Original title: In the first half of the year, what major events happened in the shoe circle?
Author: 1626 Trend Selection
Before we know it, we are already in the middle of 2022, and there are manyHot topics, joint projects and hot trends worthy of attention are born.
As we head into the second half of the year, let’s take a look back at the moments that defined the sneaker world from January to June.
Virgil Abloh Posthumous Released
The death of Virgil Abloh shocked the world, he was a much-loved figure, and many young designers, artists and creators looked up to him.
Even with titles such as Louis Vuitton Menswear Design Director and Off White Director, he remains enthusiastic and approaches his projects with a learning attitude.
In 2022, many of Virgil Abloh’s posthumous works will also be released one after another.One of the most famous joint names is Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 by Virgil Abloh. The joint project caused a sensation as early as the beginning of the exposure. At the beginning of the year, the shoes held a first auction at Sotheby’s, and the total turnover reached an astonishing $25.3 million.
Virgil Abloh’s influence on sneaker culture is undeniable. Although he left, his creative thinking will inevitably continue, and the joint project has become his last tangible gift to sneaker culture.
Nike and StockX go head-to-head
With the rise of the NFT trend, Nike also invested in the development of the metaverse and established the Nike Virtual Studio division. As the world’s largest sneaker resale platform, StockX naturally followed the trend and began to sell sneaker NFTs, but was sued by Nike.
Nike accuses StockX of using its images as NFTs without authorization, promoting and selling them at high prices to unsuspecting consumers, deliberately creating false associations between products and Nike, in order to confuse consumers and indirectly damage Nike’s business reputation . Nike is seeking monetary damages and a ban on StockX from selling NFT products bearing Nike’s trademarks.
Unexpectedly, three months later, the legal dispute between Nike and StockX ushered in an escalation. Nike accused StockX of selling counterfeit goods, which instantly caused a heated discussion among sneaker players.
Nike claims to have purchased four pairs of counterfeit Jordan Brand sneakers from StockX, including a pair of Air Jordan 1 ‘Chicago’ sold through an NFT program, and StockX faces a serious crisis of confidence.
Gucci releases adidas collaboration
At the beginning of the year, Gucci exposed a new series co-branded with adidas on the 2022 autumn and winter series show, adding another member to the combination of ‘fashion brand x sports brand’,The collection was designed by Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele.This has attracted widespread attention in both fashion and street circles.
The shoe category of the cooperation series between the two parties chose the retro shoe Gazelle as the core. The two parties extracted and combined the core elements of their respective 60s and 80s, and presented them with a unique retro aesthetic taste.
The joint series will be in the cold Gazelle was brought back to the public eye, and at the same time, its price was raised to 6,900 yuan, which made many sneaker players have a yearning mood for it.
Not only that, the joint name of Gucci and adidas has not only driven Gazelle, but also indirectly made popular shoes such as Samba and Country become more and more popular. This trend should not be underestimated in the second half of the year.
Nike Kobe Series Renewed
In April 2021, when Nike announced the end of its partnership with Kobe, a large number of loyal Mamba fans felt at a loss, and even NBA players needed to stock up on Kobe series shoes at high prices when demand was in short supply.
But the bad news ended this year, because in March Nike and Kobe’s widow Vanessa reached a consensus and resumed their partnership, and released the already exposed Kobe 6 Protro’Mambacita Sweet 16′ shoes.
“Kobe means a lot to us, and his influence isn’t limited to the NBA,” said Nike CEO John Donahoe after the partnership resumed. “Kobe has inspired women and young people to embrace the game of basketball, one of his deepest and most lasting legacy, and we hope to join Vanessa in honoring Kobe and GiGi in the future by supporting a new generation of athletes. “
In honor of Kobe and GiGi shoesAfter quickly selling out, fans have a question, will Kobe sneakers in the future be released in large-scale versions as before? Will the difficulty level increase? Waiting time will tell you the answer.
Teddy Santis first
New Balance Collection Released
Teddy Santis, founder of Aimé Leon Dore and creative director of New Balance’s MADE in USA, is definitely a hot potato in shoe circles.
early years Teddy Santis by virtue of Aimé Leon Dore’s collaboration with New Balance has successfully revived the brand’s long-dead 550 shoes and has become one of the important promoters of the retro sneaker trend.
After a year of dormancy, this year Teddy Santis released his first MADE in USA series, heThe series is divided into 3 categories, namely ‘Elevated Legacy’, which upgrades classics, ‘Uniform Staple’, which focuses on daily life, and ‘Quickstrike’, which is innovative and developed, which undoubtedly makes him more influential in the shoe circle. Floors.
It is worth mentioning that as early as January this year, LVMH Luxury Ventures, the venture capital arm of LVMH Group, announced the acquisition of a minority stake in Aimé Leon Dore, which is enough to prove Teddy Santis’ influence is evident.
VANS sues MSCHF
This year, VANS parent company VF Corporation filed a lawsuit against the creative group MSCHF, which has attracted widespread attention in the shoe circle. The reason is that the group and rapper Tyga co-branded Wavy Baby badly hit Vans Old Skool in the face.
It is worth mentioning that MSCHF is facing VF Corporation issued a statement during the lawsuit, saying that VANS had contacted and proposed cooperation, hoping to get half of Wave Baby’s profits, but VANS filed a lawsuit under the condition that the two parties reached a consensus.
In court filings, VF Corporation’s lawsuit includes trademark infringement, trademark dilution and unfair competition. The document also mentions the shoe promotional video that Tyga released on Tiktok, turning a pair of Vans Old Skool into a Wave Baby by heating it in a microwave.
In fact, it is not the first time that MSCHF has involved infringement issues. According to past practice, MSCHF will not be restrained because of this. In fact, customized sneakers are also part of sneaker culture.
Zadeh Kicks files for bankruptcy
This year, foreign media reported a sneaker fraud case. Zadeh Kicks, a well-known sneaker pre-sale website, was suspected of filing for bankruptcy, and tens of millions of dollars evaporated overnight. The occurrence of this incident exposed the weak link in the sneaker resale market.
Zadeh Kicks was founded in 2013 by former Nike employee Michael Malekzadeh. Its biggest feature is that it can pre-order unreleased sneakers. The price is much lower than that of resale platforms such as StockX and GOAT, but users need to wait 4 to 6 weeks. received shoes.
But this seemingly stable mode of operation has changed this year. Many buyers said on social platforms that Zadeh Kicks not only did not ship, but also announced the news of bankruptcy and no refunds on the official website. In fact, the company has been reluctant to provide refunds for a long time, or it will only be refunded in the form of gift cards. Now with the company’s bankruptcy, the gift card is completely invalid, which makes customers who bought pre-sale sneakers dumbfounded.
Obviously, this is a ‘Ponzi scheme’ in the shoe circle. There are countless victims. At present, the FBI has been involved in the investigation, but it is still uncertain whether they can get their money back. This incident can be said to be a wake-up call for sneaker players, and it is necessary to be cautious when buying ‘futures’ in the future.
Crazy Crocs joint name
Crocs’ influence on the sneaker trend has been in the spotlight, thanks in large part to designer Salehe Bembury.
While Crocs has a plethora of collaborations, Salehe Bembury is definitely the most distinctive partner with its Pollex Clog, a new and one-of-a-kind design inspired by fingerprints, whose unique taste and style make the shoe a snap It has become one of the must-have styles in 2022.
Pollex Clogs were first revealed in December 2021, when they appeared on the special cover of Sneaker Freaker #46. The partnership between the two parties was officially launched this year, and a new color matching was released in May, and the shoes were quickly sold out as soon as they were released.
Now that the Salehe Bembury and Crocs co-branded shoes are all over social media, there are rumors that the two sides will be releasing this fall. Pollex Clog is releasing more than 6 new colorways. According to the current heat,There’s a good chance this pair will be one of the sneaker styles that define 2022, even if it’s not really a sneaker.
StockX fires 8% of employees
In addition to facing lawsuits, StockX is also facing the problem of layoffs. The company laid off 8% of its workforce at the end of June and said in a statement that it needed to adjust its operations to address ‘macroeconomic challenges’ affecting the economy and business.
StockX started frantic growth around May 2020 until it reached a valuation of $3.8 billion in April 2021, and the cumulative number of buyers in the first half of 2021 exceeded 6.5 million. The company was once considered an epidemicThe leader in the retail platform during the love period.
However, this year is not the first round of layoffs for StockX. In April 2020, StockX cut 12% of its employees. Officials said that fewer than 150 employees were affected at that time. According to Insider reports, StockX has quietly gone through two rounds of layoffs before the largest round of layoffs in April this year.
This inevitably makes StockX’s operating conditions questionable. On the other hand, as one of the world‘s largest sneaker resale platforms, the company’s situation is inseparable from the environment of the sneaker market. I wonder if this represents a decline in the sneaker market.