The KYW Monthly Mailbag — 📥 On the Adidas Kobes, what happened with Kerby and more!
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Gooooood morning, family. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate your time and your questions for today’s mailbag.
I want to shout out the homie Dave from Cleveland. He left one of the kindest and most enthusiastic comments in the mailbox that was a tad bit too long to share here, but it included lots of shoutouts and I’m grateful for every bit of it. That’s the energy I love. Thank you, bud. Appreciate you reading. Hope you see this.
Let’s jump in.
Do you think it's weird at all that Adidas is bringing back the Kobe line?
The question continues: Even in its new, updated form? It feels strange considering the terms they left on...
This is a great question. Let me set the table for everyone who isn’t quite in the loop.
The skinny: One of Adidas’ many big reveals at All-Star weekend was a restructured version of one of Kobe Bryant’s old signature shoes, the Kobe 1.
It’s a modernized take on the shoe as part of Adidas’ "Remember the why” campaign. It comes with a zipper shroud attached and is less boxy.
They’re also releasing newer versions of the original Crazy 1, the Crazy 8 and the Top Ten 2000 — all shoes Bryant used to wear. Check them out here.
The background: Though there’s history there, Kobe Bryant legitimately hated Adidas. He left the brand in 2002 after the Kobe 2 — what we know now as the Crazy 2 — dropped. You’ve seen it before. It looked like a space brick. Bryant thought they were ugly just like the rest of us.
Bryant leaves Adidas, becomes a sneaker-free agent for a season and signed with Nike in 2003. The rest is history.
But back to the question, which was is it weird for Adidas to be retroing Bryant’s line in this way? I think the answer is both yes and no.
The answer is yes because, obviously, Kobe didn’t rock with Adidas at all.
ESPN’s Marc Spears told a story after Bryant’s death about how he once refused to give him an interview unless he threw all of his Adidas apparel away.
It’s hard to imagine Bryant being OK with Adidas doing this in a shoe he once wore considering that fact.
And the fact that Bryant isn’t here to speak for himself makes this decision to lean in even weirder.
But the answer is also no because, technically, Adidas isn’t doing anything outside of their purview.
The company owns these designs and can do as it pleases with the models, whether they’re associated with Bryant or otherwise. It’s very similar to how they’ll still sell Yeezy without Kanye West.
It’s also not as if this is a new thing. Adidas has been breathing new life into these models for years now through other athletes and activations.
I’ll be honest: I am uncomfortable with the fact that there’s all of this energy behind these models after Bryant’s death. It’s not a coincidence. People are still unable to buy Kobe sneakers out there and Adidas is filling that void with these models intentionally. The brand is using that history to its advantage.
But let’s be honest. Adidas isn’t the only brand that has capitalized off of Bryant’s death. Nike does the same with these drops.
Obviously, the deal with the Bryant family makes things a bit different. But Kobe also reportedly thought hard about leaving Nike before his death.
So does that mean Nike is in the wrong here, too? I think that’s up to the person taking in that information.
Personally, I think all the posthumous sneakers from our legends are pretty weird at this point — Virgil Abloh included.
I’d prefer to just let them rest in peace. Capitalism gon’ capitalize, tho.
MIKE. I need your deep dive in the Kerby ish
The question continues: I saw you on Whitaker's page in the comments. I'm all ears (and eyes apparently).
If you all remember, about a month ago there was this comprehensive article that came out from The Cut on Kerby Jean-Raymond written by Tahirah Hairston. It was called “The Promise of Pyer Moss.”
The details: In it, Hairston detailed the rise of Kerby Jean-Raymond’s brand into what looked to potentially be a fashion powerhouse to a brand that simply doesn’t seem to be operational anymore.
Hairston really peeled back the curtain on Jean-Raymond’s business. This graf was particularly painful to read.
“There is no Pyer Moss boutique. The clothing celebrated on the runway was mostly not available to anybody who didn’t have a celebrity stylist to pull it for them, and company insiders complained that quality control was so uneven that at times what was produced was too flawed to be sold. Raymond sometimes missed deadlines, didn’t always pay bills, started other projects and alienated allies. He referred to Pyer Moss as an “art project” and seemed reluctant to make practical choices.”
The result: People took this report as an attack. That includes James Whitner, who described the piece as a modern-day lynching. That’s obviously ridiculous. I commented saying as much. Shouts to our eagle-eyed reader who spotted it.
My take: This whole sequence bothered me. Obviously, I have a background in journalism. And it’s not a necessarily new thing for media to be villainized in this way by people in power. But this was weird.
This piece wasn’t an attack on a Black creative by Hairston — who is a Black woman, by the way. It was just an honest assessment of the state of the Pyer Moss brand.
If anyone is to blame for this, it’s Kerby himself. He’s the Pyer Moss caretaker. If he took care of his business then there’d be nothing to report.
The fact that this piece exists also speaks to how desperately we need more reporting like this in the fashion and retail space. Things should never have gone this far with Pyer Moss, but they did because no one was there to hold Jean-Raymond accountable.
Does Kerby deserve grace? Yes, absolutely. We all do. Nobody is perfect, at the end of the day. But Pyer Moss is a business — not an “art project.” Those critiques are fair.
Equating this to an attack or — as Whitner put it — a “modern-day lynching” is simply ridiculous hyperbole. Especially when Kerby is still alive, well and rich.
What are your experience and thoughts on Tradeblock?
The question continues: I’ve had friends make great trades they’re happy with. I’ve had a lot of bad offers and 2 trades failed due to the other person’s shoe or failure to send.
I’m not a Tradeblock vet, by any means. My only experience was trading a pair of Crocs for my wife. The experience was solid.
With that being said: I have received some pretty outrageous offers for some of the stuff I’ve posted on there, though. The peer-to-peer experience hasn’t always been great.
In my experience, there are people who can just be flat-out rude on the app. And I get it — we’re bartering. But you don’t have to be a jerk about it.
There are also times when offers sent just cannot be taken seriously, though I think their new “public offer” feature might help a bit with that.
Overall, I think Tradeblock is a valuable tool for the toolbox. I see its competitors in StockX, eBay, GOAT, Grailed and more in the same way. We’re all just looking to move sneakers and capture our grails.
I appreciate the app for that, if nothing else. I just wish people would be kinder to one another.
With niche brands (Hoka, OnCloud, etc) starting to make some noise in the mainstream marketplace, do you see yourself copping a pair
The question continues: Also do you think their rise continues for the foreseeable future?
I absolutely believe in the niche brands — or, as I’ve continuously called them here — the “others.” That’s a bit corny, but yeah. I’m definitely here for them.
Salomon is obviously having a major moment itself after Rihanna wore a pair to the Super Bowl. Asics and Saucony have always been fixtures in sneaker culture. I’m endlessly intrigued by Hoka — I don’t really know which pair I want to get, but I want to get one.
I’m thinking the Mafate Speed 2 in some colorway?
I’ll keep y’all posted. If you have any recs, let me know.
#TheKicksWeWear
Y’ALL KNOW THE VIBES LETS GOOOOOOO
First, wifey popped out in these Asics that she totally stole from me. Well, not literally — we don’t wear the same size. But getting these was my idea first.
The homie CJ popped out in the Playoff 13s looking as cold as ever. These joints are so fresh.
The home Ruben popped out in these BEAUTIFUL boosts and, man, that colorway is just amazing.
Speaking of amazing, the homie Jess came through with these sweet Sacai Blazers. We absolutely love to see it.
The homie Floyd popped out in the AJ1 KO and, yup, I’m feeling total regret not getting a jump on these. Sigh.
The homie Josh popped out in the A Ma Maniére Air Jordan 3 and I WILL HAVE THIS SHOE SOMEDAY. SOMEDAY, Y’ALL.
My dog Hardly Clerkin popped out as fresh as ever in these Social Status Penny 2s. Very quickly becoming a classic for me.
And, speaking of classics, the homie Pheadra sent us home with the Lost & Found AJ1 and an absolutely phenomenal fit. *ahem* SHEEEEEEEEEEEEESH.
Y’ALL DID THAT.
Thank you so much for rocking with me, fam. I appreciate y’all endlessly. You’re the absolute best and your questions/comments were awesome.
Have a fantastic weekend. Let’s chat again on Monday. Until then, peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯