Nina Chanel Abney’s undefinable style steers the Air Jordan 2 into a bold new lane. Maintaining the sleek look of the ’86 icon, this version harnesses Abney’s artistic sensibility to make a powerful statement. The rich mixture of textures on the upper is highlighted by artisan detailing, a new perf pattern and flashes of Malachite. And check out the oversized hangtag, Abney’s pop-surrealist take on a double-teamed MJ breaking free from defenders. Her illustrations, full of angular figures and vibrant colors, jump to life from the ornate silver frame. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there—the shoebox itself is covered in Abney’s art, building anticipation for what’s inside and serving another reminder that creativity can’t be contained.
Source: Air Jordan 2 Low x Nina Chanel Abney ‘White and Malachite’ (DQ0560-160) Release Date
Nike’s description of Nina Chanel Abney’s art as it pertains to traditional work and the amazing storytelling here on this sneaker and the accompanying hangtag and box, present one of the most compelling discussions of excessive inventory and Nike/Jordan Brand. The model shows as Sold Out on the link above, but there are remaining sizes in Nike’s inventory. The Nike Company Store allows various companies and people access where they can get a 40-50% discount on all Nike and Jordan gear. It’s an incredible opportunity for fans of the brands to experience the stores and nab some coveted new release items. That 40-50% off is basically wholesale pricing and in all of the years of the Company store operating, it has never done an additional markdown of products.
Errolson Hugh and Michaela Sachenbacher founded the brand Acronym in 94 and many of the collaborative efforts with Nike have led to some coveted sneakers. Like Nina Chanel Abney their latest effort landed short of its goal and hasn’t garnered sell through. Pricing on third party platforms is as bad as I’ve seen almost any collab. Choosing these two models provides a window into the misconception of influencers on the marketplace but isn’t isolated to just these two collaborative efforts. The misunderstanding of the power of collabs extends to more popular partners. Before Jerry Lorenzo left Nike for adidas I wrote this post:
In this discussion I explain that several versions of Fear of God x Nike sneakers ended up on deep discount in the Nike Clearance Store. I even took pictures and shared them on LinkedIn. That Fear of God collection with Nike sold through on apparel and on the Fear of God 1 and the Air Raid, but like these recent collabs that aren’t selling from Nina Chanel Abney and Acronym the Skylon FOG and the MOC in all colors fell short. The difference is Nike’s inventory issues are beginning to show up in their own doors where I long thought the company could move product and sell it quickly. This isn’t the case anymore.
When the Fear of God products hit the Nike Clearance Stores, Skylon, MOC, and some Raids, the extra inventory blew through. That was when there weren’t supply chain issues and Nike container trucks sitting in overflow yards throughout their distribution funnel. Never at any time did their Company Store implement promo on top of their 40-50% employee discount. Which shifts the discussion to the power of collabs and influencers on the long-term success of a brand or product. When a brand as powerful as Nike is encountering issues, it should be a warning to any brand building and returning to the well of momentary hype. 2023 is off to a rocky start. January is always a slow month before income tax return checks hit and the transition from high school basketball to travel basketball takes place in February but hearing about this discount at the Company store was jarring. Employees even stated that they had never seen this before. I was asked by a Wall Street analyst if Nike could overcome the discounts at retail last year. I enthusiastically stated, “Yes”. Today my response is a bit more tempered.