The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 296 — A new era of Cactus Jack 🌵
The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 296 — A new era of Cactus Jack 🌵
Nike's Travis Scott wave is back in full force
Goooood morning, family. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. Missed y’all!
Vegas was fun! I celebrated my very first anniversary with my wife and also got to see Victor Wembanyama play basketball. We also snuck into a club to see Lil Jon DJ, which was wild. It was a great time. Highly recommend it.
Enough about me though. Let’s dive in.
The Travis Scott era, part 2
Almost a year and a half ago it was hard to tell what the future of Travis Scott’s presence with Nike would look like.
The Astroworld riots that resulted in the tragic deaths of 10 people really put a strain on both his stardom and his partnerships.
Scott faded away from the public view. We saw less of him. His album was pushed back. His sneakers were delayed. The hype didn’t die, but it was absent.
That time is done: If Scott’s upcoming moves with Nike are any indication, that time is done. Not only is Scott planning a show at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt (which…yeah, this is kind of weird lol), but he’s also coming with a signature shoe around the same time called the Jordan “Cut the Check.”
There are reportedly 3 different models coming, per Sole Retriever, for Holiday 2023. All reportedly retailing around $200.
There’ve been hints that this was coming for a while now. Folks on Twitter have pointed out in recent months that Scott seemed to be wearing some unknown Jordan model with a strap included on it.
A quick look: This isn’t an official image, but here’s what folks have speculated are the sneakers in question.
The big picture: This is the big test for Travis Scott right here. We’re going to truly see how influential he is.
Nike has found immense success taking Scott’s name and attaching it to already popular silhouettes. The Jordan 1, the Jordan 4, the Air Force 1. Classic models. It’s hard for those silhouettes to fail.
This is different. It’s the debut of something new and unseen. There’s no guarantee this works.
The landscape: This has very rarely worked for macro-influencers of Travis Scott’s ilk. We’ve seen it done a number of times. Drake’s NOCTA Hot Steppers are the most recent example of a bust. There are plenty more to choose from, too.
Kanye West is the only influencer of this sort who has had massive success creating their own model and building a brand off of it. The Air Yeezy is arguably the most successful collaboration in sneaker history. He took that success and replicated it to the tune of an entire brand with Adidas.
Travis Scott’s run with Jordan here probably won’t be that, but it’ll still probably be a success.
Scott has already built a ton of equity in the sneaker and hypebeast community. The same people who flock for Jordan 1s are going to flock for these, too.
Like Kanye, it’s obvious Scott truly has a passion for this stuff. It works. And as long as he’s dedicated to making it work, things should be fine.
I’m excited to see this finally coming to fruition. It’s the final test to truly measure Scott’s imprint on sneaker culture. Is it all hype? Or can this be something that lasts well into the future?
We’ll find out soon.
Oregon of the Midwest?
While I was gone, news came across my timeline about Deion Sanders making a return to Nike. That, alone, was pretty shocking considering the poor taste Sanders seemed to have after working with the company.
The history:
Back in 2017 on an episode of Complex’s Sneaker Shopping, Sanders said he’d never work with Nike again.
His reasons cited seemed to be the fact that he was dissatisfied with the royalties he was — or wasn’t — getting from Diamond Turf sales.
It should be noted that Sanders was technically signed with Under Armour at the time and had been with a competitor for 8 years at that point.
Here we are: Today, he’s back. And, despite what he said before, it’s not all that surprising. These two sides now have reason to work together again.
First, Colorado is a Nike school. That connection was there to begin with.
Plus, Deion Sanders is hot again. His coaching tenure at Jackson State turned him into a national icon for HBCU football for better or worse. That’s how he landed his new spot in Colorado.
My question: Since seeing this, I’ve wondered what a partnership between Nike, Colorado and Sanders might look like. Sports Illustrated’s Buffs Beat has theorized that this could be a lot like Nike’s partnership with Oregon but in the Midwest. That’s definitely interesting.
Colorado isn’t good, but people will watch their games simply for the fact that Sanders is coaching. Lacing the team up with the best isn’t a bad idea. Sanders actually mentioned uniform work, specifically, on the Colorado-centric podcast Thee Pregame Show.
"Rick (George) and I went up to Nike several months ago to see the vision and the goal of what we're trying to attain with our young men. I can't give you everything that's going to transpire, but you're going to be excited when you see. Not only the footwear, but with the uniforms, you're going to be excited about it."
But there’s more: I think we could see a lot more come out of this from a sneaker perspective, too.
There’s room for a Diamond Turf resurgence the same way Nike has re-energized the Penny Hardaway signature shoe line since he took over Memphis’ basketball program. No, the Diamond Turf isn’t as popular as the Penny, but Nike never misses a good opportunity to retro.
Plus, Sanders is going to have access to some of the best recruits in college football.
He’s pushing previous Colorado players out at a rapid pace and bringing star talent in. It’s controversial, yes. But Colorado will undoubtedly be better for it. Nike likes that.
The brand will have that star talent in its uniforms wearing its gear with a direct line to Nike in the talent’s ear coming from Coach Prime. That’s fertile NIL ground.
We’re seeing the signature athlete game enter coaching and that’s pretty interesting. I won’t say the future is bright in Colorado — I’m not totally sure how well this will work. But I'll definitely say I’m intrigued.
A $200 pair of socks?!?!?
I’ll ask y’all like I asked Threads last week — how much would you have to make for you to even consider purchasing a $200 pair of socks? Well, more accurately, $180 plus tax and shipping.
Yes, it’s a thing: I’m not just asking this out of thin air. That’s how much the socks in Salehe Bembury’s latest collection with Moncler are.
Look, I already knew the collection was going to be way too rich for my blood. But, man. What? That much for a pair of socks?!? They’d better give you wings like Red Bull or something. They can’t just be there to keep your feet warm. These socks cost as much as a good pair of Jordans.
To answer my own question, how much would I have to make for me to actually purchase these? At first, I landed on $10 million. But, honestly, I still can’t justify that. I just don’t think there’s a number out there for me, personally.
But, hey, man. Y’all see that small is sold out. Somebody is out there buying them. More power to them.
Also, can I hold a dollar?
The coolest moment is sports happened on Saturday night
The WNBA All-Star game was this weekend and it was a pretty fun time. The game wasn’t that competitive — per usual for any All-Star contest. Lots of 4-point shots, no defense, and a whole lot of vibes.
The hook: The coolest sports story of the year came out of it, though. It was Brittney Griner.
Normally, this isn’t that special. BG can do this. She’s dunked before. She’s even done it this season. But it’s the perspective behind this one that really just warms me up.
Think about it: Last year around this same time we didn’t actually know if we’d ever see Griner again.
Griner had been imprisoned in Russian custody for 10 months last year before she was freed in December after a prisoner swap.
She missed the entire WNBA season including the All-Star game where, her peers honored her, of course, but she was absent.
Fast forward: On Saturday, not only was she in the game, but she also had the signature moment. A moment that was never a guarantee. It was just special. Something that, personally, I’ll never forget seeing. I hope you don’t either.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Tyler, the Creator x Chuck Taylor "Digital Leopard” — Thursday, July 20
Nike Giannis Freak 5 “Made in Sepolia” — Friday, July 21
Reebok Pump TZ “Yellow Solar” — Friday, July 21
Nike Jordan 1 High “UNC Toe” — Saturday, July 22
Nike Terminator High “Game Royal” — Saturday, July 22
That’s a wrap, folks! Thank you so much for rocking with me this morning. I appreciate you. Hope you’ve got a fantastic week ahead of you.
Let’s chat again on Friday. Until then, peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯