The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 349 — Where has all the talent gone? ✌️
Another designer is taking his leave at Nike after 14 years
Goooood morning, folks! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me this morning. I appreciate you.
In my cart 🛒: I swore off of these two-tone Dunks back in 2021. They just weren’t worth the hassle. But I really love these! Plus, they’re on sale. How can I not?
On my radar 👀: A$AP Rocky’s entire Puma “Live Fast” collection is fun. It’s almost entirely sold out, but this is some good stuff. I need to write about that Rih Rih effect with Puma soon.
Y’all bout ready? Let’s jump in.
Compounding Ls
Nike’s next round of layoffs is underway, following the company's announcement earlier this year that it was cutting two percent of its workforce. In the aftermath, one of the brand’s biggest contributors from the last decade announced he’s leaving.
What’s happening: Footwear designer and Air Max creative director Dylan Raasch announced he’s stepping away from the brand on Instagram. You might not recognize Raasch’s name immediately, but you’ll certainly recognize his work. You’ve seen it everywhere over the last decade.
Raasch is the designer behind some of Nike’s biggest hits in the last 10 years. He designed the Roshe Runner, the Air Max 270, the Air Max 720 and the Air Max Pre-Day.
He joined the brand in 2009 as a designer and became creative director for the Air Max line in 2017.
What he said: “I’ve made the decision to part ways with the brand and open myself to a new chapter. Eternally grateful to all the individuals and teams I had the pleasure to work with over the years,” the post said.
He also shared a bunch of his work in it, including the 270 and the newly restored Roshe Run joints.
The timing: It’s unclear whether Raasch’s departure was part of Nike's grander cuts. The timing makes it seem that way, but we can’t know for sure. The only certain thing is that he’s gone and so is his experience.
The big picture: This has been a theme for Nike over the last few years of the Donahoe era. You’ve likely heard the word “institutional knowledge” a bunch over the last few years. Nike has cut a lot of that out with these layoffs.
I think “institutional knowledge” can be a bit overvalued if you’re leaning too heavily on old ideas. Change doesn’t necessarily mean something bad.
But when you purge at the rate Nike has over the last few years, you lose a lot. This brand has cut big names from core areas, from sustainability to C-suite executives to designers and creative directors.
Employees have noted it. There are threads on this subject on the Layoff work forums with comments from Nike employees. People notice it. It’s not great for morale.
The Raasch departure is especially surprising considering how successful he was at Nike for 14 years. And, sure, 14 years sounds like a long time. But he’s got the resume of someone who you’d think Nike would like to keep around for another 10 to 15 years beyond that.
Be smart: Raasch’s departure could just be what it looks like. He may want to take on new challenges. That happens — especially for creatives like him. You spend enough time at one place doing one thing and it wears on you. Sometimes, a change of scenery is just necessary.
But the bottom line is that Nike has lost one of its most successful creatives and designers. It’s hard to look at that as a good thing.
Innovation Corner: Converse’s REACT Juice
Sometimes, innovation doesn’t always work out. That’s the book on Converse’s REACT Juice.
The backdrop: I’m sure some of you youngins have never even heard of this before.
REACT Juice debuted for Converse in 1992. It was a literal liquid substance made of gel and gas that Converse inserted in the heels and ankles of its shoes in what the brand called a “bladder.” Terrible, I know.
The core function of juice was cushioning. Think about it in the same way Nike uses airbags for its Air line.
The big picture: Converse faced what we’re watching a ton of brands face today. Its staples lost their oomph. The Chuck Taylor, Weapon and Pro Model were still good, sure. But the brand (which hadn’t been purchased by Nike yet) needed something to compete with Nike’s Air Bubble and Reebok’s Pump. That’s where the REACT juice comes in.
A look back: It was worn by former Charlotte Hornets star Larry Johnson. I'm sure the OGs remember the Grandmama commercials.
Here’s a look at the specs from Sneaker History via Instagram. The heel and ankle bladder units are visible.
The history: The run didn’t last long. After REACT and REACT II the tech faded away after a decade. Its fatal flaw was also what made it so special: the liquid. There are horror stories of these shoes actually leaking.
Here’s an anecdote from former NBA player and current ESPNer Tim Legler about how REACT juice leaked from his shoe and nearly injured Chris Webber:
“It's like a skating rink, guys are going down and Chris Webber does a split. He's down and he yells out and the trainer comes out on the court, and you can't see it on the court. No one knows what's going on. They're out there, the ballboys are out on the floor wiping the practice court and it continued. Three or four guys slippin', slidin' and wipin' out.
Finally, I look down at the bottom of my shoes and there's react juice dripping out of the shoe. So it was my shoes. And I go to right away to Jimmy Lynam and I'm like "Coach, look, my shoes are leaking." And of course Jimmy Lynam's old school, and he's like ‘What are you talking about Timmy? Shoes leaking? What's that? What is it with the shoes leaking nowadays?”
That’s not the singular moment that spelled the end for this innovation, but there are a ton of stories like it that make it clear that REACT Juice could never work functionally.
Fun stuff! But in the end, that’s all it amounted to. Fun.
Angel Reese explains her Reebok decision
I’ve always thought Angel Reese signing with Reebok was a smart move that could boost her stardom.
She wasn’t just picking Nike, Adidas, or another brand with a stacked roster. She picked one where she could be a focus.
Her timing with Reebok allows her to be the brand's focus. She has a legitimate chance to be its face.
Apparently, we were thinking along the same lines. She explained it in this video here:
“What was it about Reebok? One, they didn’t have a women’s basketball player face. So I wanted to be that. Two, Shaq. You know my relationship with Shaq. Three, I liked how they were rebranding everything. They’re letting me be the creative behind everything I want to do.”
That’s good stuff there. She also alluded to the brand giving her a sneaker within the next two to three years. She’s already got her apparel line through the brand.
The big picture: No, Reebok isn’t a brand with the same prestige as Nike or Adidas. And certainly, considering Reebok’s most recent history, it’s a risk for Reese to take on being the face of that brand that has faltered in the ways it has.
But if things pop off the way Reese hopes? The reward here will be high. That’s what makes it worth it for her.
Never thought I’d see the day
It’s one thing to talk about retro being cooked. It’s another thing to see it in real time.
What’s happening: The Military er, uh, Industrial Blue Jordan 4s didn’t completely sell out just over 24 hours after the shoe’s release on May 4.
To be fair, there were some periodic restocks with sizes popping back up off and on. But still, this is unusual for a Jordan release.
Be smart: This isn’t a bad thing for us. These are good shoes. People have soured on them because of a blue tint on the leather and the debate on whether they’re close to the OG or not. Personally, I don’t care about any of that. I think these shoes will age extremely well. The more time we get to wait on these the better for our pockets.
But if it were two or three years ago? These wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on the SNKRS app. Guaranteed. The times are changing, folks. This is what that looks like.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Nike LeBron 4 “Eggplant” — Wednesday, May 8
New Balance 1500 “Blood Orange” — Thursday, May 9
KidSuper x Puma MB.03 — Thursday, May 9
Nike ACG Rufus — Friday, May 10
Air Jordan 1 Low “Shadow” — Saturday, May 11
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate y’all. You giving me a bit of your time for a couple days a week is not lost on me.
Let’s do this again on Friday. Until then, folks. Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯