Newsletter 4/18-4/24/22
Newsletter 4/18-4/24/22
It’s tax day y’all. Hopefully you got the biggest refund you could imagine…I, on the other hand, have been freaking out for 4 months about this day. Hopefully I’m not going to jail tonight.
Nike Air Max Plus ‘Terrascape’
Very basic colorway, but I’m a fan of anything Air Max Plus related. I swear these came out like more than a year ago (there have been pairs on the major sites for *at least* that long), but I could never stomach spending $200+ on any Air Max Plus 1…And that’s because the Air Max Plus 1 catalog is at least 400 colorways deep and that doesn’t even count Women’s or Kids shoes…In any case, I like the beefy upgrades - the cage and the crater sole - it almost looks like an ACG here. I’m down for future releases as long as they include some ACG colorways…
Adidas Forum Low ‘M&M’
I’ve always kind of liked the overt-ness of branding with non-Nike collaborators…Reebok, Puma, and Adidas are all really good at putting ‘collaborator’ branding all over their shoes…BUT…I’ve only recently begun thinking it’s really corny and also began wondering why Nike never got into it like that. Seeing something like this, though, makes me thankful that Nike doesn’t mess with stuff like this. It looks like a commercial. This shoe looks like a yellow M&M. Nike would *never* do something like this. It *also* makes me think of NBA Jerseys vs. Premier League Jerseys - NBA jersey *sponsored* branding is now a little 4-inch logo while the Premier League branding is so massive I legit thought it was the name of the team (when I was like 14 years). Speaking of Nike never getting into the ‘overt branding with collaborators’ thing…
Nike Air Force 1 ‘Uno’
I mean…besides looking like every aspiring sneaker customizer’s first attempt at a custom…I genuinely do not understand the need for a shoe like this. I don’t even want to talk about it.
Got my CLOT AM1’s back from GOVRN
Two things I love about sole swap god @govrn_ (1) he never tells me ‘no’ and (2) his turnaround is almost *always* less than a month. His prices have steadily risen through the years, but I understand why and IMO it’s all still worth it. For the tiktok version of the story, I posted a neat little IG Reel and it got WAY more exposure than I had anticipated….if anyone wants to buy a square foot of this leather, lmk…I’ve got a bit left over.
Converse x A Cold Wall
I don’t think I’ve bought a pair of Converse shoes for myself since…well…I don’t know if I’ve *ever* bought a pair of Converse for myself. I did buy these Converse ‘Golden State Warriors’ shoes (below) in like 2013 (but they’re a size 14). Anyway, I’m impressed with Converse and A Cold Wall on this particular release. I will be checking for the black pair, too.
Air Max Plus x Supreme
I ordered these like 3 weeks ago from eBay and they finally arrived. Always had my eyes on these but never wanted to cough up the cash. Caught them for a pretty good price so I snagged ‘em.
Jizzie Boobs Pen 15’s
I saw these *years ago* but never know if they were real… A few years back, @boyworldwide and I talked a lot through the comments on some of our posts and I dunno…I like his whole outlook on things. I don’t always agree, but I think he’s got a solid footing and I’m happy to help wherever I can. They went viral the other day and I asked if he had any left and no questions asked he just sent me some Jizzie Boobs Pen 15 Yeezy’s. Appreciate it!
Tbh, I didn’t do much this week. Well…nothing that amounted to much that I could really show here…my kid was off for Spring Break, so I couldn’t just ignore him (no matter how much I wanted to). But for whatever reason, I felt overwhelmed the whole week. Like just drowning. That being said…two minor-ish good steps towards progres…
I started reviewing and cleaning up the 90’s Basketball Set designs and we’re almost done. I started sending everything off to the manufacturer and I think this set is going to take *way* less time to complete.
And…
I created something of a release calendar. We’ve got so many things we’re working on, we realized we needed to start planning things out…hopefully we can stick to it.
Better Call Saul (season 5)
It’s hard to believe that this is how we used to watch TV…by waiting for seasons. I *definitely* forget the bulk of what happens in TV shows when seasons are legitimately released a year apart…and there’s no exception here. The good news about ‘Better Call Saul’ is, though, that it’s such a good show I really don’t care that I’m missing out on some stuff. Season 5 was just added to Netflix…
Mike Tyson on Joe Rogan
I listen to maybe 1 out of every 3 episodes of Joe Rogan - I’m not so much into the comedy episodes or the fight episodes, but I like it when he has interesting people on because I think he asks some really interesting questions about some really interesting topics. Even stuff I have little interest in, I think it’s interesting to hear him talk about them. I was hooked when he talked with Sebastian Junger like 5+ years ago about community. The combination of Junger’s book and Junger talking about it with a skilled interviewer literally changed my outlook on life.
And having discovered ‘Hot Boxin’ with Mike Tyson a few years back, I like Mike Tyson a lot more than I thought I would…I never cared much for boxing (in the past) and I still don’t (to this day), but to hear some of the experiences Mike Tyson has gone through and how much the guy has changed makes me *really* like the guy. To hear him talk on his own podcast about how he knows what a monster he once was and how he hates that part of himself is inspiring…and he’s a history buff. So…I dunno. If you haven’t heard Mike Tyson talk and are interested in hearing something interesting, I’d suggest you listen to the episode where he’s talking to LL Cool J…
Both Joe Rogan and Mike Tyson together, though, I don’t really like. But I did listen to it. So…there’s that.
Cleaner
I don’t know what got me watching this movie…maybe I needed a little escape from kids movies…or maybe I just accidentally hit the ‘play’ button…or…I dunno…the thought of a movie without smartphones…but I watched ‘Cleaner’ and it was terrible. Like, just really dumb. Don’t watch it.
And as for sneaker news…I think it’s this DJ Khaled Jordan 5. I’ve seen it a hundred times and I’ve seen people drooling in the comments and…I don’t think I am interested in the least…pastel colored anything? I dunno…time and place. Time. And. Place.
Of more fundamental concern, why do we like to wear brand names and logos in the first place? Or why has this trend in fashion become even stronger? Is it because of some lack in society that leaves us feeling left out? If we had deeper connections with people / community, would our desire to flaunt brand names decrease?
Corollary line of questioning: Why do companies that used to stand for quality niche products (Helly Hansen, The North Face, Carhartt, Levi's...) choose to scale down their quality in order to scale up their volume to satisfy the demands of popularity?
I dislike many of these branding collabs, like the M&M Forums -- they just seem so unnecessary. Do any of them work? If yes, what makes them work?
And it's not true that Nike avoids these branding collabs entirely. AF-1 x PlayStation, AF-1 x USPS are a couple famous examples -- one sweet and the other ugly, lol! Why do we give Nike a pass?