The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 314 — Is Skechers trying to be...cool? 👀
The brand isn't stealing ideas for once! Plus, Shaq, give me call if you're reading this! Let's talk about more Reebok ideas.
Gooooood morning, folks. It’s Sykes, once again welcoming you back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for reading today. I appreciate you.
Hope you’ve got a great weekend ahead of you. We’re celebrating my dad’s 60th birthday this weekend! Exciting stuff. Anything in particular going on for you? Let me know in the comments or just reply to this email! I’d love to give some folks some shoutouts.
Ready to talk kicks? Let’s jump in!
Skechers is trying to be…cool?
A few weeks ago when I first saw Terance Mann working out in a pair of Skechers’ basketball kicks at camp with the Clippers. I’m not going to lie — I laughed.
Can you blame me? What the hell is Skechers doing with basketball shoes? On an NBA player, no less? Come to find out, the brand really seems to mean business, folks.
What’s happening: The brand is legitimately trying to build a roster in the NBA. Skechers is reportedly seriously be pursuing the NBA’s MVP, Joel Embiid, according to the latest from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Embiid would immediately become the biggest athletic endorser on the NBA side for the brand. He’s the star of that show.
He’d join a crop that includes the aforementioned Mann as well as Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
Between the lines: You can imagine my confusion when reading this story. In fact, I imagine you were pretty confused, too. Joel Embiid? With Skechers? I mean, I know his Under Armour shoes weren’t great but sheesh. That brand’s shoes are capital U ugly. Skechers are also traditionally uncool. So why on earth would one of the best players in the NBA consider signing with the brand?
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Two big reasons:
First, the bag, of course. Skechers is going to pay Embiid a lot of money. Especially considering the deal he’s exiting with Under Armour.
Second, Skechers will absolutely prioritize him. No disrespect to Embiid, but everything begins and ends with Steph Curry for Under Armour.
As I kept thinking, though, I came to realize that I wasn’t asking the right question.
The real question: Why on earth would Skechers want to engage with hoops like this? Let’s be honest — Skechers doesn’t need basketball. It’s been selling shoes just find for generations. This is a multi-billion dollar corporation with a $7.5 billion market cap we’re talking about here. That’s on par with rivals like Puma and New Balance.
The answer: Nobody says no to a growth opportunity. Especially when it’s one that stretches your audience in a way it desperately needs to stretch.
While the brand is becoming more popular among Gen Z and millennial consumers, it still skews older, Business Insider writes.
“While more millennials and Gen Z are buying Skechers, older generations of consumers can largely be credited with the company’s evolving reputation in casual footwear. Skechers preference share among adults 55 or older was around three times higher than younger customers in 2022, according to Cowen’s study.”
Skechers can use the NBA to get younger. That’s a layup. Some young Embiid fans will opt for that pair of Skechers with his name on it over, say, the new Book 1 line. Will that happen often? No, of course not. But Skechers doesn’t it to happen often — the brand just needs it to happen more frequently than it does now, which is really not at all.
Bird’s eye view: If you peel back the layers a bit, you can see Skechers’ plan here at work. It’s signed on entertainers like Doja Cat and Snoop Dogg. It’s scooped up athletes like Harry Kane, Randle and, now, maybe Joel Embiid. It’s finding the cool names in cool spaces to make its brand feel a bit cooler and elevated, even if it’s still all about accessibility and cost-effectiveness. It’s a best-of-both-worlds sort of thing.
The proof is in the pudding. The company’s shares have jumped up by 36 percent over the last year, per The Morning Brew, which far outpaces some of its peers like Nike (15.5 percent).
Look, I’m not saying that y’all need to be out here wearing Skechers or anything. EYE certainly will not be. Just know that this isn’t a gimmick — it’s a real thing. And we should examine it as such from here on out.
A word from our pals at Boardroom!
Co-founded by NBA star Kevin Durant and entrepreneur Rich Kleiman, Boardroom is a media network that covers the business of sports, music, and entertainment.
From emerging leagues (pickleball, anyone?) to new tech, they’re committed to offering a unique perspective on the ways that athletes, musicians, creators, and executives are moving the business world forward.
Sign up for their morning newsletter, HeadlineToGo, to get an inside look at the Boardroom universe. Plus, sometimes they have game-worn sneakers (!!!!!) and signed jerseys to give away — just saying. Join the 135K+ people who start their day with HeadlineToGo.
Shoutout to Shaq and Angel Reese
Shoutout to whoever at Reebok is actually reading the Kicks You Wear. Can I come up to HQ sometime? Let’s kick it.
I’m kidding (mostly. I would love a trip to Boston!). This is just me being extremely excited that Shaquille O’Neal’s first move as president of the brand was signing LSU hoops star Angel Reese to a name, image and likeness deal.
The news: The deal between Reebok and the LSU standout was announced on Tuesday. This is the very first NIL deal the company has ever dished out.
Reese, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, is absolutely swimming in NIL deals. Her NIL valuation currently sits at $1.7 million after the deal, per On3.
The details: Reese is the face of Reebok’s basketball division. She’ll be dabbling in the brand’s lifestyle product, too.
The LSU star will have her own collection with Reebok launching in 2024.
On top of that, she’ll work with Reebok’s product teams and have a direct influence on their future footwear and apparel designs.
This is exactly the sort of thing that I highlighted in KYW on Monday when talking about Reebok’s rebirth. The brand needed a new face and it needed to be a younger one. Women’s basketball is the perfect growth opportunity — especially at the college level where viewership has hit record highs.
Brilliant first move, Shaq. Keep the party going.
Are the new Reimagined Jordans a bit too Reimagined?
Last year when we first found out about the Reimagined Air Jordan line that we’ve seen trickle in over the last year, I was extremely excited.
This was a chance for me to buy pairs of OG Jordans that I otherwise might never come to own.
And I’m happy about that. I’ve got a pair of Chicago Jordan 1s and White Cement Jordan 3s out of it. I’ve won, y’all.
But…I’m starting to feel like we’re doing a bit too much? At least for my taste, anyway. The next few Reimagined models we’re getting are completely flipping the materials of the sneakers into something totally different.
We’ve gotten the Patent Bred AJ1s, which, you know, isn’t too shocking or out of the question. We’ve seen Patent Breds before.
But, dog. Leather Bred Jordan 4s? Suede Royal AJ1s? That just feels like a bit too much for me. A touch too far from the spirit of the shoes I love.
These shoes might be completely fine in real life. They may look good on foot. But I cannot see myself wearing a suede Jordan 1. For example, this looks weird, right?
I’m sorry. I just can’t. What do you think? Sound off in the poll below.
I’ll reveal the results in Monday’s newsletter at the top.
Can we PLEASE be done with these boots?
Look, man. I know MSCHF’s Big Red Boots were fun at first. And then they did the Crocs collab. Cool. OK. Fine. Haha. Very funny joke, y’all.
But, dog. Big Red Boots in black? Aren’t we doing a little too much here?
I don’t know what’s worse: The fact that these exist or the fact that they’re still called the Big Red Boots while still being Black. And wasn’t this supposed to be an Astro Boy thing, anyway?
Enough is enough already. I better not see these on NBA 2k. I’m coming for somebody if I do.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GET IT!!!!!
First, the homie Meghan kicked us off with the Fresh Foam X-70. LOOK AT THE PANTS THOOOO.
Then the homie Rick Dubb came through with the Wotherspoons. This shoe is so legendary, man. Fitting for such a legendary dude.
The homie Pheadra popped out in the Lost & Found AJ1s. These joints will NEVER get old, folks. I might wear mine this weekend.
The homie Alex came through with the SB AJ4s and I want a pair SO BAD. I just have to know if they’re more comfy than regular 4s.
Then the homie Big Crawf took us home with the AMM AJ1s for his baby girl. In wedding attire!!!! THIS IS SO STINKIN CUTE, DOG. WOW.
Y’ALL SMOKED THAT!!! SHEESH!
That’s a wrap, folks! Thank you so much for reading today. I appreciate you. Have a fantastic weekend.
Let’s chat again on Monday. Until then. Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
It’s probably worth noting that Skechers has had some success in the running shoe market. Their performance running shoes, which are priced and marketed differently than their everyday shoes, get great reviews in the running press and are worn by some elite marathoners.