Monday, 24th April 2023:
A lot of fake 4's out there...kinda funny to see these come with the UPC above the production date stamps...clearly fake.
Never seen that before but bootleggers need to remember the order of operations: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally!
Top comment: @bapebaela That toe box is built like a table.
Not sure if y’all saw this, but did you know that GERVONTA DAVIS BEAT RYAN GARCIA WEARING NIKE SB SKUNK INSPIRED BOOTS? I only saw it like 789 times yesterday…
JFC
I hate to be a hater but are they milking this a bit much? (And here I am doing the same…)
I’m not much into watching the fights but I do always keep an eye out for highlights and winners and losers…
And…for the record, I think these ‘custom shoe’ things are so much cooler when only a handful of people (ie: those who are actually into shoes) are the ones who know about it. I’d kinda prefer some measure of gatekeeping here because the way the media handled this is over the top…or am I just being a hater?
Tuesday, 25th April 2023:
Normally I wouldn’t post such personal feelings of getting burnt out by sneakers, but seeing an alert for THIS ad on my phone has me wondering if there are just too many goddam shoes in the world…
I mean, FFS, even Nike is saying ‘hey, y’all slept on us last week’…if the world’s biggest apparel manufacturer is reminding people to buy, I guess I shouldn’t feel all that bad that our cards aren’t selling out yet 😂
Top Comment: @digglahhh I don’t want to sound like an old man or self-promotional, but I’ve been saying this was the inevitable end game since the early 2000s. Look back at how many times you’ve thought - “well, it can’t get any worse than this” - and, of course, it did. This is what unfettered capitalism does to any and every “culture” it has gotten and will ever get a hold of. This is why I was so critical of folks seeking sneaker fame twenty years ago, and even relatively critical of the very existence of things like Niketalk. I’d simultaneously recognize that NT was both one of the best things that ever happened to the sneaker hobby, but will also be the springboard for its ultimate ruination. I jumped shit relatively early, so watching the circus is pure rubbernecking for me at this point. But make no mistake, it was “sneakerheads” that pushed the first flakes down the hill unaware that they were starting the avalanche that would ultimately bury themselves.
Wednesday, 26th April 2023:
I know how much IG folks hate the non-fungies and the web3 talk, but y'all are sneaker folks so I wanna know how y'all feel about these.
These are the 'phygital' RTFKT x Nike AF1's, which were supposed to drop yesterday *(but dropped today instead). They're *super* limited (most are less than 1500 pairs each - each made for the owners of the NFT so essentially *custom* made) and ridiculously overpriced, but they come preloaded with an NPC chip that ties the shoe to the blockchain (thereby guaranteeing authenticity).
I'm obviously biased. I'm not a huge fan of @rtfkt , but I'm into non-fungies and I do have a few of these reserved. I love AF1's and I love the idea of micro-chipped shoes...
The swoosh on the lateral with the RTFKT blade on the medial also set these apart...I copped the top row and then the one in the bottom (middle)
Aside from these being a 'phygital' product and release, how do y'all feel about the aesthetics?
Top Comment: @brodybaer I want a pair so bad :( I should have copped last December now I’m just gonna cry about it for eternity
244,000 pairs of L&F 1's and all it takes is like 1 pair of moldy sneakers to go viral and take mold...er...hold (AHAHAHAHA DAD JOKES)
Dealing in massive quantities of products (not just sneakers) and different storage methods, I've had my fair share of 'mold' issues...the stuff is nasty and once it's taken hold it's pretty damn difficult to get rid of. I've also purchased a fair amount of shoes (through the apps) that have showed up with traces of that smell (you know the one) and with some of the pairs, no amount of cleaning or disinfecting has been able to effectively remove it.
I'm wondering what @stockx and @goat and @ebaysneakers are doing about it with this pair in particular...like...what level of 'mold' is acceptable when transacting with these sneakers? Visible mold is probably pretty easy, but are they doing the *smell test* (LOL) for mold? If so, are they canceling orders? Anyone had their orders cancelled over mold yet?
BTW, intentional mold (like on our card) is SO much cooler than unintentional mold lol
Top Comment: I thought those services are supposed to authenticate. Based on Nike's original response, the mold should be an indication of authenticity rather than a reason to cancel 😂😂
Thursday, 27th April 2023:
Not trying to stir the pot or anything, but had this thought when I heard that yet ANOTHER pair of Travis AJ1's was supposed to be dropping this week...
Yeah yeah, I know, we've all seen a billion pics of this release and yeah yeah, they're finna be a MILLION dollars in resale, and everyone and their mother is tryna buy them and I don't find them all that interesting (although, I suppose, one of my toxic traits is looking at a particular shoe for too long then deciding I want it)...
~~~~~~
I saw this article headline the other day that said something along the lines of 'Travis Scott embarrassed that nobody in Japan recognizes him' and I don't know if you've been to Japan (I have) but it had me thinking like 'who gives a sh*t?' (but obviously, I give a sh*t because here I am posting about it).
~~~~~~
It led me to think about his music. Or 'music'. Or, lack thereof. Whichever way you feel about it.
And it made me think...does anyone still listen to this dude’s music?
Is this dude still actively putting stuff out?
Or is he really just a marketing entity at this point?
The only news I *really* ever see about this guy (other than the above) is in relation to some new product that has been released or is releasing. I really don't see (or hear) anything else.
I don't know if albums are really the hallmark of musical productivity in this streaming world, but he hasn't released a full album since 2018...that's FIVE years.
I just googled...dude has around TWENTY NINE sneaker collaborations and only THREE official albums (not including mixtapes or collab albums). That's nearly 10 collaborations PER album!
~~~~~~~~~
Anyway. Is there any other imbalance in the sneaker influencer world greater than Travis Scott?
~~~~~~~~~
What a world...what. a. world.
Top comment: @pappy_power_hour This is not me being an old white man, though I am. I keep up with pop culture for the most part. Not because I want to be cool but I don’t want the world to pass me by. I don’t want to turn my nose up at new things like my parents and grandparents did. I know who he’s married to and that he’s extremely famous buuuuuuuuut I’ve never listened to his music and wouldn’t have a clue if he walked past me. I know his shoes and his McDonald’s meal but that’s it.
Friday, 28th April 2023
Caught these @pharrell x @adidas Human Made 'Sichonas' the other day and wondered why I had slept on them for so long...I did a bit of googling to find me some cheap pairs and briefly came across the storytelling behind these...which took a bit of digging.
Apparently they have something to do with "Pharrell's 'friendship' with members of the Native American Dakota tribe, and the model name "Sichona" roughly translates to 'Barefoot,' borrowing from the indigenous phrase 'connecting to the earth'."
They released in November of 2021...
~~~~~~
First - the shoes: I love 'em. I just really like sock runners and am a fan when the shape is on point and my foot feels relatively free (unlike with most basketball shoes). I know there are a lot of shoes that claim the 'barefoot' feel, but most of them don't really deliver, and that's because they have these massive chunky/cushioned soles (which definitely have their place). These actually remind me a bit of the Yeezy 450, but this was a *much* better execution of the idea.
Second - why is Adidas so bad at storytelling? This could have been a GREAT story, but once again, all I can find on these is reallly just info about where to buy them - I had to *dig* for the story behind them. Have they still not figured out how Nike gets us to buy into these ridiculous stories again and again and again? People LOVE the stories that Nike puts out (no matter how repetitive they are), yet Adidas can't even manage to push their story through their own media channels? Nike does well with the N7 line - is there a reason that they couldn't have given these some more love?
~~~~
I dunno...I'm still trying to figure out these first releases from Adidas keep flying under the radar of someone even as maniacal about this stuff as I am. Like...if even the MANIACS are missing your releases, what's going on with the general population of casual sneaker-buyers?
Top Comment: @saschadachop Maybe it’s the whole “Nike markets to Americans and Adidas markets to the world” thing. Maybe Americans love a story and the rest of the world doesn’t care. I don’t think that’s true. But the truth of the matter is that the world, despite what anyone wants to admit to, look to Americans for pop-culture stuff like sneakers/street wear. I wouldn’t say fashion because European dominance overall there. My point is I think Adidas and the rest of the world treat sneakers like fashion but sneakers are a bottom up thing derived from the fans and culture while fashion is a top down kind of thing. I mean I think New Balance did a better job at story telling than say Reebok. Even before Adidas had any involvement with them.
Enjoy the week ahead!