Every other site has covered the collab between New Balance and Bricks & Wood. I’m looking at this from a different angle. Recently, I wrote about K-Swiss’ return to Los Angeles and their attempt to reconnect with the Black consumer. In a video, created by Baron Davis’ SLIC productions, Bricks & Wood announced that they would be working with K-Swiss on a collection. I’ve always found collaborative efforts between brands as a matter of who benefits from the partnership. Bricks & Woods just rolled out a successful collab with New Balance featuring footwear and apparel. While the footwear sold out immediately and is now selling for 100 dollars above the retail price of 140, the company still has apparel remaining on their site.
Here is where my site differs from other sites. I want to share the pictures and video from the campaign, but I also want to look at the reality of collabs and how sneaker culture has created a problematic relationship that often leaves the collaborator holding the bag for the apparel side of the relationship. I also want to look at the false positive of an early release via the collaborator vs the brand. First, let’s take a few minutes to peep the video which is a very cool short film making a play on an area of South Central nicknamed The Jungle.
The video is not bad at all and it definitely endears me towards Bricks & Wood even more. The company has a fantastic strategy built around collections that are limited runs. On several occasions I’ve attempted to catch certain items and missed, but I’m on the e-mail list so I get updates. The reason I’m sharing this post is because of an e-mail where the team shared:
Our collaboration with New Balance has been went beyond our own expectations. From planning last minute events, our first pop-up in LA having a line that lasted 8+ hours long, to the shoe selling out in minutes on our web, we are more than grateful for all the love we’ve gotten based on everything surrounding this collaboration.
Though the sneakers are completely sold out, we still have inventory remaining of the apparel pieces that are available on our web right now.
Here is the interesting aspect of this drop, Bricks & Wood released the shoe today: 6-2-2021. The shoe immediately went to resale on StockX and three pair have sold on eBay. New Balance doesn’t release the shoe until 6-4-2021. Understandably, some fans realize that they will have a difficult time snagging pairs so they are willing to pay above retail right now, but what is more interesting is that New Balance didn’t set up a drop ship option for the brand. The apparel isn’t shared on the New Balance site. That’s not a bonus for Bricks & Wood.
The question remains, who benefits from the relationship? New Balance is able to align with an up and coming brand that grants the company ‘cool’. Bricks & Wood, benefits from watching the process of taking footwear from concept to production. The brand does not gain a new segment neccessarily because the demographic checking for this collab is the same demographic already familiar with the company. Unlike some popular streetwear brands, Bricks & Wood has never crossed over into resale. The New Balance sneaker is the first time the brand has shown up on eBay or StockX. What does this mean?
Nothing, or everything… Right now the brand has sold through the Green, Red and White tees. There are broken sizes in the grey tee. The Tote Bag is sold out. The yellow beenie, green and grey socks, are all sold out. This could mean everything, right? Not in the way that I look at how a collaboration shapes a brand. A successful collaboration is always defined by how the brands feel about it. It’s obvious that Bricks & Wood is happy about the outcome from their e-mail. However, I always dive deeper and look at how the brand touches other aspects of the collaborator. I ask the following questions:
- Are people supporting Bricks & Wood, or are they buying a limited drop?
- Are the visitors to the site causing other items to sell through not associated with the collection?
I ask these questions because it is critical for small brands who lend their name to bigger companies to actual retain some of the audience the collab generates. Remember, all campaigns are meant to either gain, retain or maintain. Bricks & Wood has an equally dope collection available on the same page as the New Balance collab. None of those items have sold out. This doesn’t verify anything, but it’s important to look at this. It’s also important to celebrate that a Black-owned brand partnered with a billion dollar company to create a work of art. I can’t forget to celebrate that as well. As the poster above reads, this is a balance between foundation and growth. Which is why you are looking at all of these pictures. Take a minute to check out Bricks & Wood beyond the collab. They are definitely worth your time.