Nike’s innovation and introduction of new tech in performance and lifestyle led to a huge resurgence that began in 2017 at the time of their Investor’s Day in October. This is well known among anyone who has been following the company for any amount of time during the push towards DTC. Today the uncertainty around…
Jun Takahashi brings UNDERCOVER’s distinct design sensibility to sportswear staples. Pictures via Nike and Undercover’s website. Source: Nike x UNDERCOVER Track Suit, T-Shirt and Longsleeve From 2004 to 2015 I wore either Sho-Shot or ARCH footwear. I made my own brand. In order for people to believe in what I was trying to do I…
This is why Naomi moved from adidas to Nike. When I wrote that ‘long term Osaka would mean more to Nike than Beyonce to adidas’ I had no idea the marketing would begin almost immediately for Nike. As the World Cheered for Beyonce x adidas, Nike Snatched Naomi Osaka away from the Three Stripes While…
The deal begins this week. Her first official competition in Nike gear will be the WTA Event in Stuttgart, beginning April 22. Source: Tennis Superstar Naomi Osaka Signs with Nike Less than a year removed from the biggest win of her life where she broke down crying and drew an entirely new group of fans…
The shirt, engineered with a proprietary plated knit, releases April 9 on nike.com. Source: Introducing the Nike Polo So I get a rare opportunity to go inside of a Nike Employee Store last week. I have on a pair of Epic Reacts, Nike jogger pants and a Champion heritage tee. A guy behind me has…
It’s been super busy on the online shop so I haven’t been able to write on the site as much. Today’s I.T. gives me a chance to link to all of the stories I wanted to write about, but I didn’t. I start with a thank you to Professor Stewart Stevens’ Textile class TXA365 at…
Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller talked with a runner for a sports agent about making a $100,000 payment for Deandre Ayton to play. Source: Report: Arizona coach Sean Miller discussed making payment for Deandre Ayton to play Last year when the FBI’s investigation into the pay to play scandal on high level prospects entering the…
I love retail. I enjoy walking into stores and discovering new products. I enjoy it even more when I walk into a store and I discover something attached the community. I want retail to survive especially sneaker retail, but I live in a city that doesn’t have a sneaker boutique. This means that I’m subjected…
I try to cram as much as possible into this 7 minute episode. First I have to ask everyone to take a minute to buy a copy of my new book, “Nike’s Consumer Direct Offense, Amazon & StockX: The Disruption of Sneaker Retail” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2H3chRg In this episode I discuss that the entire response…
Within the agreement, Nike will provide on-field uniforms, baselayers and training apparel for all 30 MLB clubs. Source: Nike Enters 10-Year Partnership With Major League Baseball When Under Armour signed on to take over Major League Baseball I wrote about 4 articles explaining why it didn’t matter and why they shouldn’t take the time and…
This week I’m looking at two very different store openings. Nike took the time to open their very first door again. The original Nike store was a Blue Ribbon Sports Store operated by employee #1 Jeff Johnson: https://arch-usa.com/blue-ribbon-spor… Foot Locker is opening Power Stores that will be a sort of community based store that offers…
Blue Ribbon Sports, located at 3107 Pico Boulevard, is just one of Nike’s community-driven spaces across the world. Source: Runner’s Reprise: Nike’s Original Door Reopens in Santa Monica When I was establishing ARCH in 2009, I was wavering between trying to make basketball shoes again or making lifestyle shoes. The reality was I wasn’t coaching…
images via KITH, size?, Packer and brand websites Last year I created the standards below for my Top 40 Sneakers of 2017: 2017 Top Sneakers of the Year Qualifications based on M.A.P.P.S. Materials – Premium materials are important to me… very important. Aesthetics – the way the shoe looks, colorway, cut… some of the shoes that could…
Project + Exec is a new series where I’ve decided to seek out footwear executives who are minorities (Black, Latino, Indian, Native American, Asian men and women) who are doing some dope work, but are being overlooked by the larger media outlets. It’s my small part. I really hope you look more into the brands and…
In my ebook “How Nike’s CDO Shifted the Sneaker Retail Landscape and How Long Form Content Can Move E-Commerce Forward” I discuss that brands are attempting to reach their brand loyal fans directly. They are also attempting to bring new fans to their sites. This means that brands are no longer supporting retail outlets with in-store…
The last two Kyrie releases featured the advertising genius of Nike on full display. For the 3 we had a Questlove and Kyrie virtuoso performance to introduce the kicks. The 4 once again incorporated a musical fast paced classical and jazz inspired video. This year Kyrie is returning to the Celtics after they made a…
The Harlem-born entertainer and athlete draws from his time in LA and NYC to give fresh perspective to classic Nike silhouettes and graphics. Source: Sheck Wes Curates the Inaugural NYC Editions Collection I don’t know if it’s that I watched way too much Chappelle Show, but doesn’t the above pic of Sheck look like Dave…
Sources: https://www.adweek.com/digital/alibaba-rings-up-30-8-billion-on-singles-day-2018/ https://sg.news.yahoo.com/alibaba-singles-day-sales-hit-160330235.html A few weeks ago I made the statement that New Balance could be considered the third option when the sneaker industry talks about “The Big 3”. Once upon a time “The Big 3” meant adidas, Nike and Reebok. In the last ten years when people have mentioned “The Big 3” Under Armour had…
The Jerry Lorenzo Fear of God x Nike Collaboration has been a hot topic on sneaker blogs everywhere. The Under Armour x A$AP Rocky Collaboration has been talked about on sneaker blogs everywhere, but not in a similar fashion. Nike created an entire discussion on their own platform featuring an interview with Leo Chang and…
The Fenom Effect launches November 9 and features Abby Wambach, Chloe Kim and Maya Moore — all athletes who spark change on and off the field of play. Source: Nike Releases New Podcast Highlighting Brilliant Female Athletes I could easily make this post about the lack of WNBA ads throughout the year from Nike. I…
My new book is now available in both Paperback and Kindle. Here is the link for Paperback: https://amzn.to/2XafN24 Give it a look if you like ebooks: https://amzn.to/2X97PGA Source: In 2017 Nike held an Investor’s Day. That event changed the way the sneaker business operated with an official introduction to a strategy that I had…
Influencer marketing, I’ve discussed it continuously on this site in regard to entertainers, athletes and social media influencers working with sneaker companies. Brands take enormous chances in aligning themselves with influencers in the hope that someone can help them reach their target audience. Often those chances culminate in very little interaction and engagement, but because…
