie Russ Bengtson was kind enough to shoot me an advanced copy of his book dropping on Oct. 10 called “A History of Basketball in 15 Sneakers.”
Yes, you absolutely need to read it.
A quick review: Russ is an absolute treasure trove of information and history when it comes to both hoops and kicks. You get all of that together in this book.
He somehow manages to tell the rich history of the game of basketball through the lens of 15 sneakers from the Chuck Taylor to Nike’s Adapt BB in 2019.
Through it all, he drops gems about the players and sneakers we love through lots of rich stories, quotes and anecdotes.
My favorite: I’m not done with the book yet, but I’ve made it through to the chapter on the Air Swoopes. It is GOLDEN.
I’m going to share a quick graf here that literally made my jaw drop when I read it.
The set up: It’s 1996. Cheryl Swoopes is on the Olympic team going on a 52-game exhibition tour of straight dominance leading up to the Games in Atlanta. Team USA went 52-0 in those exhibition games and, well, the Olympics weren’t much better. Swoopes was in the middle of the transition between her first signature model and the second.
And, well, let me just let Russ tell you the rest:
"She had already transitioned into her second shoe, the Swoopes II, by the start of the Games in 1996. The new sneaker featured off-to-the-sides lacing, a big Swoosh up front and a tiny one at the ankle, and a prominent shank plate in the middle of a thick midsole that was far ahead of its time. Maybe, like the first Air Jordan, Nike should have given the first Air Swoopes more time to breathe and let the legend build before releasing a next speaker. Then again, Sheryl never even lost a game in her first shoe. Even Mike couldn’t say that.”
Yeah, man. This joint is a banger, y’all. Cop up.
Does Kevin Durant hate his own sneakers?
Okay. Y’all let me know if I’m wrong. But I feel like Kevin Durant didn’t exactly give his new KD 16s a glowing endorsement at the Phoenix Suns media day.
NBA Kicks asked him about what he wore to media day. You know how it goes. It’s a simple chance for a player to plug whatever company they’re working with and whatever they’ve got going on.
What he said: With a chance to hype up his 16th signature sneaker installment, here’s what Durant had to say:
“Just another pair of kicks. It’s the 16th installment, so it’s nothing to call home about, brother. It is what it is. It’s KDs, you know they’ll be on my feet every year.”
KD. My guy. WHAT?
EL. OH. EL: I think I can detect a bit of sarcasm there? I’m not sure. It’s KD. Who knows? Either way, this is pretty funny. A 16th shoe is special. Not a lot of players have made it that far. The list is Michael Jordan and LeBron James — that’s it.
Shoutout to KD for getting there. Let’s hope he actually cares a little more about it than he’s letting on here.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO. Y’ALL KNOW THE VIBES!!!
First, the homie Matt got us poppin with the Mac Attack. I’m loving these new colorways, fam.
Then Storm carried us through with THREE absolute bangers. She really be smoking it, man.
The homie Thicc Saban (Hell of a screen name, btw) came through with the Lucky Green 1s. That green never gets old.
My dog Phil came through with the Nike Overbreaks. This is SUCH an underrated sneaker, man. Highly recommend.
The homie Jordune came through with the ISPA Sense joints and that sole looks COMFY.
My guy Sam popped out with the Dorothy Dunks. I know he doesn’t actually HAVE them yet but they’re his so it counts all the same in my book.
Then my guy Dandin came through shutting it down, once again, with the Resn Dunks. THIS MAN IS ON FIRE, FOLKS!
That’s a wrap! Y’all smoked that, man. Pressure. SHEESH.
Thank you so much for rocking with me today, family. I really appreciate you. I hope you’ve got a fantastic weekend ahead of you.
Let’s chat again on Monday. Until then, peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And. we out.
-Sykes 💯
Atmos in Philly is such a great shop. What a loss