What’s new in the sneakerheads’ town? Recently, NBA legend Dwyane Wade, who has had deals with some elite sports and apparel brands, shared some insight into the industry. Do you remember when he endorsed Converse during his NBA career? Right, and then he moved on to Jordan Brand. Now, he has a lifetime deal with Li Ning. What’s more? His son, Zaire Wade, is also a part of Li Ning. Leveraging his expertise on the matter, the Flash made a bold statement about the sneaker industry and explained the whys of the decline in the athletes’ signature shoes’ sales. 

D-Wade feels that the fashion elements in sneakers aren’t working out in the market. However, his friend Carmelo Anthony had a slightly different opinion. The question asked on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast was about the difference in the sneaker industry during their era and now. The topic of the conversation focuses on whether the athletes prefer design and fashion or function more. Melo felt that designers in the current $89 billion sneaker industry prioritize fashion, using apparel to represent culture. “Today also they have a lot more, they have a lot more opportunities to do creative things with their sneakers, right? They told us we had, I had to be all white or all black,” Melo said of the difference. 

The debate was particularly about signature shoes. So, when Melo suggested, “I think the people who’re designing the shoe are actually culturally, they in the culture so they trying to tie in everything,” Wade was quick to add, “It ain’t working.” 

The Miami Heat legend feels that despite the fashion influence and cultural involvement, signature shoes haven’t been able to lift the sneaker industry. “The shoe business is down. To me I think it’s function because fashion ain’t working. No one damn anybody running out to the stores buying signature shoes from athletes like that,” Dwyane Wade added. The 3x NBA champ might have hinted that a balance between the right fashion and function is missing and that could be leading to its decline in popularity. What do you think about his viewpoint?

Meanwhile, the host pointed out a few exceptions. NBA names like Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum popped up in the conversation. Apparently, their signature sneakers have been doing good. To this, Wade added that anything with the Jordan logo sells very fast. They sell like ‘hotcakes’. Well, we can’t deny that, can we?

Thanks to one incredible deal, Nike changed its fate overnight, from a company struggling with sales to quickly gaining fame, followed by the birth of the Jordan Brand. However, there seems to have issues with Jordan Brand’s latest marketing campaign lately.

Nike’s latest release with his Airness Michael Jordan 

The brand’s latest campaign is related to the infamous ban story. Did you know this? Back in 1985, Nike fined Michael Jordan whenever he wore the red and black colorway on the court. It was reportedly $5000, and Nike continued to pay for it. Remember, the shoes were never banned. However, Nike’s marketing team used this story of the ban to ingeniously drive sales for the brand.

Smart move, won’t you say? And it worked in their favor. Now, forty years later, as the Swoosh and Jordan Brand celebrate Air Jordan 1’s anniversary (40th), they revisited the same story. For marketing purpose, the brand banned, blocked, and hid every Air Jordan 1 shoe. They put a black ‘banned‘ label on their AJ 1 collection on their site.

The AJ 9 on the Chicago Bulls legend’s statue was also covered. Apart from that, the brand also made a special commercial to show what would have happened if Nike hadn’t paid the fines. Luka Dončić, Tatum, Jackson Wang, DJ Khaled, Travis Scott, and several other notable names featured in the clip. For the celebration, Nike also launched a new limited-edition collection in the same red and black colorway with a design similar to the original 1985 version.

Contrary to expectations, some fans weren’t happy with this marketing strategy. And the reason for such dissatisfaction? It has to do with the price and design. With only 10,000 pairs available at just 23 stores in the US, most sneakerheads won’t get the chance to buy a pair even if they can afford one. “Sh*t still not worth $250 for a Jordan 1,” one wrote. While others found the design unimpressive. Despite the campaign running since December and Nike spending a handsome amount of money on ads and promotions, it wasn’t able to touch everyone’s heart.“I just don’t see the logic behind spending SO MUCH on marketing a product only to limit its quantity and not be able to recoup what was spent on said marketing,” a netizen wrote.

Do you think Wade is right about the incorporation of too much fashion? There have been innovations and new designs, but is it in the right balance? The big question is, can the hype of athletes’ sneakers be revived?