The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 326 — Come at the king 👑
Brands seem to be very comfortable going at Nike these days
Goooooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you!
Hope you’re having a fantastic week so far and you’ve got a great weekend ahead of you. If you haven’t checked it out already, be sure to take a look at KYW’s 2024 industry primer:
Let’s jump in.
Reebok goes at Nike
We’ve seen brands become more and more comfortable taking (somewhat) veiled shots at Nike these days. Add Reebok to the list.
Complex’s Matt Welty pointed out that Reebok’s latest ad for its Nano X4 cross-training shoe is Ether-ing Nike’s Metcon. The ad features the Nano initially but, as it progresses, it gets pumped with frivolous tech that the AI voice playing literally says “no one asked for.” It’s pretty hilarious.
Take a look:
Between the lines: This is definitely a shot at Nike. Every fake feature added to the shoe here is something featured on a Nike sneaker. Well, you know, not the rocket boosters. But you get the point.
Here’s more from Complex:
It springs technology similar to Nike’s Shox and Air Max from the sole. The most notable shot fired at Nike happens when the shoe materializes a rope guard system that the AI-esque voiceover calls, ‘something no one asked for, but we’re told is vital for elite CrossFit experience.’ … The rope guard first appeared on the Nike Metcon 7 training shoe in 2021 and has been featured on the Metcon 8 and 9 models as well. It’s been very divisive.
This, alone, is pretty funny. But, in the grand scheme, it feels like something that has become a bit of a trend in sneakers.
Think about it: Companies have always sort of sniped at each other with little, smaller shots. But doesn’t it feel like they’re becoming more bold? Especially when it comes to Nike.
This Reebok ad features deliberate shots at a specific Nike product in the cross-training space that it competes against.
And don’t forget toward the tail end of last year, Adidas Basketball and Anthony Edwards have taken shots at Nike’s biggest sneakers and signature athletes including LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Why this is big: For years, it’s been quiet! We haven’t seen anyone take these sorts of shots at Nike in years. It’s been decades.
Back in the 90s and early 2000s it was more common — especially with basketball. The swoosh wasn’t yet established as the premier brand yet. Reebok, in particular, was neck and neck with Nike.
Since then, obviously, Nike has taken off as the leader across multiple sectors. It's $153 billion market cap says as much
But with the way things are now, brands are a bit more comfortable than they have been in recent years.
The big picture: Regardless of the reason it’s happening, this is good. And, most importantly, it’s fun!
I love seeing brands poking fun at each other in interesting ways. It creates more competition and more quality products because, of course, brands have to walk the walk if they’re talking the talk.
That’s a better overall space for the industry to be in. Please, keep it coming.
The main character silhouettes of 2024
Every year there are a few sneaker silhouettes that take up all the air in the room. The conversation revolves around them. If you could indulge me and my corniness for a sec, I’d like to call these sneakers the “main characters” of 2024.
For example, in 2022 it was the Air Jordan 2 that seemed to have a renaissance. The Nike Dunk held it down in 2021.
So far in 2024 there are a few silhouettes that have some real main character potential. Here's what the topics of conversation will be:
Air Jordan 4: There are so many variations of these reportedly coming this year. In the first half of the year, alone, we get two heavy hitters with the Reimagined Bred AJ4 and the Military Blue joints in May. It’s going to be a big year for this silhouette.
The big sticking point here will be sizing. Rumor has it that the AJ4 will have the same fit the Nike SB version has for every version of the model. We'll see if it's true.
Air Max Plus: There are a couple of classic variations of these joints coming out, too. The voltage purple joints are dropping this month and the Sunset colorway is coming out later this year.
There’s also a “reimagining” of the shoe coming, so to speak, with the Drift coming this summer.
This is an interesting direction to go in for Nike as it continues to embrace mid-2000s retro styles. The Plus has always been a cult model. I'll be interested in seeing if it grows here.
Travis Scott “Cut the Check” (or whatever it’s called): This is the shoe we’ve been waiting on since the top of 2023. Travis Scott’s signature shoe is going to be the first true original signature model for a non-athlete since the Air Yeezy line. We’ve talked before about how big of a deal that is.
New Balance 1906R: This will be the silhouette for New Balance this year like the 610 was in 2023. There are already several collabs coming. One already happened in the disaster that was Salehe Bembury’s “Heat be hot” drop. There’s more, though. And a ton of GR flavors on the way, too. Is this model the next 2002r? We'll see.
Adidas Samba: There’s going to be more Samba in 2024. Adidas saw the spike the silhouette had in 2023 and is doubling down. We’re getting more collaborations — a big one is coming very soon — and a bigger Samba push in the U.S. on shelves in your local stores. This shoe is going to carry Adidas forward on this side of the pond.
These are the silhouettes that are going to tell the story of 2024. Are you particularly excited about any? Let me know in the comments.
Speaking of Salehe…
The more I see this Crocs shoe, the more I don’t like them. Granted, I’m not a huge fan of Crocs anyway. But I was actually prepared to like this sneaker. It’s just…not it. At least, not for me.
A look: Bembury wore the joints in Paris this week for Fashion Week. This is our first official unofficial on-foot look at them.
My thoughts: This shoe is just so confusing to me. I know exactly what my problem is. It’s an amalgamation of two things that never really felt like they needed to be melded together.
The upper looks like it’s made of various mesh materials. On its own, I think it’d look fine.
But the outsole is what does these in for me. It looks like his Pollex Crocs with an upper on top.
These matter: This shoe is a big deal for Crocs as a brand. It’s a logical next step for a brand that has seen astronomical growth in the last few years — the company expects nearly $4 billion in revenue for this fiscal year.
If these shoes work, Crocs proves it can become a multi-faceted footwear brand that can potentially rival companies like Puma, New Balance and others someday.
So what do we think on these, folks? Are you rocking with them? Or are we passing?
Straight from the source
Y’all. THE GALAXY KD 4. IT IS COMING BACK. We know this because Kevin Durant, himself, told us! This is from Durant’s IG story:
The backstory: The Galaxy KD 4 was initially released as part of the 2012 NBA All-Star pack. This might be the single greatest Nike basketball pack ever.
It featured Galaxy pairs of Kobe 7s, LeBron 9s and KD 4s. All classic colorways.
The Galaxy Foamposite was also released, which will easily go down as one of Nike’s most hyped drops ever.
We ain't getting the Galaxy Foams — at least not anytime soon. But these KDs are probably the next best thing.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GOOOOOOOO Y’ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS! THE FIRST #KWW OF 2024! And we dropped on BlueSky, too! If you're over there, be sure to drop by next week!
First, the homie Dave dropped by in these slick AJ1s. That volt color is always fantastic.
The homie Adrian popped out in the Nike Lunar Roam and, well, I think I'm falling for these. Miiiiiiight have to scoop some.
The boy is back! JD came through with the Bred 11s and Craft AJ1s. Sick pairs, yo.
Then the homie Sam sent us home with these custom Homer Simpson Dunks. All I can say is wow, man. Wow. Mmmmm. Donuts.
SMOKED IT. Per usual. I missed this so much, yall.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. I appreciate you taking the time. Have a great weekend. Be safe if it’s snowing around your way like it is mine!
Let’s chat again on Monday. Until then, be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
Those bembury Crocs look like a Slimer sneeze.