The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 431 — All hail the dad of all dad shoes
Happy Father's Day to the Air Monarch
Goooood morning, friends! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you giving me a bit of time.
Hope Father’s Day went well for all the dads out there! It rained out here in the DMV, so we didn’t get to grill around my way, but it was still a solid weekend.
Thanks for all the love about the newsletter move. Appreciate your support. Again, this will be the last newsletter for June. The Kicks You Wear will return later in July, once we begin the transition to Business of Fashion.
Let’s dive in.
The ultimate dad shoe
It was Father’s Day weekend so, of course, we couldn’t go without talking about the father of all dad shoes: The Air Monarch.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know what’s good.
They trolled Chris Godwin and Mike Evans with two pairs of Air Monarchs as a Father’s Day gift.
Yes, but: Honestly, is it a troll? To me, this is a treasure. Some of you surely feel differently. But that’s the beauty of this shoe — it’s truly in the eye of the beholder. After all these years, there’s probably still not a more polarizing pair of kicks than the Air Monarch. Some people feel like these are awesome. Others feel like the Monarch line is an abomination.
Me? I’m thankful for it.
The backdrop: The Monarch line was initially released in the early 2000s as precisely what it is: the quintessential dad shoe.
Comfort and everyday wear at an accessible price range was its purpose. Here’s former Jordan Brand designer Jason Mayden talking about that as he describes what it was like redesigning the line with the Monarch II.
The idea with the model was to create something that was stylistically appealing and unique, yet prioritized comfort and versatility. The end result was something you’d grow to either hate or love — nothing in between.
Fast forward to 2013, a few models later, and the Monarch became Nike’s highest-selling footwear model in terms of quantity, according to Hypebeast, putting it in conversations with legacy sneakers like the Air Force 1. I guess it’s safe to say that someone loved it.
As polarizing as the shoe was, by 2017, it became a fashion icon.
The Team Monarch Instagram account propagandized (lol) the Monarch’s peak dadcore look, making its dadcore aesthetic look aspirational.
It wasn’t just Pete Carroll wearing it anymore. It was Russell Westbrook. It was Drake. Celebrities were making these things cool.
In 2018, Nike introduced the M2K Tekno, whose entire look was based on the Monarch IV.
Why these matter: While brands like New Balance and Asics have dominated in recent years thanks to the Y2K retro mesh runner trend, I think we have to give Nike and the Monarch a ton of credit for making this possible.
The Monarch hype reached its peak in 2018. Shortly after, we got the Balenciaga Triple S. Yeezy dropped the Wave Runner. Raf Simons’ Ozweego takes off.
Those shoes were always going to be as good as they are. The Monarch isn’t the reason people love the New Balance 990, for example. But without the Monarch’s chunky look taking control of the zeitgeist for the brief moment it did, the trend lines wouldn’t have shifted.
I say all of that to say we owe the Monarch. Without it, for better or worse, style wouldn’t be where it is today.
Shoutout to the daddy of all dad shoes. Happy Father’s Day.
Forgive and forget?
Sooooo is anyone else uncomfortable with Nike getting back in the saddle with Tom Sachs? Or is it just me?
The skinny: We’ve known for a while now that Tom Sachs’ signature Mars Yard 3.0 sneaker is getting a release in 2025.
We’ve known that the shoes are slated for a fall release date. The rumor mill says September 2025 is the window.
We also know that these shoes will retail for $275. That’s a bit rich for my blood, but certainly not terrible for the followers who’ve been collecting Sachs’ shoes for years.
What’s new: We also now know, apparently, how these things will be released. Nike is pulling out something special for Sachs.
According to sneaker leaker Ovrundr, the shoes will be released to folks who complete a set of in-app challenges. What will those challenges be? No idea at this point. But I’m assuming that the app in question will be SNKRS.
If I were a betting man, I’d say it’ll probably involve some physical activity. Perhaps some Nike Run Club integration here? I don’t know.
If I’m being honest, it’s hard for me to believe Nike seems to be pulling out all the stops for this release.
Let’s be real: Tom Sachs was accused of some pretty abhorrent stuff, man. He reportedly fostered a cult-like work environment in his studio, where he verbally accosted employees and mentally tormented them. Sachs eventually apologized after his Nike deal was suspended, but that was only after he’d given a bunch of half-baked explanations for his strange behavior.
The big picture: I’m someone who believes in second chances. People can change. They can be better. But it’s also true that Nike has separated itself from people for less.
It feels like Nike stuck with Sachs because he’s a bit less popular than, say, someone like Kyrie Irving, who is an athlete with a global platform and not an eclectic artist with a cult fan base. I’m not saying Nike should’ve kept working with Irving. But I do think it’s strange that Sachs is back in the saddle without us getting a glimpse into whatever work he did to improve himself, if he did any at all.
An unceremonious comeback
After years of fans begging, Adidas has officially brought back the Space Boot Kobe 2. OK. That’s not really the name. But you know the shoes I’m talking about.
A look: Remember these badboys?
What’s happening: Adidas released the Crazy 2 last Wednesday. These were Kobe Bryant’s second official signature sneaker with Adidas and the very last he’d ever release with the brand.
I had no idea this release happened.
The shoes quietly dropped last Wednesday. I hadn't realized it until someone sent me this tweet about a complaint regarding the quiet release.
They retail for $160. Most big sizes are gone, but if you’re a men’s 9.5 and under, you seem to be in luck.
My take: I’ve always had an appreciation for these. As clunky and weird as they are, I think they were ahead of their time. This shoe nailed the 2025 Adidas basketball look back in 2001. These would fit right in with the AE 1 or the Harden Vol. 9.
Be smart: That’s why it’s a bit weird to see this release happen so quietly here. There was no big rollout — they just appeared. I’m sure, for some people, that’s a bit disappointing.
But we were never going to see a big Kobe rollout with these.
First, the Kobe brand is a Nike brand. The chances Adidas would be able to license Bryant’s likeness are less than 0.
Second, even if Adidas could pull that off, it’d feel a bit crass. Kobe hated these shoes! They were partially the reason he left the brand. His name on these would feel so wrong.
Adidas did the right thing by dropping these quietly. Let the people who want them buy them. Everyone else can learn the history in time.
Either way, the cult classic is back. I think that’s a win here.
Happy anniversary to the GOAT sneaker meme
It brings me so much joy to share with you that the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest sneaker memes ever was this weekend.
WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOSE!!!
Shoutout to Nice Kicks for pointing this out. Man. This takes me back. I loved this so much back in the day. We didn’t realize how good we had it back then. The internet was never a pure place, but this is probably as close as we’ll ever get. This was back when Vine was still a thing and you weren’t just harassed in comment sections by a bunch of no-life reply guys.
This meme took on a life of its own. It even reached Disney-level fame, making an appearance in Marvel’s Black Panther. You know it’s culture when the corporations steal it.
RIP to Busco, who gave us this gem. I’ll forever be grateful for it.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Nike Total90 “Quit the Rage” — Tuesday, June 17
Adidas Italia “Made in Italy” — Tuesday, June 17
New Balance 991v2 “Mineral Green” — Thursday, June 19
Nike x Patta Air Max 90 “Waves” — Friday, June 20
Better Gift Shop x Nike Air Max DN8 — Friday, June 20
Converse Coach Jogger — Friday, June 20
Air Jordan 5 “Grape” — Saturday, June 21
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. Appreciate you. Have a fantastic week.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to hit me at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message here via Substack.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯