In the past I’ve attempted to keep up with the mainstream sneaker outlets by sharing my top 20 or 40 sneakers of the year. I based this on a section of the site I listed as Dope S–t I Like. This made for what I think was the most engaging and interesting list in the game, but it was overshadowed by sneaker culture’s inability to move beyond the most limited collaborations. If I decided to utilize the list again my top 10 would include kicks like:
The JEMS by Pensole Sneaker Drop Picture is Getting Clearer | How Many Are Releasing?
Ronnie Fieg’s Latest New Balance 998 is Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright
A Trifecta of the Mache Run – From the Blank Canvas to Miami to Chi-Town
A Quiet Collab Continues Merrell’s Support of an Unlikely Demographic | Merrell x Unlikely Hikers
The list wouldn’t be an attempt at being different. It would be a list built on the most interesting aspects of those kicks. There would be several collabs like the Unlikely Hikers x Merrell boots (my most worn shoe this year), and the Ronnie Fieg ‘Frank Lloyd Wright’ 998 (which wasn’t highly regarded by sneaker culture but had a great story). My number one sneaker drop would have been between 99Products and the JEMS by Pensole.
The Top 10 Stories in Sneakers for 2023
There was no more important story in kicks than the JEMS sneaker and it got zero coverage on mainstream sneaker sites which is why I just shake my head at the echo chamber in the community. It’s also why I decided the most important list in kicks should be based on the stories I covered this year. With that said, here are the top 10 stories in sneakers from the arch perspective.
10. StockX XPress Ship and Bulk Shipping – StockX changed a number of policies this year, but no one discussed the important one. XPress Ship got coverage, but the shipping adjustments are where serious work is being done. The fastest growing third-party platform began to make moves to shore up their books and 2024 could be the year the site goes public. The adjusted bulk shipping discount and the $4.00 dollar charge placed on single shipped sellers was a smart play righting an issue that I thought cost the site money on every transaction.
9. Nike Grey Market Issues – In Chicago a warehouse with over 5 million dollars in stolen goods was discovered. In Memphis Nike was hit on a several occasions leading to the Nike Employee Store being shuttered for almost three weeks. Nike cleaned up a lot of the issues by hiring additional security for the location and rail companies increased patrols around storage container yards. The grey market, on a small scale, has shaped both retail and resale. I also think it contributed to price increases for Nike footwear and apparel.
Nike Continues to Have Issues with Shipping Containers and Theft | $400,000 in Nike Stolen
8. Shrinkage at Retail – Dick’s Sporting Goods finally landed in a space with Foot Locker and Hibbett Sports. They got an increase in hyped product from Nike which may have contributed to snatch and grabs at the big box retailer as a different consumer than the family channel person was visiting Dick’s. The epidemic of car break ins and retail theft hammered earnings. This is a problem, like the Nike thefts, which shapes retail and resale and will probably continue since most stores have a no-chase policy. In 2024 I can see buy in store-ship to home as an option, or basically “showrooming” will begin to be promoted with mobile checkouts as retailers figure out how to overcome shrinkage issues.
Snatch and Run, Long a Problem with Sneakerhead Shops Lands in the Lap of Dick’s Sporting Goods
7. Women’s Signature Sneaker Deals – Sabrina Ionescue had arguably the best signature sneaker release of any man or woman in basketball. The Kobe-esque basketball shoe is showing up in NikeID colors across the NBA and at retail larger sizes sell out ridiculously fast. In the WNBA and in all of women’s sports right now, there are only 5 signature women’s athletes. 4 are in the WNBA. 1 is a tennis player. By comparison 2 athletes are Black and the others are White women. If you ask anyone who follows the WNBA who is the best player in the league who has won back-to-back championships and has Defensive Player of the Year and MVP Awards, none of the 4 signature athletes are that woman. The brands are looking really suspect and the chatter is getting louder.
Why Are Black Women Hoopers Failing to Get Signature Basketball Sneakers?
6. The JEMS Factory Opened – Dr. Dwayne Edwards, founder of sneaker design college Pensole Lewis College in Detroit nailed down funding to open a manufacturing facility here in the U.S. It was barely covered. He released the first sneaker, made in the U.S., and it didn’t show up on any lists for the most important or top shoes in 2023. This factory is a game changer, and I probably should have put this story higher.
JEMS by PENSOLE: Designer Brands, Inc. Partners with HBCU to Bring Sneaker Manufacturing to the U.S.
5. Foot Locker’s Slow Demise – Mary Dillon did the most important thing for Foot Locker in increasing pay for store employees. Unfortunately, she is up against aging stores and horrible visual merchandising while trying to offset a decrease in the best product from Nike. Foot Locker attempted to align with adidas in a bigger way, but adidas still doesn’t have a U.S. President. The chain is being pushed by specialty running stores and a consumer who is shifting to Hibbett Sports (who gets a better assortment of products). The Lace Up Plan feels like it should work… especially since the company is looking at creating more Power Stores, but if Nike continues to pull back on allotments of heat, 2024 could see the closure of more Foot Locker stores and I’m thinking Kid’s Foot Locker might be next because women wanted more kicks in their sizes and they got them which has made Kids Foot Locker kind of expendable.
Foot Locker’s “Lace Up” Plan, Dying Malls and Shortsightedness for Shareholders
4. Peak Nike – Resale is down, Nike stores are filled with product from Retros to Dunks. Sneaker culture doesn’t care about anything in the moment. Websites are already talking about Holiday 2024. Nike is still the king, but they’ve allowed themselves to be too tech centered leaving storytelling and excitement behind. Heading into an Olympic year Nike isn’t even mentioning the sport that created the brand.
From Empty Shelves to Racks: Have We Hit Peak Nike and How Did We Get Here?
3. adidas Influencer and Collabs – adidas has every opportunity to pull more away from Nike, but Yeezy hangover and a lackluster relationship with Ivy Park and Beyonce still hang heavy around every move the brand makes. Although Terrace Culture is seeing classic adi sneakers have a moment, Fear of God feels overpriced and redundant as Y-3 and Edison Chen are all similar in scope. There is a lot of sameness even with the Anthony Edwards AE1 campaign performing well, unlike 2014-2016 when adidas surged into resale with UltraBoost and NMD, the current Nike lull isn’t being taken advantage of and hasn’t inspired anything to be super excited about. Maybe it’s because smaller brands are chipping into both adi and Nike.
adidas, Yeezy and Ivy Park | Sneaker Culture Needs Nuance When Discussing the Business of Kicks
2. Allbirds Stocked Continue to Dip – The share price for the unicorn startup is hovering around 1.00. Another bad couple of quarters could see the price dip below a buck for longer than 30 days which might mean delisting. The interesting thing is Allbirds has finally made a few sneakers which could move the brand forward, but they are so bogged down with bad inventory that looks like anything you can find on Amazon, they can’t get out of the hole. It’s the exact opposite of the number one story in sneakers and footwear for 2023.
1. Birkenstock is Just Getting Started – IPOs have been rare, but 2023 saw a number of companies hit the market. Birkenstock and their Jesus sandals had an underperforming IPO, but as of November the brand is trading at and above their initial public offering. This is notable because the brand hasn’t begun really implementing the abundance of concepts in their toolkit. As the track and field season begins expect a strong push into recovery, but also look for new designs in closed toe product as well as more apparel drops and collabs generating revenue in a segment the brand doesn’t really operate in. As stores begin to open Birkenstock will quietly become a trendy, luxury model with real life use and a footbed which will be sold as an insert for the service industry.
5 Reasons the Birkenstock IPO Will be the best Footwear and Apparel Launch in the Industry
Honorable Mention
The Rise of Smaller Brands – HOKA, On and even Tracksmith with Cravont Charleston wearing a little bunny on his kit during the USATF Championships, are just a few of the stories taking shape in the most competitive segment in sneakers. In casual footwear a host of brands are beginning to show up on feet. Nike is still the frontrunner across every market, but there hasn’t been a better time than now for smaller brands to make moves. What was the most popular sneaker story for you? I hope everyone has a safe New Year’s Eve. I look forward to covering more industry news and shining a light on brands both big and small.
HOKA Provides Support to the Amazing Memphis Youth Track and Field Organization
