Timberland is no longer the dominant force in Hip-Hop that it once was. Styles change over time and brands relying on staple footwear can find themselves looking back at the good old says and hoping that heritage and nostalgia will drive engagement and interest. Timberland doesn’t have a retail store in this region, so what…
Hoops season is right around the corner and the squeak on gym floors can be heard as ballers prepare for a year with fans back in gyms (hopefully). When I coached, I had to find sneakers that were both functional and cost effective. My players’ families didn’t have a lot of cash, so we couldn’t…
With so many new sneaker companies showing up, many of the companies are known for one specific thing. For instance, when you think sport, you think Nike or adidas. Those names are synonymous with performance footwear and in particular running shoes. Certain brands have long histories of building footwear for various distances and for runners…
Source: eBay Celebrates its Sneakerhead Community by Releasing a Collection of the Greatest Kicks Never Sold I ran across a smart paid promotion with Jazerai Allen-Lord for eBay’s Inside Drop Campaign: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CT5N3tuF64k/?utm_medium=copy_link The reason this is smart, is because instead of simply using influencers to sell eBay as “cool”, influencers who don’t really sell sneakers,…
Source: FILA Launches a New Women’s Size-Inclusive Performance Collection In this first sentence I have to state openly that I love to see Black women in fitness imagery and copy. Far too often brands utilize what mainstream marketing people assumes will sell gear. This is not to minimize smaller women, or white women, but the…
Court shoes, in my opinion, will always mean tennis shoes. The brand I associate with court shoes the most is adidas. Their classic Rod Laver and Stan Smith models remain staples in the brands Originals footwear. The Stan Smith is so iconic, other brands have mimicked the colorway of white and green so much that…
The all black Air Force 1 has been given the dubious honor of being the shoe for covert ops. In other words, if there is some gangsta ish about to go down, and you’re trying to figure out which person you need to watch out for, 9 times out of 10, the person rocking the…
Source: Reebok vs. Prince Announce New Collaboration Many of the moves Reebok has been launching in the last few months, seem to have been made without the restraints of adidas. The company has smartly crafted their collaborative efforts and their in-line product to do something critical to their success. What’s critical? Chipping into the market…
Allbirds IPO Filing Shows Jump in Both Sales and Losses – Bloomberg To remain impartial when discussing Allbirds’ pending IPO is a difficult task as my company ARCH and “Allbirds” began on Kickstarter at the same time. Allbirds gained the front page due to the number of backers and the rest is history. Their success…
CLAE continues to be a leader in what I have labeled as elegant, elevated athletic footwear. This market is consistently overlooked and unfortunately for CLAE the boutiques that should be able to enhance the profile of the company and introduce the brand to a new demographic, are also deeply embedded into hype culture, forcing the…
Source: NEW BALANCE & SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN UNVEIL THE STAR ATHLETES FIRST SIGNATURE COLLECTION I was reminded by the team at New Balance that they couldn’t share or highlight their athletes during the Tokyo Olympics. As soon as the event ended and the window of restriction was over, New Balance jumped in and launched a signature…
Source: Jimmy Jazz | Shoes, Streetwear, Sportswear & Designer Clothes Jimmy Jazz has long been one of my favorite retail chains that was built around the Nike wall. In past posts, I explained that the Nike wall wasn’t a good thing for retailers. Jimmy Jazz, however, for years has been able to capitalize on smart…
Note: The team at NB reminded me that there is a Blackout according to Rule 40 during the Olympics: Rule 40, a bye-law of the Olympic Charter, states that “Except as permitted by the IOC Executive Board, no competitor, coach, trainer or official who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his or her person,…
Source: Reebok x Bodega Announce Newest Collaboration featuring a Club C Legacy Refresh FDRA’s Andy Polk hit me with an incredible article on Reebok’s history and the impending sale of the brand by adidas. The read was long, but it’s critical in understanding, from a professional position, what happened to Reebok throughout the years. While…
100% Authentic. These are the actual pictures. Source: Size 10.5 – Nike Blazer Mid 77 Vintage White Black 2019 I sold the shoes pictured in this post on StockX. When I sent the shoes, they were in perfect condition, brand new. By the time the box reached StockX, or when someone pulled the box out…
Reebok only has about two small sections on the wall at retail outlets. They are typically combined with New Balance, Fila and adidas. In many retail stores they don’t have any floor space at all, and due to the sheer volume of Nike product in every sneaker store, Reebok, which shouldn’t be overlooked, can be…
OTE offers the world’s most talented basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes. Source: Overtime Elite – Media Assets | A Transformative New Sports League In 2017 Tom Brady and his agent began the move towards launching the Pac Pro Football League. Since I cover the sneaker industry, the story was intriguing because…
Welcome Allyson Felix to the Athleta team. Allyson is one of the most decorated track & field athletes in US history & voice for equity in women’s sports. And, Athleta’s first sponsored athlete. It’s important to avoid hyperbole. Nike is fast approaching 50 billion through a strategic business plan. Athleta isn’t really a disruptive force…
Explore and buy the Air Jordan 1 ‘Light Fusion Red’. Stay a step ahead of the latest sneaker launches and drops. Source: Air Jordan 1 ‘Light Fusion Red’ Release Date Some things simply aren’t fair. Nike’s dominance at retail appears to always catch lightning in a bottle. If you asked any hoops head at the…
The range of Osaka’s interests and passions are on full display through her apparel pieces. The collection releases June 17. Source: Naomi Osaka Apparel Collection 2021 Official Images Release Date Note: I am stating immediately that I support Naomi’s decision to back out of the Roland Garros French Open. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t…
Source: Natural Fiber Welding Blog There are opportunities in business that only a select few get to be a part of: being a founder of Google, or the first employee, being in the dorm room when Facebook was born, and knowing the really awkward host of Saturday Night Live a few weeks back when he…
Over the years, we’ve cooked up some memorable styles with the team at SeaVees. Source: Taylor Stitch x SeaVees This morning I left a comment on LinkedIn about sneaker culture. I know that the world of sneakers has been shaped considerably by Hip-Hop and Black culture, but I also realize the shape of everything shifts…
