Photo: Joan Smalls by @DexterNavy
Source: The Making of the Jordan x Vogue Collaboration. air.jordan.com
While an “okay” from Anna Wintour is verification of style and high fashion, what the AWOK (Anna Wintour Okay) means for Jordan Brand is an additional stamp of approval from the fashion world that sneakers are no longer to be avoided by those who establish the importance of trends based on the fashion houses of Europe.
What it verifies for me is that the term “sneakerhead” is now mainstream and represents a much larger segment of the market than the perceived “teen camping out in line/teen trading sneakers in a niche market.” At some point the market is going to realize that simply catering to young adults overlooks the entire generation that created the sneaker culture, as well as women who have long been at the root of smaller sizes dominating the resale market.
At one point in 2012 I realized the value of having access to GS footwear. During that year on Amazon I hit right at 500,000 in the third party market all on the strength of shoes I thought were being ordered by parents for kids. I would talk with my peers in the footwear industry about how these parents are going crazy by buying kids shoes at 200-300 dollars a pair. I realized one day when I got an e-mail from a customer who e-mailed me at least once a month to check and see if I had “X” sneakers. I then began looking closely at the names of the people ordering these smaller sizes and they were all women. While moms are typically ordering shoes on Amazon for their kids, mom’s are also notoriously frugal.
As 2012 became 2013 and my sales remained at half a million on Amazon, and I was getting more e-mails for kicks from women. I accepted the fact that women were driving the third party resale for kids shoes. Nike realized this as well and began introducing GG sizing in kids shoes. These GG sizes were in girls shoes and the sizes were extended up to 9.5Y from 7Y. In the last year Nike has made a concentrated effort to include women as brands like Lululemon and Victoria’s Secret have disrupted apparel in activewear.
Nike Tech Pack Returns With Spring Essentials – Highlighting Women’s Sportswear
While most people are looking at Nike’s current moves, including this Vogue x Jordan Brand collab, in 2016 Nike continued developing their women’s sportswear packages. Which led to the launch of Nike Unlaced.
All of this is to state that this collab with Vogue is not surprising at all. What is surprising is that Jordan Brand led with the Zip and the Jordan 3. The recent Zip models of the Air Jordan 1 had no resale value and they didn’t sell at accounts. They are actually hitting sales racks right now. The Jordan 3 that recently released has also been a slow burn. While the tweed and AWOK branding on the Vogue 3 is dope, I would have thought the Jordan 1 Rebel XX would have been a more fashion oriented style. I would have also looked at a more sleek model in the Jordan XX3 and utilized the AWOK signature on the upper of the shoe with a Vogue hangtag. That shoe is a natural fit for women as it is probably one of the least bulky Jordan Brand numbered models and offers considerable opportunity for a jeweled look with its TPU molding at the forefoot and the translucent outsole. I also think there are missed opportunities in Jordan Brand aligning with WNBA star Maya Moore for a shoot helmed by Vogue. It’s almost certain that the collection will be limited and will perform well, but this feels too safe for me.
The backstory behind the collaboration is in the source link with a host of pictures. Is it a cool project? Yep. Did it miss? Yep, at least in my opinion. The brand went with familiarity and in doing so bypassed what fashion is really about… pushing the boundaries.
Source: The Making of the Jordan x Vogue Collaboration. air.jordan.com