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Source: _Shop Men

7 Days No Nike is not a shot at the Swoosh. After Nike’s latest quarterly report it’s clear the company has command of the entire sneaker industry. What is also evident is the brand is intent on dominating the news cycle on sneaker sites via the constant stream of releases. 7 Days No Nike is my decision to discuss a few brands that I’ve yet to buy a pair of kicks from, but I really need to because they are both functional and stylish.

In my attempt to avoid writing any sneaker articles on Nike, I’ve taken to visiting a variety of sites to discover even more new footwear companies than I’ve presented on this site. Most of the new companies I’ve placed under the Dope S–t I Like category because whether I’ve physically held a pair of shoes I’ve discovered, I can still admire the aesthetics and design via pictures. I found OB/VS while browsing the Digital Trends site. They did all of the heavy lifting for the article which only leaves me to analyze whether the shoes really have a chance of succeeding. Check out this video and then I will shift gears into analysis.

While the discussion in the video is about the ADPT footwear, the first model from the team at OB/VS is the above Explora One. In comparison to many outdoor shoes this model is both stylish and functional and looks less like a chunky boot than most of the boots currently being delivered in the hiking industry. Like Allbirds, OBVS is touting its use of merino wool, but they have also taken it a step up with the addition of a Vibram outsole:

That is why we choose premium performance materials like naturally wicking and temperature regulating merino wool, ethically sourced from New Zealand, long lasting, breathable water resistant top-grain leather, and high traction XSTrek rubber outsoles from Vibram®.

The waterproof leather upper is also a feature that makes the model perfectly suited for urban battles in traffic. It’s a very nice shoe and it only rings up at 178.00. This is a right on par and with established models, but does it really distinguish the brand? In the video above the founder/desginer Kelly Dachtler speaks in detail about what is going into the model that really differentiates OBVS from other hiking companies.  The ADPT is the model that is looking to break new ground with it’s three in one concept.

OBVS/ADPT™ 3-IN-1 SYSTEM

Adapt to any environment on earth. The Patent-Pending OBVS/ADPT™ 3-in-1 Sneaker/Boot System.

• Hydrotrainer™ Wet/Dry Breathable Trail to City Sneaker
• Drymoc™ Merino Wool Compression Recovery Moccasin
• Combine to form the OBVS/ADPT™ 3-In-1 Waterproof Trail to City Boot
• Comes with the OBVS/ADPT™ DRYPAK Waterproof Pack

The company is releasing the ADPT via a Kickstarter styled launch page: https://obvsco.com/

It’s not a unique path. I ran a successful Kickstarter campaign. Allbirds began on Kickstarter and a number of footwear companies began there. The problem with Kickstarter or crowdfunding styled launches is that brands who approach this path tend to forget one of the most important aspects of building footwear; the manufacturer always wants to produce footwear in balanced runs. While a crowd funded project works great for one size fits all, it does not work well when the product has sizing. Allbirds (as Three Over Seven) ran into this issue and didn’t ship very fast and encountered considerable issues when attempting to move the remaining product. The company had such a great start however that the backing from Slicon Valley helped offset their issues. Maybe this is the path for OB/VS… but then again it can’t be. Instead of launching a Kickstarter they are running a natively hosted crowd funding campaign on their site. This means that they are going to have spend a considerable amount on driving engagement to their site. As of right now they do have a lot of articles being run, but I know from experience an article is great when people are searching specifically for you, but it does very little to drive traffic once the articles momentum fades.

So what do I think will happen with OB/VS? I don’t expect to see an Allbirds type take off of a billion dollar valuation, but I didn’t see that for Three Over Seven since the Allbirds shoe is basically a knock-off Roshe Run. The problem was I was looking at the launch as person who lived in the athletic sneaker culture environment. I was wrong about Allbirds/Three Over Seven, but I’m not wrong about OB/VS. The North Face, Timberland, Columbia and a host of hiking shoe companies create an interesting problem for the startup. Quick access. A pureplay company reaps the benefits of DTC, but in doing so they also have to deal with returns. More important the launch of a crowd funding campaign outside of Kickstarter is a mistake. What’s even worse is when you move towards possibly backing early, the first step is a pop up page for the capture of an e-mail. There are other issues, but I am writing if I think it’s going to work. It could. The design here is beautiful. The only company making hiking footwear that looks as good as it performs is Salomon and Nike, with Timberland bringing up the rear. The only true performance brand in these three is Salomon, other performance companies make ugly shoes. OB/VS has an opportunity to disrupt in a similar fashion to Salomon creating collabs that have generated hype. The problem is the owner has talked about how he hates hype and being tied to influencers, which I understand, but hype isn’t bad if the product is great and from the looks of the Explora One they have a great product on their hands.

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