All-Star, rapper, father, brother and son. Designed to embody all facets of Damian Lillard’s creativity and persona, adidas Basketball today officially unveils Dame 6. The latest edition of Dame’s sig
Source: adidas Spotlights Damian Lillard’s Creative Identity on & off the Court with Dame 6
Dame beefed with Shaq over the summer, but adidas was quiet. They have however introduced a model aimed at Dame’s “hecklers”, the bad part is that Dame and CJ have laid an egg so far in the early NBA season. The thing is the NBA season has very little to do with sneaker sales now. The game isn’t viewed in the same way by youth culture so kids aren’t really aware that the Trailblazers have started the season slow… but kids do know that Dame dropped gems in his diss tracks aimed at Shaq. What kids don’t know is how amicably Dame and Shaq handled the back and forth. What does all of this have to do with the Dame 6?
Everything.
There are schedules built around shoe releases, but in today’s fast paced social media driven society energy has to be constantly monitored and responded to with content and product that will engage and spark discussion. Above is the heel counter of the Dame 6 “Hecklers” colorway. The zipped logo is dope asf. The logo recalls the catchphrase ‘Hi Haters’ and while nothing can be made to go viral, the logo should have been dropped during the Shaq/Dame beef as a precursor to the shoe releasing this fall.
The Dame 6 Hecklers actually arrives in team colors, but isn’t dropped until January. The strategy of basketball companies has to shift and the schedule needs to move. The design of the Dame 6 is fresh and adidas makes sure to introduce us to head of design Jimi Taylor in the press release, but the timing of the release is extremely poor and dooms Lillard to the sales racks without even giving the shoe the chance to capture the team bank market that this drop would grab.
To me it’s a frustrating thing to see because the brand nailed this release and when it’s contrasted to Nike’s LeBron line at 200, KD line at 150 and even The Freak line at 120, the Dame 6 featuring adidas’ new Lightstrike cushioning tech only rings up at 110!!!!! The basketball coach in me already knows that I could have my team in these opening practice in November in that blue or black colorway… Unfortunately the release of the Hecklers arrives on January 18th. Too late for the season, too late for the holidays and up against the tax season sales that retail utilizes to drive people in store during the post holiday slump.
The Ruthless colorway (above) should have also been dropped as a tee shirt. I have yet to see a Dame mixtape dropped by adidas. I haven’t seen any Dame promo for a streetwear line built around Dame. Dame is the first real emcee from a league full of guys who have been trying to be respected in Hip-Hop and adidas hasn’t really utilized a serious promo with him. Dame is built for this generation. Unlike a basketball reference of being a walking triple double, Dame is a walking digital chunk (write me and ask me what this means).
I’m sure somewhere is saying, hey Chris they pay people to do what you’re saying and you’re giving away ideas.
I’m a Dame Lillard fan. I want to see a competitive landscape in sneakers. I don’t care that I talk too much or write too much. I don’t know the gatekeepers at these brands, but I do know they see my work and if I can get them to share anything and actually implement any parts of this, I benefit in sales and the culture benefits in dope drops. Besides, do you really think I’m giving away my best stuff?
adidas hasn’t scratched the surface of building Dame into a brand. They will drop the Ruthless colorway Black Friday weekend, but I haven’t been inspired to download the app, buy a 30 dollar tee, or download Dame’s mixtape. I don’t have an extended video series on YT for the Dame 6. I may not be the age of youth culture, but I am involved heavily in youth culture and as a professor I remember a study on digital chunks and that study remains a part of my understanding of how people interact. adidas is lining up to run the 100m with a pulled hamstring.
I haven’t been invited on the ride. The worst part is, if I were a high school coach I would pay full price for a color of that Hecklers colorway, with tees, to start the season. Instead I’m left looking elsewhere. Take a look at the Ruthless below… trimmed in suede with a striking medial upper the shoe is fresh, but it has to compete against shock drops of the Bred 11 in the lifestyle arena, the influx of casual drops on Black Friday for every other brand and a Kyrie 6 designed to look like the Air Yeezy 2. Dame deserves better… better strategy, the shoes are on point.