In my last book I delivered an entire chapter on acquisitions by sneaker brands of startups in fields that supported the ability for brands to move closer to their consumer. I’ve been writing about Nike and other brands’ acquisitions for a while. I hope those of us in sneaker culture are paying attention to what…
JD Sports is acquiring chains at a rapid pace, but in my opinion it seems a bit hasty and the value given to each acquisition, when compared to Hibbett Sports acquisition of City Gear shows a distinct issue with how much is being paid. Could the issue be the cost of real estate in the…
https://www.thenorthface.com/vectiv The VECTIV System by The North Face features a three pronged attack on the trail with the The Flight, Infinite and Enduris trainers. This video and post is to look at the digital merchandising/user-customer interface utilized in presenting the new trail shoe to visitors to the website. The swipe/scroll feature on mobile works much…
Updated with Video: I did this video to take a regional look at adidas. This video is attempting to establish the complex issues around the roll out of the new UltraBoost 21. Posts on arch that were referenced in this video: https://arch-usa.com/adidas-should-pull-back-from-traditional-sneaker-retail-with-the-ultraboost-21/ https://arch-usa.com/forced-or-opportunistic-contraction-empty-shelves-at-sneaker-retail/ Retailers mentioned in this video: Breakaway Running: http://breakawaymemphis.com/ Fleet Feet: https://www.fleetfeet.com/ A…
Resellers are all jumping on the train of “teaching you how to resell”. I usually do a yearly wrap up of how much I made reselling. In this video, I wanted to talk about the fact that a lot of the videos attempting to teach you how to resale are being made for the views….
I began this topic in 2018. It’s more relevant today as Nike removes accounts from undifferentiated retail. This video floats a bit because it’s really a discussion that has to take place in a Q&A setting because there are points that are overlooked in a lecture. I initiated this video by showing the Slick Rick…
With retro and lifestyle being so popular right now, it would seem that a brand like Saucony would have seen a return to prominence similar to Vans and Fila. This hasn’t been the case. The brand has seemingly abandoned that arena to focus on performance, leaving Orignals to the international market. While a brand doesn’t…
Hoodie by Know Definition: https://knowdefinition.com/ When I operated arch as a footwear company, Instagram wasn’t popping and to be honest, it didn’t matter. I underutilized my website and never placed the effort needed into the site because I also ran a successful resale business. The mistakes I made, I learned from and this video is…
In 2016 I wrote an article discussing how big brands could learn from small retailers like Kith and Bodega. Insider Ties: What Big Brands Can Learn From Indie Retail I’ve maintained that as brands shift to DTC and traditional retailers like FootLocker and Finish Line cater to the youth culture demographic, an overlooked segment of…
There are so many things that I could have discussed, but I chose Under Armour because the brand has had to claw its way back to a respectable share price in the stock market. They’ve also endured an abundance of analysis telling them that they are wrong for going all in on performance. Why do…
ARCH was originally a sneaker company. When I first started making shoes, I used influences from 361, K1X, Nike and Jordan Brand. I also used inspiration from Air Max 90s and Nike Frees. Sneaker designers have been borrowing since the first shoe was created. With so many options and design tools available, it would seem…
Buy my books on the sneaker industry: https://amzn.to/3lD82gb During the last conference call for Nike’s impressive 11.2 Billion dollar quarter, the company announced that they would be opening 30 stores in 2021. They added they would be opening even more in 2022. The Nike Consumer Direct Acceleration is an impressive concept, but because Nike still…
Store Re-opening Resale Report & Analysis: https://arch-usa.com/product-category/store-re-opening-resale-report-analysis/ Every year I do a an “end of the year” wrap up and tell my YouTube family how much money I generated from reselling sneakers. While I use the sneakers as tools for research and analyzing brands and retail (my daily visits to retailers are super informative), it’s…
In this video I establish the importance of NPD Group and Matt Powell to explain that my micro set of data parallels the larger marketplace. I then show you the difference in Nike and adidas during this year and how Covid-19 caused problems, but the results were drastically different. I finally explain that adidas needs…
This video is all over the place, but my primary point is that adidas is no longer as hot as it was and with COVID-19 hitting the revenue numbers, the brand has to reignite interest. To better understand why adidas needs to recapture brand heat, I’m looking at resale and the reality that fashion designers…
Designers, Collaborators, and Influencers are driving the creative process behind collections, but do brands really need to work with people outside of their companies? What do you think about Jerry Lorenzo working with adidas so soon after his most recent collection release with Nike. Will this propel adidas in basketball? Links in the article: adidas…
Download my post quarantine resale analysis: https://arch-usa.com/product-category/store-re-opening-resale-report-analysis/ Nike had an explosive Q2 2021. When the Swoosh performs well it lifts all boats attached to the brand. The question was raised about why Nike has been able to grow digital so efficiently. The immediate response is marketing, but how does the marketing work outside of sponsorships…
I was asked a question about StockX’s recent valuation and funding round based on an article discussing the value of StockX and GOAT as equal to that of FootLocker. The back and forth led to a question about what I thought FootLocker was doing wrong that no one is talking about. I told the analyst…
This post derived from the original discussion on new tech from adidas and Under Armour basketball divisions: I.T. Ep. 198 | Why are Brands Still Chasing Basketball? New Tech from Under Armour & adidas – ARCH-USA (arch-usa.com) Buy my books on the sneaker industry: https://amzn.to/3lD82gb There are a couple of statements in this video and…
Yesterday, I posted this video about the launch of the Allbirds x Staple Collab. I.T. Ep. 199 | Is the Allbirds x Staple Dasher a Collab You’re Going to Check For? – ARCH-USA (arch-usa.com) As the day went on, it was clear something was amiss. The launch strategy for this release seems to be very…
You may not have heard of OLLO, and it’s probably hard to fathom that this is the company that will have the breakout year in 2021, but let me explain. Niche sports are no longer hindered by the historic issues of finding access to the consumer via television. YouTube is equally as powerful as a…
Curry Brand, Powered by Under Armour, Aims to Reach 100K Youth Athletes Globally by 2025. Source: STEPHEN CURRY AND UNDER ARMOUR LAUNCH THE CURRY BRAND, AIMED TO CHANGE THE GAME FOR GOOD I typically wouldn’t start this with what could be perceived as a negative, but as an outsider looking in, the logo above ain’t…
