Good morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for rocking with me on this glorious Friday morning.
Hope you had a fantastic week and you have an excellent weekend ahead. It’s a long one! Make the most of it.
Let’s dive in.
Trouble in Paradise
(Photo by waqar khalid on Unsplash)
Adidas was untouchable in 2016 when Yeezy was at its absolute peak and the Ultraboost began to take off. Four years later and it looks like it’s already time to reshape the company after two big executives are out.
First, we have Global Creative Director Paul Gaudio. He’s out at the brand after 20 years. We won’t spend too much time here.
His exit came shortly after he posted an Instagram comment where said white supremacist Kyle Rittenhouse was “also a victim here” after murdering two people.
Adidas has been taken to task by employees for the racism and bigotry running rampant in its executive roles. This sliding would’ve been a continuation of that. No way he could stick around. Period.
Next, Jon Wexler, now the former VP and GM and Yeezy is leaving Adidas after 18 years. This was the more shocking one.
Wexler is credited as one of the names who helped shape Kanye West’s Yeezy brand at Adidas and, really, the sneaker world we know today. He also helped shape the brand’s partnerships with both Pharrell Williams and, more recently, Beyonce.
He’s moving on to Shopify as the Vice President of its creator and influencer program, per Complex.
They both are pretty big deals — especially Wex. Straight up, without Wex we probably don’t have the celebrity influencer game in the sneaker realm. At least not the way it is. He helped create the blueprint.
It seemed like it was Gaudio’s time to go. Again, it’s absolutely impossible to let a comment like that slide. And, just putting two and two together here, if that’s how he’s giving it up publicly on Instagram? I’d bet he’s saying much worse behind closed doors. Good riddance.
Either way, Yeezy is without a GM and a right hand man for Kanye. The brand, overall, is missing a Global Creative Director for the marketing strategies for the products they launch worldwide. Neither one of those roles are going to be easy to replace.
But it’s imperative that Adidas get these right. They’ve got lots of landmark moments coming at the end of 2020 and more moving into 2021. A new season of Ivy Park is coming for the Fall and Winter. Yeezy Gap is coming at the top of 2021. Both need to be hits.
Sometimes, new faces are a good thing. Especially for when you’ve run into a wall and things get a bit stale as they have for Adidas over the years. This is another chance to generate that same excitement people had back in 2016.
They just need to make sure they get it right.
Speaking of Adidas…Confirmed BYKE
(Photo by Sebastian Pociecha on Unsplash)
Here’s yet another thing that needs has a chance to be a big mover for the three stripes.
Adidas’ Confirmed app has returned, but it’s a bit different this time around.
The app was discontinued in 2018 after Adidas decided to continue dropping their exclusive releases on their actual website instead of the app..
Since returning on August 25, they’ve already held a few limited drops including the Sean Wotherspoon “SuperEarth” Superstar.
The app is already a lot better than it once was. It was completely bugged out in 2015 and every single exclusive drop had some weird geolocation strategy going on.
On one hand, this is an excellent way to battle the bots! Kind of…sort of…maybe just in theory. People were finding ways around it, as they always do.
On the other hand, if I have to get up and physically get in my car to drive to some nondescript parking lot just to attempt to buy a pair of sneakers you probably have a broken strategy.
Basically, it just stunk, so they shut it down. The current iteration is much smoother. It follows the SNKRS blueprint.
It’s a timeline of exclusive to semi-exclusive releases, comes with a calendar and content. It looks sleek — better than SNKRS, honestly. And people seem to be having a bit more luck with it so far.
It’s good to see Adidas back in this realm, all in all. Any sort of competition for Nike on exclusive drops is a good thing. If they can come up with better strategies to get shoes into the hands of actual people? I’m all for it.
If it’s the same old thing, though? Cancel it again.
Ba da ba ba ba?!
In more news that I did not have occurring in 2020, Travis Scott is apparently partnering with McDonalds.
Yes, McDonalds. They announced the partnership in a tweet with a Cactus Emoji and a…cheeseburger. Travis Scott responded by shooting us this image.
So, here’s what’s happening.
Travis Scott and McDonalds are partnering together to add a “Travis Scott meal” to their menu. What is a Travis Scott meal, you ask? Apparently, it’s a bacon quarter pounder with barbecue sauce, fries and a Sprite for just $6.
On top of that, McDonalds employees are getting special Travis Scott shirts that they can wear while the promotion is running after it starts on September 8.
They’re doing all of this to attract Gen Z and Millennial customers that they’ve struggled to reach. Business Insider’s Kate Taylor has more.
Scott, who has 32 million Instagram followers, has a proven ability to reach Gen Z and millennials. In an internal memo, Flatley wrote that from his "impossible-to-get Nike sneaker line, to a cereal collab with General Mills that sold out in 30 seconds, to a record-setting virtual concert series inside Fortnite, Travis Scott is the definition of big in culture."
Listen. I get it. Millennials and Gen Z’ers aren’t that into fast food. And Travis has a halo effect on those same generations that might just bring them back to the restaurant.
But this feels like a collab for the sake of collabing. Nothing about it feels natural and authenticity matters with things like this. Consumers can sniff that out. It’ll be an excellent case study in seeing how real this halo actually is.
One thing is for, though. EBay finna go crazy when that Travis Scott x Mickey D’s employee shirt finally hits the site.
RAGING BULLS BYKE
The Jordan 5 has had quite the year, but 2021 looks like it could be even more spectacular.
Y’all. The Raging Bulls are coming BACK. At least, according to Sneaker Files they are. In 2021.
This is one of my favorite Jordans and one of the joints I’ve always wished I had but was entirely too broke to ever get. Especially buying Jordan packs back in 09? Absolutely not. Your boy couldn’t peddle enough Pop Tarts at the lunch table for that one.
It’s so dope to see these again. It’s been too long.
#TheKicksWeWear
WELL LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT THEN.
Let’s start with the homie Domo who came out glowing with the Ozweegos.
The homie Chim came through with more Air Max love in a pair of 97’s. Best joints yet!
Then the homie Muhammad RLee came through in the V Day special Sam Smiths. Talk about creativity in kicks!
The homie Lyndsay came through in the BeTrue 2090’s and they’re TORCH as usual.
The homie Shawn P came through, per usual, with more Jordan 1 heat.
The homie Storm came through as coordinated as ever with the Kyrie 6 Trophies.
The homie Madison flexed on us crazy with the Spriridon Cage 2 joints. SHEESH.
The homie Marcos popped out for the first time with some of the rarest Jordan 1 heat out there.
Of course Mads came through with the Celtics flex in the clean Ice Whites. Tough L yesterday, btw.
My GOAT Monica McNutt came through in the Aussie Prestos! SO dope.
The homie TJ SMOKED this lace job with the UNC/CHI Fearless AJ1’s.
My man Josh came through with the Parra Blazers that we all slept on.
Then the homie Greer shut it down with the St. Johns Dunks. SO SMOOTH.
SMOKED IT.
Thank y’all for rocking with your boy! Have a spectacular weekend and be safe, family! We’ll wrap again on Monday.
As always, family. Peace and love. Be easy. Be well. Be kind.
Signing off.
—Sykes 💯