The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 418 — Triple up on the Coco
I hate triple collabs. But this new one from Coco Gauff could trigger a bit of a shift in sportswear moving forward.
Good morning, fam! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you giving me some of your time today. Hope you’ve had a fantastic week.
I’m sorry to inform you that my Avoidance April is over. I copped those Kith x Adidas joints last week. Do I regret it? No. Do I have a problem? Absolutely. That’s why I write this newsletter.
Let’s dive in.
Sports and fashion, manifested
In news that I certainly didn’t have on my bingo card for this summer, tennis star Coco Gauff and New Balance collaborated with Italian luxury brand Miu Miu to bring a new luxury sportswear collection to the court.
What’s happening: New Balance and Miu Miu looped Gauff in on the latest collaboration between the two sides as a creative consultant for the collection. Her touch is all over it.
The collection features three pairs of New Balance x Miu Miu 530 SL sneakers — the thin-soled kicks that have blown up over the last year.
It’ll also feature two pairs of Gauff’s New Balance Coco Delray with Miu Miu’s stamp on them.
Plus, there’s an apparel collection featuring a range of pieces, including track pants, hoodies, tennis skirts and more.
The timing: The collection won’t be released to the public until September, according to Vogue, but Gauff will wear these pieces throughout the summer tennis circuit at three tournaments: the Italian Open, the Berlin Open, and the Cincinnati Open.
My take: Triple collaborations are typically the bane of my existence.
In the footwear world, the collaboration marketplace is already oversaturated. Splitting a product three ways between entities is overstimulating. It’s too much. It’s something that, if done wrong, easily muddles the collab. There’s nothing worse than a project that brings nothing to the table.
But that’s what I think makes this project one that might be worthwhile, and why it’s so fascinating to me.
Why this matters: This feels like a bit of a watershed moment in the relationship between sportswear and fashion, particularly in the luxury sector.
We’ve seen luxury brands and sportswear come together over the years to insert new energy into the market. There are various examples of this. Balenciaga and Under Armour. Louis Vuitton and Nike. Adidas and Gucci. The list goes on.
But rarely have we seen those collaborations and partnerships work their way onto the court, the field, or wherever.
That’s the difference here. Gauff will be wearing Miu Miu and New Balance on the court. Fashion is an element here, obviously. But this is also a statement in performance. It’s New Balance showing you it can be luxe while remaining grounded in sport. Miu Miu is showing you it can perform. Coco Gauff is showing you her taste. It’s a collaboration all about breaking new ground for each player involved and it’s all on the court for you to see.
You can count on one hand the number of times luxury brands have been this deeply involved in sports.
There’s that time Serena Williams wore a custom outfit done by Virgil Abloh to the French Open back in 2019.
LeBron James also wore KITH x Nike LeBron 15s on the basketball court back in 2018.
Do you see those names? LeBron James. Serena Williams. At 21 years old, Coco Gauff is establishing herself off the court the same way those two did later in their careers. This is just the beginning. There are so many places she can stretch this.
From a brand perspective, you’ve got to wonder if success here inspires more high-end fashion houses to engage with sports. The ground is fertile. Sportswear brands are in a spot where most are looking to shake things up and bring new energy to the scene. This is an excellent way to do that.
For luxury brands, this is potentially a new audience to tap into. Would they have to bring price points down? Maybe a bit. But exclusivity still works in this arena, even if it might not be to the same degree.
Can you imagine a Gucci treatment on the AE 1? Or what if Louis Vuitton did a treatment on the A’One?
The bottom line: This isn’t just a run-of-the-mill collaboration or a partnership. It’s a much bigger move with bigger implications that could open the door for more partnerships like it moving forward.
Adidas keeps climbing
The German sportswear brand keeps stacking good quarters.
Adidas released some preliminary earnings results ahead of its first quarter earnings call next week and the numbers we’ve been given paint a fairly rosy picture.
The numbers:
The company says its revenue grew to €6.1 billion in the first quarter, a 13% increase from last year, according to a company release.
The company also has a € 610 million operating profit and a 9.9% operating margin, which is fairly healthy considering where things stood after the Yeezy split.
Speaking of Yeezy… This is the first quarter for the company with no Yeezy sales. The company sold through its remaining Yeezy inventory at the end of 2024. This is the first earnings where it’ll have no bearing. We’re officially out of the Yeezy era.
Be smart: While these numbers are positive and Adidas appears to be beating analyst expectations, there’s still need for pause.
The numbers being given to us here are only a snapshot. Adidas gets out ahead of its earnings call and positively shapes the narrative. This isn’t an uncommon practice in the investment world — think of it as a pre-earnings sweetener for investors hoping for a boost in their shares.
But don’t forget: We still need to know Adidas’ sales in North America and whether there is still positive momentum there. I’d also love to hear more about how tariffs might be impacting the brand. And what about those layoffs coming down the pipeline? How will that impact operations?
I suspect we’ll hear more about all that on the 29th. Keep your ears open until then.
Nike’s 4-minute push
Talk about re-centering athletes.
Nike is launching a new campaign with Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon called Breaking4 — a push to make her the first woman in history to run a mile in under four minutes.
The numbers: Kipyegon currently holds the women’s mile record of 4 minutes and 7.64 seconds. She set the record in 2023 at the Diamond League in Monaco.
Here’s how awesome she is: She beat the previous record by nearly five seconds.
She’ll have to shave about eight seconds off of her time to get to that sub-4-minute mile. Considering that it’s been two years since she set the record, that certainly won’t be easy.
That’s where Nike comes in. The brand is supporting Kipyegon’s push with new footwear designs and technology to aid her in her runs.
The backdrop: This is like the Breaking2 initiative Nike did with Eliud Kipchoge back in 2017 when he attempted to break the two-hour marathon record.
The attempt essentially served as Nike’s big introduction for its VaporFly runners — the controversial runners with carbon plates in the sole.
Kipchoge didn’t break the two-hour mark in his attempt in 2017, but he did break the world record with a 2-hour, 25-second time.
Nike reportedly spent $2 million over a two-year period on the attempt, according to The Guardian.
This will likely be similar. Nike is using this “moonshot,” as the brand calls it, to show us how it has innovated in running and how it can boost the performance of the world's best athletes. This is what we’ve all been asking for.
The timing: Kipyegon will make her first attempt at the record on June 26 at the Stade Charléty in Paris. Can’t wait.
The Ja 3 is a HIT
Move over, Anthony Edwards. You’ve got some competition. Ja Morant debuted the Ja 3 in the Grizzlies’ playoff debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Memphis got smashed by, like, 50 points. Didn’t even care. The shoes were too good for me to be concerned.
Guys. The swoosh and the design spell out JA. LOOK.
That’s crazy work, Nike. Crazy work.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GET IT!!!!
First the homie Pat got us started with the Air Trainer 2s. Classic joints, man. Had to cop me a pair.
The homie Doe came through with the Cool Greys. Will never get tired of these joints.
The homie Ray is here to start trouble with y’all in these AJ2s. Classics! One of the greats.
Lots of Jordan love today, folks. The homie Rick Dubb came through with the AJ13s. Mike would be so proud.
Then the homie Nate came through and took us home with the Kakhi Traivs 6s. These joints have aged so well.
Y’all did that, man. Good stuff.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. Appreciate your time. I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to hit me up at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message here via Substack.
Let’s do this again on Monday. Until then. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
"Do I regret it? No. Do I have a problem? Absolutely."
Are you typing this from a doghouse at the moment? Maybe. ;)
- We all feel the pain.