The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 343 — Skechers has entered the chat 💬
Joel Embiid is officially rocking Skechers
Goooood morning, folks! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you.
Hope you’ve got a fun weekend ahead of you. I’m locked in the crib watching hoops. We’re getting Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers, folks. I couldn’t ask for more.
Let’s jump in.
Joel Embiid makes it official with Skechers
Joel Embiid is back on the NBA basketball court this week after returning from a torn meniscus. Not only is he back, but he brought his new kicks with him.
The news: The 76ers big man signed a sneaker deal with Skechers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday.
Skechers had been pursuing Embiid since as early as October of 2023 ahead of the NBA season.
Embiid’s previous deal with Under Armour also ended in October. The big man only launched one signature sneaker with UA. The brand’s focus eventually shifted to centering around the Curry brand.
The details: We don’t quite have specifics just yet. Boardroom’s Nick DePaula reports that it's a multi-year agreement that makes Embiid the face of Skechers basketball. It’s also pretty safe to assume that, at some point, a signature sneaker will accompany this. In the meantime, Embiid has been wearing the SKX Float during games.
With this move, Skechers is now a major player in the sports world… That feels so weird to type.
Let’s be real: Is Embiid the most popular signature athlete? Probably not. His Under Armour kicks showed us that. They didn’t sell well. You don’t see them anywhere. History has shown us it’s generally hard for big men to sell signature sneakers. That hasn’t typically played out well over the years, with few exceptions like Shaquille O’Neal.
But Embiid remains the league’s reigning MVP and a huge name in the NBA. For a brand like Skechers that has never been in this territory, that’s a major starting point.
Zoom out: It’s still so weird, though. Seeing that big S on an NBA court — or anywhere, really — is not something I think I’ll ever get used to.
We know what it is with Skechers. This has never been a high-quality brand that you’d expect to see anywhere outside of your local department store.
Now, it’s here on a basketball court being worn by athletes in one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. Pretty big stage.
This is what the signature shoe game has evolved into. There are so many players with so many different sneakers just when you look at basketball alone (across the NBA and WNBA).
The count:
Nike: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Ja Morant, Devin Booker, Sabrina Ionescu, Elena Delle Donne, Paul George
Adidas: James Harden, Derrick Rose, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Candace Parker, Anthony Edwards, Trae Young
Puma: Breanna Stewart, LaMelo Ball, Scoot Henderson
Li-Ning: Jimmy Butler, CJ McCollum
Anta: Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson
New Balance & Under Armour: Kawhi Leonard (NB), Steph Curry (UA)
Rigorer: Austin Reaves
Add Embiid and Skechers to that list. You can see just how crowded the market is getting these days.
Is that a good thing? Maybe. There are two sides to this. There’s a saturated market right now and all of the product isn’t good. A lot of it also feels very homogenous in look and performance.
But there are more options out there for people to choose from. And, in the end, I guess that’s a positive.
The AE 2 is coming
Speaking of signature basketball shoes, Anthony Edwards’ AE 1 has become a fan favorite. Not only are the shoes being worn for basketball, but it’s one of the first signature sneakers that have successfully crossed into lifestyle in a long time.
Now, we’ve got word on when part two is coming.
What’s next: The AE 2 will drop in December of 2024, according to the latest from Sole Retriever.
There are no mock-ups yet, but the colorway is listed as “Impact orange,” according to Sole Retriever.
The price is also listed at $130, which is $10 more expensive than the AE 1.
My thoughts: That price tag is a bit disappointing. There must be some material change or technological advancement pushing that price forward. Of course, Adidas could just be maximizing profit on what is now its most popular signature sneaker line (and arguably its most popular shoe period at this point).
The timing: If this release date holds firm, the AE 2 will come out just about a year after the AE 1. That makes sense. Today’s signature models typically follow an annual release schedule.
But…I wonder if this would be a bit too soon? I know, I know. Just hear me out.
The AE 1 is doing so well for Adidas right now. The momentum isn’t close to dropping off and I don’t think it will by the end of this year. Edwards still has plenty of ball left to play and the Timberwolves could make a deep playoff run.
Introducing a new model too soon not only cuts into the general interest in both the current model and its next iteration.
We saw this happen with Steph Curry and Under Armour. The brand dropped the Curry 4 through Curry 7 between October 2017 and January 2019. That’s a lot of sneakers in a short amount of time.
Adidas has something special here in the AE 1. If I were them, I would ride this wave for as long as possible.
The only good April Fool’s joke
Remember the Adidas Box Shoes that I told you was an April Fool’s joke? I was right. It was an April Fool’s joke. And, normally, I hate those. But Adidas made it into a fun thing!
A recap:
Last week ahead of April Fool’s Day on April 1, Adidas loaded the Box Shoe into the CONFIRMED app and allowed users to set notifications for it.
On April Fool’s Day, the brand confirmed the shoes were just an April Fool’s joke, saying it was all in “good humor.”
But the brand didn’t leave those interested empty-handed. The people who set a reminder got exclusive access to win a custom Gab Bois cabinet that looks like a shoebox and a sample of the Box Shoe.
While nobody was guaranteed anything from entering, it was dope to see Adidas rewarding those who participated with a shot at getting something cool out of it.
That’s smart: Not only did Adidas attract people to their app with a joke, but it also found a way to further capture their attention with a reward for allowing themselves to be the butt of that joke.
Good stuff, three stripes.
Dot Swoosh, WYD?
We’ve been wondering what (dot)Swoosh’s next physical drop after the TINAJ Air Force 1s released in October. We knew something would be coming. I just didn’t think it’d be…these.
What are those? That’s (dot)Swoosh’s 404 Error Air Force 1, clearly inspired by the 404 error page you get when a page doesn’t exist on the internet anymore. Nike unveiled them on 4/04 day.
These are weird, though.
This looks like an Air Force 1 with an entirely patent leather upper and no stitching.
That blue is also an EXTREMELY bright blue. It’s wild.
I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. What I do know is that it is very (dot)Swoosh.
#TheKicksWeWear
Y’ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS! LET’S GET IT!!!
First, the homie BG kicked us off with these LOVELY 998s. Love these joints, man.
The homie Gyophry came through with the Pineapple Dunk highs. I see we’re ready for summer time!
The homie Jed took it back to the fall with these Halloween Dunks. These joints are so cool, man.
The homie Antonie came through with the JFG 9060s in that Penny Cookie Pink color. These are on yerboi’s list, man.
The homie Duffie popped out with the Gaiadome ACGs in a SNOWSTORM!?!?!? That is NOT the vibe. But these kicks definitely are! Heaters.
Then the homie Dandin took us home with the Animal Pack Air Max 1s and the lil homie came through with the Viotech AM 90s. SICK. Wow, man.
Y’all SMOKED that, man. Sheesh. Come on Gs. Y’all are really like that.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you giving me some of your time. I hope you enjoyed today’s send.
Let’s chat again on Monday. Until then. Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
There’s even more signature shoes out there! Jordan has Tatum, Zion, and Luka (also the numbered MJ line soldiers on), plus Aaron Gordon has a signature with 361 Degrees.
Dumb Q here - are those dotSwoosh AF1s a real pair of shoes someone can wear? if they are, I love that they're weird. If it's a NFT it's Not For Me