In the last few weeks I’ve taken a bigger interest in what I’ve traditionally labeled beach sandals. While I cover sneakers primarily, the sneaker walls at retail have been infiltrated by injection molded sandals. One in particular has been interesting to watch. Nike is Finally Taking a Loss, but it’s Not Where You Expect In…
Number of Resale transactions in T1 2021 I had 2,170 transactions from January 1st to April 19th. The majority of footwear sold was in the low-mid tier pricepoint. Most of those shoes came from brand doors. The sales at the high to premium pricepoint were primarily purchased at retail. What does this mean? Nike dwarfs…
Nike’s ACG product line is very rarely worn by true outdoor enthusiasts. The tech is just as good in many instances, but the style is so street ready that the shoes and clothing go directly to the hype market and the shoes, unlike other brands in outdoor, hit resale and sell out quickly. This shoe…
This is Part 1 of the report for the first third of 2021. I’ve been busy adjusting to the rules at retail to offset resale. Most hyped general release shoes are released via retail Apps. In brick and mortar locations, stores are flagged for selling more than five pair of shoes at a time to…
The Air Jordan 1 Low arrives in this GS version featuring a university gold and black upper. The leather is tumbled at the toe and collar. The Wings logo at the heel is gloss transfer. This is a simple, clean look from Jordan Brand.
Source for pictures: The KOBE A.D. NXT Unhinges Tradition I always wait a few days before writing a report, or response, to information in the mainstream. This gives the talking heads on YouTube and in social media a chance to pontificate and espouse their theories on why or what happened to cause negotiations to come…
I recently wrote a post on the site discussing Vans’ Trek. Vans Trek Slip-On Has CROCS in Their Line of Sight: Vans Trek Slip-On Has CROCS in Their Line of Sight Initial responses to the post was that the shoe would be too tight and difficult to put on. No one had tried the shoe,…
Source: Allbirds x PENSOLE presents Better Responsible Design Program (BRD) – Pensole Design Academy NOTE: Applications for the BRD program are open today (April 19) through Monday, May 24. The course will run for six weeks starting Monday, June 7th. Allbirds & PENSOLE are searching for aspiring designers who want to help reshape how the world perceives sustainability. We…
O.T.A Paris is an eco-responsible and durable unisex sneaker brand, using recycled pull for the sole. 1 recycled pulls for 3 produced peers. Formerly OTH Paris Source: NEW DESIGN KELWOOD When I first discovered OTH (off the hook) I thought the name didn’t fit. I admired the concept of utilizing recycled tires for the outsole,…
While adidas hasn’t been burning up the sneaker market with general release product, they have been placing considerable emphasis on sustainability. Their new three paths strategy (reads more like four paths), similar to Nike’s Move to Zero, is a commendable start, which features a resale strategy as well, but it has its problems. Source: THREE…
Pictured above, a retail wall at Hibbett Sports. Notice the remaining colors of the Crocs and how few Nike and adidas slides are available? The Crocs had sold out in all of the colorful styles, but Hibbett’s had dedicated an entire section to Crocs. This was at a more ‘urban’ location for Hibbett Sports, which…
Following up the Air Jordan 5 Men’s Raging Bull is the GS version of the shoe. Differences in packaging should be noted. The men’s version arrives in a woodgrain printed box, with woodgrain print paper. The GS version is in the classic cement print box with cement paper. The suede is the same as the…
The store, sited on a 2,400 square-foot (approximately 220 square-meter) parcel, has a spacious layout and a full lineup of various products. Source: 【NEW STORE INFORMATION】New Store Opens on America’s West Coast, in Beverly Hills ASICS and Onitsuka Tiger has been doing amazing work on the tech and start-up side of the industry. I was…
The Raging Bull makes its return in a box built like a stable. The brown wood grain print covers the box with a Toro Bravo stamp on the site. The paper features a wood grain pattern on the men’s pair, and the upper has a rough suede with the classic 3M tongue. SRP is 190.00…
Let’s be honest, for Nike to really become a sustainable company they would have to eliminate 75% of their SKUs. They would still have far too much product entering the market to be considered more eco-friendly. The latest rollout in their Move To Zero is a program they’ve labeled as Nike Refurbished. In my opinion,…
The Paint Drip could represent either an ice cream cone with sherbet or an Easter Egg. Either way, the colorway looks like spring. The shoe features a distressed leather heel and collar with paint dripping down the heel midsole and a fabric collar.
A year ago I worked on a custom shoe with COMUNITYmade. The premise was to create a shoe that we could possibly release in limited quantities, but Covid-19 hit and the momentum we had created for the shoe waned. That custom we created reminds me so much of this collection from Ronnie Fieg. The seasonal…
The SP version of the Dunk Low arrives with an additional set of shoestrings in a Nike branded bag. This colorway is for the University of Virginia. The classic pack from the 80s recaptures the hoops mania around the NCAA Tourney and dominance of the Cavaliers.
The story behind the new Brandblack Rare Metal II Aqua is really dope. Sites Discussed in this video: https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view? https://brandblack.com/collections/rare-metal-2/products/ https://us.vibram.com/company/news-events/wrap-tech/ Weartesters video on the Rare Metal II https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI2RRnhOurM
Inspired by Nike’s introduction to the Dunk via their college pack in the 80s, the UNLV version of the classic Dunk arrives in the low cut version featuring all of the cues to recapture Nike Basketball’s rise to dominance.
Source: https://vimeo.com/535695413 I often refer to the film Finding Forrester when I talk with students about writing. There is a moment in the film right before Ornette Coleman’s disjointed jazz begins to play when the main character Jamaal is sitting with Forrester attempting to break out of writer’s block. At that moment, Forrester tells him,…
Source: Vans Surf | Shoes, Clothing & More | Free Shipping and Returns Crocs is a brand that I have always considered as a nursing shoe or a Wal-Mart model that people wore because they were cheap. To be honest, the majority of the time that I saw Crocs, they typically were knock-offs or no…
