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Not only was 2015 an outstanding year of sneaker releases, it was a year that marked some considerable shifts in the footwear industry. Nike and Jordan Brand has some real competition to deal with thanks to earth-shaking names like Kanye West and Steph Curry, which directly affected the playing field that, despite still being dominated by the Beaverton brands, is suddenly a lot tighter. Some of the most talked-about topics of the year involved the aforementioned names and brands and here we took the time to remind you of the most riveting topics to come across our headlines. Get a year in review outside of sneakers below.
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Kanye West Tries To Take A s&%$ on Nike
Kanye’s staying power is incredible. His Swish album didn’t even release and he managed to keep people’s interest with strategically planned singles and collaborations throughout the year. We’re talking about a 38-year-old competing in a young man’s game. That’s Kobe-level stuff right there – only ‘Ye is performing like Kobe during his Championship years. Kanye made headlines more for his design skills this year than anything else, as people skeptical of his impact in the fashion world witnessed an adidas takeover from Yeezy Season 1. Prior to the launch of the shoes, he verbally berated Nike and CEO Mark Parker during his concerts and radio appearances, pulling no punches with the brand he once followed religiously. Yeezy silhouettes are often a status symbol of the unattainable, but he managed to make his three-stripe offerings more accessible with launches through the Confirmed app and global restocks. Kanye proved that success is the best revenge.
Steph Curry Puts Under Armour On The Map, Has Nike Pointing Fingers
Performance basketball brands saw a new competitor enter the fold in Under Armour this past season. When Steph Curry jumped to UA during the 2013-2014 season after a low-ball offer from Nike, plenty of people looked at the decision with skepticism and one that wouldn’t have much impact. But Steph ended up having a dream season, winning MVP honors as his Warriors team dominated en route to their first championship in 40 years. He was busy changing basketball while his UA Curry One sold out thanks to a $120 price-point and massive fanbase. UA is far from matching Nike in total sales, but they’re definitely on Nike’s radar – enough for LeBron to respond with a passive aggressive “Who?” when asked about Steph and UA’s success. Above that, Nike points to the failure of retaining Steph as one of the brand’s rare slip-ups.
LeBron James signs life-time deal with Nike
The footwear industry today isn’t shy about revealing its massive deals with its most influential and powerful athletes. We all saw the Kevin Durant bidding war unfold before our eyes, while James Harden’s deal with adidas was scrutinized and analyzed to no end. LeBron, however, proved that he’s still the most important pro-athlete in America because he forced Nike to do something its never before – hand over a life-time contract to an endorser. Typical of Nike, the terms of the agreement haven’t been disclosed, but we do know that a new bar has been set and the Swoosh will be cutting ‘Bron a check until he calls it quits for good.
Nike Air Is Back On Jordan Retros – For Good
Jordan Brand’s aggressive retro slate has left fans pleased with the amount of revisited and remastered classics that now sit in their respective collections. But where does Jordan Brand go from here besides forging new ground with different and more modern colorways atop retros? It was only a matter of time before we got the return of ‘Nike Air’ branding that has been so rare in the past decade or so, and after the release of the Maroon 6s and the small batch of confirmed releases of 2016, Jordan fanatics appear to be pleased. But what’s troublesome is – after Nike Air, what else is there to do? The generation that stood loyally to MJ is now aging and looking to spend on other casual, while the younger generation couldn’t care less about a logo on the heel.
James Harden switches to adidas
James Harden was poised to be Nike’s next signature athlete. He helped launch not one, but two new Nike Basketball models in the Hyperchase and Zoom Run The One, and his MVP caliber play created some exciting buzz surrounding his marketability. Somewhere in between, adidas jumped in, perhaps a bit insecure about their own basketball lineup after surrendering the number two spot to Under Armour. Did they overpay with a rumored $200 million deal this off-season? Only time will tell. In the meantime, James is rocking general releases of the adidas Crazylight 2015, probably adidas’ most formidable performance model of the past year, and an aggressive campaign that saw a truckload of adidas delivered to James’ Houston residence followed by a 2 minute meme-heavy TV spot showed that the three stripes are all in.
Jimmy Butler Leaves adidas For Less Money at Jordan Brand
Jimmy Butler’s business manager should be fired for this one. The Chicago Bulls star player had been wearing adidas for his entire career until sneaker-crazed NBA fans noticed that Butler had switched up to Jordans. What followed was an unofficial announcement and a rather embarrassing report that he took a major pay-cut – about 75% – to wear the Jumpman instead. We understand the reasons behind aligning with a brand that you’re so in sync with and he’s earning a ton of money as is, but turning down what could amount to millions of dollars to wear another brand is a bonehead move.
President Obama Visits Nike, Irks New Balance
President Obama’s campaign focused on youthful coolness since 2008 when it dominated social media to win the younger vote. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that toward the end of his reign as leader of the free world, he bought in heavily on the sneaker industry. Back in May, Barack visited Nike World Headquarters to talk free trade, with Nike serving as a backdrop to his main points on small businesses with hopes of accomplishing the American Dream doing just that – becoming a global brands with billion dollar gains and interests. Whether you agree or disagree with the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (due to the controversial slipping in of a provision that could erode online privacy and rights) it did serve as a landmark to how big the sneaker industry has become. Seriously, a standing president resided over Nike headquarters for a day. How cool is that? It didn’t come without criticism, because New Balance, a much smaller brand that operates and manufactures in the United States, was not happy at the President’s choice.
Nike Delivers The Power-Lacing Mag
October 21st, 2015 was a day to remember. In the fictional Back To The Future II, Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, traveled to future time to an era when power-lacing Nike sneakers were the norm. Since the film’s debut, the Nike Mag has become a thing of legend, and while many assumed the shoes would release on that day, Nike came through with the promise of power-lacing Mag shoes just for Michael J. Fox. It was announced that the shoes will be released in 2016 through eBay auction, with all proceeds going to charity.
2015 Is The Year Of The Raffle
Any shop that was lucky enough to stock the Yeezy Boost footwear releases probably has a newfound social media following to appeal to. The sheer demand for the shoes rendered any fair in-store releases impossible, so shops across the world took to Instagram to advertise purchase raffles, thusly increasing their social media reach to incalculable heights.
Jordan Brand collaborates with everybody
Jordan Brand rarely gave up opportunities for collaborations over the past decade, but 2015 saw a change of pace as the floodgates opened up and seemingly everyone was able to team up with the Jumpman. Kanye cohort Don-C? Check. The most coveted streetwear label in Supreme? Check. Relative unknowns like Public School New York even got the change to overhaul classics. These weren’t just the new models either – they were some of the most iconic retros ranging from the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 2, Air Jordan 12, and more. It saw a new dedication that focused on style off the court. We can only hope that Jordan continues to do this throughout 2016.
