Source: SS19 UA Sportstyle Apparel
I browse at least 20 different websites every morning and I visit at least 1 store a day. Retail dives and constantly researching what’s happening in the footwear and athletic space (while also selling 20-40 pair of kicks per day) has given me a unique perspective that has been borrowed by other sites and analysts. I say this to state that Under Armour just released one of the best Lookbooks for the Spring and Summer. As analysts and reporters continue to write that UA is focusing on performance and forgoing fashion, I say they are actually making some very nice apparel and footwear and have been. The problem isn’t their product.
While it seems that adidas is continuing to gain ground, one foot inside of any retail store carrying the brand delivers blinding promotional activity. That doesn’t mean that the brand is making bad product. Their Eric Emanuel collection shows that the brand is still on point (which I should have used for UA and Misty Copeland).
Where am I going with this and why did I start this off with a title making an allusion to DJ Quik?
In the song Safe + Sound DJ Quik states, “…they don’t sell dope it sells itself/ While they kickback and just collect the wealth.” This morning I was browsing and discovered a few articles talking about malls and the closing of retail locations throughout the country. Yesterday I was driving through a part of Memphis and saw a Lululemon store right next to an Apple store and something I’ve been writing for a very long time popped back into my head:
In 2014 when no one was talking about store closures in great detail, I began pulling articles on small store formats. I wrote the above post in 2016. I’ve said in a lot of posts that a store like Kith could “go public”. That’s a stretch. With 3 stores they aren’t exactly in a position to IPO, but if the brand decided to expand into 12 more cities I don’t think they would have any problems surviving the retail apocalypse. So, why did I use the quote from DJ Quik? In the article on malls losing stores, it was suggested that the company leasing the space should help the retailers. That’s not going to help.
Stay with me I’m tying this all together.
When Quik said ‘dope sells itself,’ this used to be the case with sneakers. If you walked into a Footlocker and a new Jordan was out, it was like dope. The sales lead didn’t have to work to sell anything. It sold itself. When malls were created the options in shopping were the Sears catalog and the mall, or if you were me as a kid, your mom made your clothes. (Yep, I have some serious stories about that.) The 80’s are a lifetime ago and with the constantly evolving retail landscape, most retailers are trapped in the past. They hire the most cost effective employees and the turnover rate is extremely high in retail. At the core of the retail apocaplypse is minimum wage and employees who don’t know the product. Sneakers are no longer like dope; actually they are just like dope.
If you want to sell kicks and apparel, you need employees and people who know their product. I led this post with Under Armour’s lookbook. The perception is that UA makes boring clothing for rednecks and good ol boys. That perception is fostered by a CEO who chose Trump and the dedication to camoflauge and big UA stickers on the back of 4 wheel drives. The reality is that, lol, but UA has made a lot of very nice, street and fashion friendly products. Unfortunately, they are placed in Dick’s and Kohl’s and that’s fine, but it diminishes the cool factor of the products. adidas is not in the same situation. They are selling, but they’ve fallen flat at retail in the U.S. and the reason is the same, they are placed in stores where there is tooooo much product. Sales leads know that a customer only knows one brand and that brand dominates the wall.
Sneaker retail and apparel has a serious problem and the leasing company can’t help. Stores are dying because the people working can’t sell and because they have all relied on the Nike wall and now that Nike really doesn’t need them, this is what we have. You can replace dope/sneakers with almost any item in retail and the story holds true. Sales leads are underpaid and not very well educated on the product they are being asked to push. Even dope dealers have to work harder now. Marijuana is legal and Big Pharma advertises. Small retail has the advantage and a lot needs to change.
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