The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 435 — The Blind Box sneaker era is here
Thanks a lot, Pop Mart.
Good morning, friends! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear, brought to you by The Business of Fashion. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you for being here.
Guys! Published my first piece in BoF on Friday! Talked about the shift in the resale market and how things aren’t quite what they used to be. That’s a good thing for most of us! Hope you’ll give this a read.
HOUSEKEEPING: I’ve got more details for y’all on the transition over to BoF.
The key thing to note is that the Kicks You Wear will be leaving Substack as we transition. We’re looking to begin that transition on August 1 with our first send from BoF’s platform, so it’s coming fast.
Here’s what you need to know:
Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to completely port over the email addresses we currently have on file, so you will need to sign up for the Kicks You Wear newsletter again if you wish to continue receiving it.
Don’t worry — you haven’t missed the boat. The sign-up page isn’t completed just yet. We’re still fine-tuning the back end. Once that’s available, I will share it with you all immediately. And I’ll keep sharing it, too, just in case you miss it.
The big thing: When this transition happens, the Kicks You Wear will be converted to a paid publication. A discount will be offered to current subscribers during the initial weeks. Once the details on that discount are finalized, I’ll share them with you all.
That’s all I’ve got so far. I keep saying this, but I’ll have more soon. Thanks for being patient with me. Thanks for supporting me to this point. I hope you can continue to!
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, hit me up via email here at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message via Substack here.
Let’s dive into today’s work.
Peak blind box era
The concept of a “blind box” sneaker purchase has always been mildly terrifying to me. I mean, think about it. Spending upwards of $100 on a pair of sneakers that I know, basically, nothing about? I’m too broke for that.
For those out of the loop, a blind box is when you make a purchase of a sneaker — or a general collectible — without knowing exactly what’s in the box.
Yes, but: The blind box concept seems to be becoming stickier and stickier as the years go by.
What’s happening: Two blind box sets are driving this news.
First: Nike’s upcoming Panda-monium Dunk set features 12 colorways in the collection, including one traditional black-and-white pair. They’ll be released in a blind box set, according to Complex. You won’t know which pair you bought until you open it.
Second: Puma is collaborating with LA’s Advisory Board Crystals brand to bring us a double-blind Fantastic 4 sneaker set featuring four different boxes and seven different colorways.
There’s more: This isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon in sneakers. Blind sets have been around for years, with 2019’s “Baseball Glove” Air Jordan 9, 2022’s Huf x Nike Dunk, Kith’s X-Men Gel-Lyte III collab from 2023, and even Nike’s Wizard of Oz Dunks from last year. These all follow that same blind box concept that has gained popularity over these last few years.
Where things stand: It feels like the blind box concept is hitting a fever pitch these days, thanks to Pop Mart’s Labubus — the storybook character turned art collectible that has collectors in a frenzy.
Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company, sells the collectibles. The company has released over 300 since 2019, according to New York Magazine.
The collectibles are sold at retail in blind boxes for around $30, but because of the blind box concept they’re sold with, they can resell for hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on the rarity of the toy.
The big picture: We know how this stuff works. What one company does well, other companies will do their best to copy. I’m not saying that Pop Mart finding success with blind boxes is the exact thing leading to something like the Panda-monium Dunks, but what I am saying is that it certainly has something to do with it.
As scary as the blind box concept can be, it brings a bit of excitement (and anxiety!) into the picture for collectors after their package arrives. Opening that box and seeing what you have inside brings back the thrill of the chase that’s been missing in sneakers for so many.
It’s kind of nice to see, even if it makes my wallet scream.
Turning off the AI
Just a few years ago, in the peak of the John Donahoe era, Nike seemed to be all in on creating virtual experiences for its consumers. Now, it seems like all the big players who were part of that movement are on the way out.
The news: Jason Loveland, who was the Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Nike starting in 2021, announced that he’s leaving the company last week in a lengthy LinkedIn post.
Loveland didn’t say where he was headed, but he did seem to have another opportunity lined up already for a later announcement.
He highlighted some of his accomplishments in the post, including building out Nike’s AI team and helping to build the brand’s first generative-AI model to design sneakers.
This didn’t seem to be a contentious exit by any means. Loveland only had nice things to say about Nike in his post and expressed his support for the company.
Yes, but: His departure leaves many questions about Nike’s future in tech. Weeks ago, Ron Faris, who was the vice president and general manager of Nike’s Virtual Studios, left the company for a role at Disney in marketing and storytelling. Before that, Nike reportedly laid off several employees from the brand’s global tech team.
Why this matters: The company invested billions of dollars into building out its virtual offerings. They hired executives to run things, bought what they called the “Supreme of the Metaverse” in RTFKT, built out .Swoosh and made it a priority.
Nike’s virtual arm has no direction. There doesn’t seem to be a direct replacement for Faris and no announcement has been made on replacing Loveland, either.
Be smart: But we probably won’t see direct replacements because Elliott Hill’s Nike likely won’t tackle the virtual space the same way Donahoe’s did. The strategy will be different, so the hires will be different, too.
But make no mistake about it. Nike — just like everyone else — is still thinking about how to properly use AI to bolster its offerings. We’ll see movement here one way or another eventually.
The power of All-Star weekend
I’ve long held the belief that the sports world serves as the biggest showcase for the sneaker world. I was proven right — yet again! — this weekend during the WNBA’s All-Star festivities.
The backdrop: This was a particularly eventful weekend, with two things increasing eyes on the league during the festivities:
The league and its players used this moment to try and advance collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The players, in particular, took advantage of this and pressed their demands.
There was also an increased visibility on literally everything happening this weekend thanks to the 72-hour live stream from the Studbudz — WNBA All-Star Courtney Williams and her teammate, Natisha Hiedeman.
Why this matters: Given the circumstances and the attention on All-Star weekend, this became a significant moment for the footwear and fashion brands associated with the league to make a big impression.
I’d argue they did. The sneaker world, in particular, got some big moments.
Sabrina Ionescu showcased the Nike Sabrina 3 with yet another unbelievable win in the 3-point contest, where she put up 30 points to win it.
Jordan Brand gave us a spectacle with a bunch of ad trucks after Napheesa Collier won the game’s MVP award.
Angel Reese debuted the “Mebounds” colorway of the Reebok Angel Reese 1 for the All-Star game.
A’ja Wilson did the Shaq thing and used her own sneaker to record the 3-point contest.
Caitlin Clark gave us a look at a new Kobe 5 colorway that appears to be a player-exclusive model specifically for the game.
A lot happened. And, honestly, given the circumstances of how big the weekend was, I think there could’ve been more. But the league is still growing and expanding. Brands are getting used to this new playground.
As they do, I think we’ll see bigger and better activations in the space.
For the kiddos
This has to be the cutest Jordan I’ve ever seen in my life.
Angelo Baque, the founder and creative behind Awake NY, posted this adorable toddler version of the upcoming Awake Air Jordan 5 launch coming next month.
There’s a pink version, too, but that seems to just be something Baque had created for his own kids.
My take: Kids sneakers are hit-or-miss for me and it usually leans toward miss. I just hate the idea of spending upwards of $80 on sneakers that will get worn for a week before they’re ruined on a playground just to take a few Instagram pictures.
But these? Nah. I won’t lie. My niece might have these in her future.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Arts & Rec x Nike SB Dunk Low — Tuesday, July 22
New Balance 2010 “Linen” — Wednesday, July 23
Nike Sabrina 3 “Blueprint” — Thursday, July 24
A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 5 “Black Collective” — Friday, July 25
Bad Bunny x Adidas Gazelle Indoor “Caba Rojo” — Saturday, July 26
Air Jordan 4 “Rare Air” — Saturday, July 26
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you.
I know I’m throwing a lot at you guys lately. But, again, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please please please hit me up via email at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message here via Substack.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. Have a great week.
-Sykes 💯
Congrats on moving to BoF.
But also, ngl, I think the popularity of blind boxes are a sign of the market’s exhaustion. They’re literally putting random sneaks in a box and throwing it at people. To me, that means people are either looking to be wow’d more than spend the effort to have an immediate preference, or having a preference is difficult nowadays because everything is… well… mid.
Excited for the move to BoF, but will be sad to see KYW go here!!