If you take a moment to browse through my videos on YouTube you’ll notice I have Champion tees in almost every color. I rocked Champion gear in the 90s and I’ve come back to the brand as a new generation has started wearing the apparel and accessories. One of my favorite lines from Wu Tang’s “Enter the 36 Chambers” was, “Champion gear that I rock, you get your boots knocked/Then attack you like a pit that locks s–t DOWN,” from the pen of Raekwon. I state this to say that what’s old is new again in a major way. There is a bit of irony in this because Champion had been relegated to stores like Payless. This year the brand has exploded back and in doing so they also decided to reenter the sneaker market against Nike and adidas.
At Finish Line last week I ran across the Champion 93Eighteen Suede Chenille in two colors. I haven’t found the reason for the name of the shoe, but it seems to me that someone at the brand realizes the gear came to prominence via the verse from 7th Chamber when the classic Wu album dropped in 1993. The Eighteen is obviously from this year, but you have to wonder if this is a smart move by the brand. Earlier this year I ran across a brand named Casbia. The brand doesn’t have a very large wholesale footprint so I’ve never seen their shoes in person. I did write about their collaboration with Champion and explained that it was the perfect way for older brands to reenter the market instead of taking on the burden of launching their own shoes.
What is immediately noticeable here is the amount of detail and quality of the Casbia shoe vs the Champion shoe released with Finish Line. The 93Eighteen isn’t a bad or poorly designed shoe. Finish Line has even taken the time to list the shoe under the title, “Dad Shoes”. The shoe features suede and chenille. It also is a limited release only available at Finish Line. These are all “on trend” decisions, but they aren’t really working. At the local Finish Line the shoes aren’t selling at all. On the Finish Line website the shoes don’t have any broken sizes. On the Champion website the brand doesn’t list footwear as an option on the site. The shoe is the right price, but it seems that this is the case of a brand overstepping its growth in my opinion. The relationship with Casbia generated a beautifully crafted pair of shoes that elevated the brand. If I’m sitting in the room with Champion I discuss with them working out a deal where Casbia’s version was the model carried at Finish Line. This keeps the brand elevated and reduces the problem of inventory and potential RTVs as the brand’s heat adjusts from the peak to a level that allows the brand to exist at a place where they are worn in conjunction with Nike, Jordan or adidas.
What do you think? How should brands who have caught fire again after 20 years away from the mainstream? Should they push forward and attempt to capture the market for as long as possible? Should they work with some modicum of self restraint? It’s a difficult position to be in as fashion is like the wind always moving and capable of shifting at any moment.