I’d like to start today’s article off by clarifying its tone and subject matter: This is 100% a personal piece. It’s not an op-ed. It’s not a Top 10 list. It’s not an informative history lesson. It’s not a Starting Five (even though we’ve had several great ones grace these pages in the past few weeks).

This is just me, Ross, looking back over the last four years of my site, KicksOneTwo. Now is a time for recollection and reflection, as I relocated to New York this past week to work as a junior editor for SneakerNews, a brand that I’ve loved since I was a Jordan-obsessed 9th grader working at Champs Sports who always paired his kicks with oversized tees and baggy basketball shorts (I really thought I was killing it too).

The new job doesn’t mean that KicksOneTwo is getting shut down permanently … it just means that there’s going to be significantly less content on these pages, as my energy will now be focused on creating fresh original content for SneakerNews.

I’d have never thought when I started KicksOneTwo as a way to share what I knew and thought about sneakers/street culture as well as save my sanity (I was working an awful office job at the time) that I’d be afforded an opportunity like this. I also didn’t know how much I’d learn about hard work, perseverance, and the creative process when developing content, even when I wasn’t feeling the slightest bit creative. I just did it because I love sneakers, I love street culture, and I love writing. It’s really as simple as that. KicksOneTwo was, is, and will continue to be (albeit in a diminished role) a labor of love.

So I’m sharing what I learned over the past four years of running KicksOneTwo here with you today. I’d assume that many of you, the KicksOneTwo family, engage in creative pursuits, and no matter if it’s writing, music, photography, fashion or something else entirely, I support it 100% and want to help you succeed and thrive in your chosen creative field. The best way I can do that is by sharing what I know and what I have learned … so I’m going to do just that today. If any knowledge that I’ve gained over the course of running KicksOneTwo can help you in any way possible, I’d be thrilled. Let’s get right down to it.

Hard Work

Sneaker in Charleston, SC. One of my favorite stores I’ve ever visited. 

A creative pursuit isn’t always just a fun hobby. If you want to get good (and stay good) at your pursuit  no matter what it may be, then you simply have to understand that there’s a lot of hard work involved. It’s not rainbows, flowers, accolades, and affirmation all the time. There’s many a long day and a sleepless night, even if you think what you’re doing comes easy to you. Creativity isn’t a switch you can just flip on and off whenever you see fit. There are times when passion can be challenged. Then, discipline and hard work both prove to be pretty useful companions.

When that creative switch is in the “off” position (which I can guarantee will happen to you sooner or later), you’ve just got to force yourself to get that work in. It’s not fun or easy … but something that’s truly worth doing isn’t always going to be easy. Plus, if you can make yourself push through the dry times, then the good times will be even more fruitful. Your best work will usually come after your worst bricks. The more work you do, the better you’ll get at what you’re doing. At the end of the day it’s really that simple. Plus, watching the average quality of your content improve is one of the most gratifying feelings in the world.

So just shut up, put your head down, and get that work in. Trust me, you’ll be glad that you did.

Perserverence

Zach Lavine and Andrew Wiggins at TCSAX 5

If you can combine hard work and perseverance, then you’ll be truly unstoppable. The two do go hand-in-hand to some extent, but it’s easy to work harder when your work is recognized or instantly reaches a wide audience … and that’s not something that’s going to happen right off the bat. You might make something that you feel is really dope and it doesn’t connect with people the way you wanted it to. I’ve been there. It sucks. I know.

No big deal. You can be upset about it (spending time analyzing your thoughts is healthy as long as you don’t overdo it), but after that the best thing that you can do is just keep on pushing. Persistence and perseverance WILL pay off. Plus, it’s that much sweeter when you succeed if you’ve failed a few times before. You learn more from failing than you do from succeeding (that’s a fact), and whatever you’re shooting for might take years … but if you keep pushing, you’ll get there eventually. As an added bonus, basking in the salt of those who doubted you is a glorious feeling.

A good friend once told me “you’ve gotta have the bad days sometimes to be able to appreciate the good ones,” and that’s resonated with me ever since. Fight through through the bad days and the doubt from others and keep working hard. The good days are much closer than you may think.

Developing Content

WhyKhaliq performing at TCSAX 7 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about developing content, it’s that inspiration for articles strikes in the strangest ways, at the strangest places, and during the strangest times. Always be open to ideas, and always listen to what people have to say. You’re never too good to learn something from someone, no matter who they may be and who you think you are.

If you keep an open mind, you might be inspired by something totally random that you’d never think would give you an idea, much less an idea that you can translate into fantastic content. Some of my best KicksOneTwo articles have come from random conversations completely unrelated to sneakers with people who don’t know the first thing about them, and some have come while I’m spacing out in the shower, letting my mind wander wherever it may.

So heed this advice and keep an open mind, an open ear, and an open notebook (you can use the notes on your phone if you’re not the pen-and-paper type). You never know what you might stumble upon, and you want to always be ready to capture that inspiration when it strikes.

What strategies do you use to fuel your creative process? How do you cope when you’re feeling creatively stymied? Sound off in the comments or hit me up and let me know on Twitter! The more open dialogue we can have on a subject like this, the better. Let’s help each other out. We’ll all win in 2018.

–RDwyer

The post What I’ve Learned From KicksOneTwo appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

It’s been nothing short of a triumphant return for our cult-favorite Starting Five segment this past few weeks. Studiiyo23’s Dallas helped us bring the segment back to life after an 18-month hiatus, then PIFF’s OG Rob kept it rolling with an exemplary five of his own. Yes, Starting Five SZN is in full swing as the weather continues to warm up and you’re afforded more opportunities to to rock your kicks … and today we’ve got an extra-special Five ready to go for you, courtesy of Studiiyo23 OG Yoseph Tesfay.

Having been a Studiiyo23 team member since the day the store opened and a sneakerhead “pretty much his whole life,” Yoseph (or Yoosh as he’s affectionately known to many in the Minneapolis sneaker community) has accumulated an extremely impressive sneaker collection, and he was nice enough to let us check out the five pairs he’s currently rocking the most, from rare Air Max to pricy pairs from Virgil Abloh and Nike’s “The Ten” collection.

Not familiar with how Starting Five works? It’s simple: a Minneapolis sneakerhead shows off the five pairs that they’re currently rocking the most, and explains what they like about each pair, sometimes even with a little backstory on how they got it/what it means to them. Get it? Got it? Good.

Without any further ado, we present to you Yoseph’s Starting Five.

Nike Flyknit Trainer “Volt”

“I don’t normally love shoes with neon colors, but the contrast between the volt and black on these Flyknit Trainers is amazing, done absolutely perfectly. They’re definitely one of the most-complimented pairs in my collection, often by people who clearly aren’t in to shoes which just goes to show how good the design is. From a material standpoint, the lightweight comfort and flexibility offered by Flyknit is still second to none even in 2018 .. and what makes this specific pair even better is that I copped them off a homie for only $80. Talk about a come-up, right?”

Air Max 90 Hyperfuse “Independence Day” 

“The 90 is my favorite Air Max silhouette, and I always thought the Hyperfuse models were a great way to modernize a classic. I liked them before the Kanye effect because they were so bold, but after that kicked in I had to bide my time cause the prices were crazy. Thankfully my patience paid off and I was able to scoop a pair for a good deal. I’ll never sell these for two reasons: as I mentioned before, I love the silhouette .. and they’re just so wearable too.”

Nike “The Ten” Air Presto

“The Prestos are my favorite pair from The Ten, hands down. The inside-out aesthetic and the skewed swoosh provide a unique look unlike any other, and the bold “AIR” branding on the back is the icing on the cake. The first time I saw these jawns I knew that no matter what the price was I had to have them. Unlike some of the other pairs on this list, I didn’t get a good deal on these, but I’m cool with that. I paid the most I’ve ever paid for a pair of shoes to get these, and I can honestly say that don’t regret it one bit.

Air Jordan I Retro High “Shattered Backboard”

“The Jordan I is my favorite sneaker silhouette of all time, and the first Shattered Backboard is my favorite non-OG I colorway; I love it even more than the Fragment I’s. The high top and flat sole make it a shoe that can truly be worn with anything, and the quality is really on point too. I actually sold this exact pair and then got them back, because I simply couldn’t deal with not having them in my collection.”

Nike x Supreme Blazer SB

“When it comes to skate shoes, I’ve always been a Blazer fan over a Dunk fan, . Much like the Jordan I, I loved the flat sole and higher cut on the ankle, and always wanted a more premium-looking pair. The first time I ever saw these in person was when my homie Mike, a real SB OG, was rocking them back in 2010, and I knew I needed a pair right away. The quilted leather is very premium, and I love the Gucci-inspired detailing on the heel as well. All three pairs of these are great, but the black is by far the most wearable. Sorry OG Robby.” (editior’s note: OG Rob had a pair of the sail Supreme Blazers in his Starting Five) 

What’s your favorite pair from Yoseph’s Starting Five? What shoe in your collection has the best story/most history to go along with it? What’s the most you’ve ever dropped on a pair of kicks that you had to have, and what shoe was it? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post Starting Five: Yoseph Tesfay appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

Starting Five season is back in full swing.

After making a triumphant return following an extended hiatus earlier this week with the second installment of Studiiyo23’s own Dallas’s current rotation, the next Starting Five up is courtesy of Piff co-owner/operations manager OG Rob, who’s currently rocking  everything from classic SB’s to under-the radar Nike Sportswear silhouettes and hyped-up Air Max.

Miss the last installment and not sure exactly how Starting Five works? Here’s a quick crash course: a knowledgable Minneapolis sneakerhead shows off the five pairs that they’re currently rocking and shares exactly why they like each pair. You get an opportunity not only to see what your peers are wearing … but to see exactly why they like what they like, as they share insights on each pair in their rotation.

Without any further ado, we present to you OG Rob’s Starting Five.

Nike Air Footscape Woven Chukka 

“Out of every pair I own, these Footscapes are the shoes that I get the most compliments on by far. They’re very unique and due to the lack of branding, most people don’t even know that they’re a Nike at first glance. The beads on the laces? Those are a custom touch. I felt like the shoe gave off a Visvim vibe with the moccasin-esque silhouette, so I figured I’d add some extra personalization to make these even more special. Yeah, I’ve gotten a lot of crazy fits off with these.”

Nike “The Ten” Air Max 90

“The Air Max 90 was the first Air Max silhouette I wore heavily as a kid, and they’ve had a special place in my heart ever since, so you already know I’ve gotta have a modern day take on a long-time favorite in my Starting Five, especially with Air Max Day coming up soon. I really like having so many lace options with these too, as it makes them even easier to wear. They’re nothing if not a head-turner”

Nike x Supreme Blazer SB

“These are an absolutely fantastic pair of shoes. My favorite colorway of one of my favorite Supreme/Nike collabs ever. Everything about them is on point. Like fine wine, they only get better with age, and the eggshell white goes well with my style. The quality is A1 too, the quilted leather is so soft and buttery that it’s unreal. A rare grail that’s extremely wearable too. What’s not to love about these?”

Air Jordan IV Pinnacle “Snakeskin”

“The IV is one of my favorite Jordan silhouettes ever, so you know I’ve gotta have a pair ready to go every season. These have replaced my Laser IVs (which are literally falling apart cause I rocked them so heavily), and these will likely stay in my rotation all throughout the spring and summer. The quality is top notch even down to the leather laces and the detailing is on point as well.  Shouts out to Dallas … he couldn’t pull these jawns off so he was kind enough to slide them my way.

Nike x Supreme Air Max 98

“These are my daily drivers, as you may be able to tell. The Big Kahunas. The go-to’s. I absolutely love these shoes, and they love me too. You can’t beat the comfort the 98’s offer, and as much as I like the other three colorways that released alongside these, the snakeskins are by far the best. I’m partial to that snakeskin print if you couldn’t tell from the last few pairs on my list … and the fact that I’ve been rocking these heavily in the lead-up to Air Max Day makes it even better.”

What’s your favorite pair in OG Rob’s Starting Five? Are you partial to one of the three snakeskin pairs, or is another tops for you? What kicks are you rocking the most currently? What Minneapolis sneakerhead would you like to see us feature next? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post Starting Five: OG Rob appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

Foot Locker: a store that’s played a role in the life of sneaker-loving millennials around the world. Maybe you got your first pair of really nice kicks there. Maybe your first real job was wearing the stripes there in high school. Maybe you still work there, and have moved up to management or into the corporate office (or just keep the job on the weekends for that legendary 30% discount). Maybe you still get your kicks there, or maybe you don’t, but no matter what your current relationship with Foot Locker is, you can’t deny that they’ve has been a large part of your sneakerhead journey.

Being the top dog in the world of athletic footwear retail isn’t always smooth sailing though, as times are currently very troubling for the retail giant. The world of sneakers has shifted out of malls and into boutiques and online more than ever before, and Foot Locker is feeling the heat that comes with being an old guard in an ever-shifting and evolving retail market. The company announced Friday before last that they’d be closing 110 of their retail stores in 2018. This news was accompanied by their not exactly stellar 4th quarter earnings announcement, which although on target with Foot Locker’s beginning-of-year predictions was lackluster and struck fear about their future potential into traders, sending their share prices tumbling by 13%.

Everyone who  knows anything about physical retail is aware that it’s a challenging time for malls, where most Foot Lockers are based. Anchor stores like Macy’s, JC Penny, and Sears can’t compete with the speed and convince offered by online shopping, and are also feeling the heat of the malls no longer being the “cool” place to hang out for teenagers. Not all malls are struggling, but a large portion are not seeing the foot traffic that they did in years past, and their tenants (Foot Locker included) are feeling the heat.

Foot Locker does offer a strong online presence and high volume of digital sales as well, but online storefronts come with new challenges and competitors, like Nike selling products through their own site and boutique storefronts offering product online.

The new-age problems faced by the footwear retailer were best summed up by their CEO Richard Johnson, who stated “The disruption that has characterized the retail industry recently is not going away. Consumers want experiences, they want cool products, and they want it all — fast.”

So what can Foot Locker do to right the ship and regain lost market share, and what do their store closings and current struggles mean for the footwear industry as a whole? There’s two challenges they face: physical retail and digital sales, and different solutions/strategies are needed to address both. We’re no stuffy, three piece suit-wearing corporate business types … but we do know footwear and their target market (as sneakerheads, we ARE the target market), so we’ve got a few pretty damn good observations.

Let’s start with the physical retail side of things. As mentioned by their CEO, shoppers want an experience. Going to the mall to buy shoes from Foot Locker may be enjoyable … but it’s not an experience in the same way that heading into a boutique like Concepts or Sneakersnstuff is. Even if both stores offer the same products (which in today’s world of sneakers is the case more often than not), Foot Locker has simply not been able to compete with the experience offered at a boutique. The aesthetic, the attitude, and the people that you’ll find at a sneaker boutique effortlessly ooze “cool,” and “cool” is not something that you’ll find in spades (or really at all) at a big mall, no matter what may be on the shelves at the stores.

For Foot Locker to compete with boutiques and regain their lost status as the authority of what’s cool in sneakers, they need to double down on their “experience” shops like their popular House Of Hoops locations, a strategy that’s been mentioned in press conferences and interviews by their executives with increasing frequency over the past few months. They’re actually already taking steps to do this, as with the 110 store closings are coming 44 new store openings, that CFO Lauren Peters described as “select, high-profile” stores.

Only time will tell what these new stores will entail, but it wouldn’t be a rash assumption to expect these “select” stores to offer prime retail locations, a boutique aesthetic similar to Foot Locker’s successful and popular House Of Hoops locations, and limited, valuable product. If Foot Locker can manage to hone in their “cool” factor, which in today’s celebrity and influencer driven market is more important than ever to young consumers, then they just might be able to make up their lost ground (literally and figuratively) in physical retail very quickly.

Another way that Foot Locker may be able to win back lost ground in the physical retail game? More experiences and exclusive events. Their “Sneakeasy” pop-ups with Nike and Jordan in New York and Boston last year offered a VIP atmosphere, limited access, and a bright spotlight shining on the very best product that they had to offer. The events provided invaluable exposure for the brand, as sneakerheads around the world clamored for a chance to attend anything held at a Sneakeasy location and major sneaker media outlets across the country covered their every move, validating Foot Locker’s stature as an arbiter of cool.

What can Foot Locker do to address their digital problems? That’s a whole different batch of issues. As e-commerce continues to grow and grow, more companies will be fighting for market share and that frankly does not bode well for the brand’s online sales, no matter how strong their positioning and product may be. You can typically acquire the same sneakers at more than a dozen different online storefronts, so why would you pick Foot Locker? That’s the question that they need to provide a defined answer to.

With Amazon becoming a major player in the online footwear retail sector as well, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think that Foot Locker could continue to lose online market share, not because of anything they’re doing wrong but because of the plethora of options available to consumers.

We’ll have to see what the company opts to do to grow their online business … but it’s a crowded market and unless they can offer a special reason for customers to buy on their website (like free 2-day shipping or other discounts), the potential for growth on the e-commerce end frankly looks bleak for them.

So all in all, what does Foot Locker’s challenging 2017 mean for their future? It just goes to show how much the sneaker  industry has grown and shifted in the last five years. Foot Locker will always continue to pump out a high volume of revenue and hold an esteemed position, as the athletic footwear industry is bigger and better than ever (they are Nike’s biggest customer after all), but that high revenue may come with a decreased market share and slightly lower stock prices as Foot Locker attempts to evolve with the times.

Their main disadvantage? As a gigantic company, they simply can’t move as quickly as smaller retailers. In some ways their margin of error is higher, as they have significantly more operating capital than many of their competitors and can afford to make mistakes, but in many ways their margin of error is much lower, as they’re not able to make decisions/roll out those decisions to their extensive network as quickly as a smaller, more flexible company may be able to do.

2018 will be an interesting year for Foot Locker and the traditional footwear retail industry as a whole. Only time will tell what tricks, marketing schemes and product launches they come up with to keep the average buyer interested, but one thing we do know is that as the way consumers get their product continues to shift and change, and trends come and go, Foot Locker will have to pull out all the stops to regain their lost ground. That’s a good thing: It benefits us, the consumers more than anything else.

In conclusion? It’s a damn good time to be a sneakerhead. 2018 is shaping up to be a very interesting year in footwear, both for Foot Locker and the industry as a whole.

What do you think of Foot Locker’s store closings? Do you think they’re in trouble with the way the athletic footwear market shifts and moves, or do you think this is merely a bump in the road for them? What do you think we’ll see from their new stores and “experiences” this year? Do you still shop at chain retailers, or have you shifted your dollars to boutiques and online storefronts? Sound off in the comments with your thoughts and opinions, or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post How Can Foot Locker Right The Ship? appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

In the world of streetwear, Supreme is the undisputed king of collaboration. With every new season comes a brand-new slate full of collaborative pieces made in conjunction with entities both large and small. Some shift culture on a massive scale, redefining the way we think and talk about streetwear as a whole, while some are little more than a flash in the pan, already forgotten by the time the next Thursday rolls around and a fresh batch of goods (collaborative or otherwise) are brought to market.

The first highly-anticipated collaboration of Supreme’s S/S ’18 season arrives this Thursday, in partnership with Nike and the NBA. Jerseys, shorts, jackets and an Air Force 1 Mid (available online only), all featuring all-over team logos, a Nike swoosh, and Supreme’s legendary box logo. The collection is big. It’s bold. It’s extremely maximalist, fitting for streetwear’s current climate. It’s a throwback to the late 90’s/early 00’s, and … well … we’re sorry to say that it’s simply not good.

Don’t get us wrong: just because we don’t care for the collection doesn’t mean that we don’t love Supreme here at KicksOneTwo. We recently ranked our ten favorite box logos. We discussed our favorite pieces and favorite accessories from the S/S ’18 season. We even went over Supreme and Nike’s collaborative history on the Air Force 1, a shoe that’s at the center of this loud, heavily logo-ed collection. We eagerly anticipate their new drops and collaborations, just like you, our KicksOneTwo family does.

But no matter how much we love Supreme’s designs, history, and mystique we’ve still gotta call it like we see it. This collection just flat-out doesn’t do it for us, even though we will admit that JR Smith, one of the only real enigmas left in the NBA getting the nod to model some of the pieces is pretty damn cool. When it comes to any collaborative goods from any brand, there’s one indisputable fact: not all hyped collaborations are good, and not all good collaborations are hyped. There are a few hard reasons that this collection misses the mark, so we’ll start at the beginning and address them one by one.

First and foremost: it’s a misguided homage to an era that’s far better off forgotten. Anyone who was into hip-hop and basketball and came of age in the late 90’s-early 00’s remembers jeans, shirts, hats, jackets, and shoes (often of questionable authenticity) splattered with all-over NBA team logos. The fact of the matter? The look was terrible then, and it’s not any better in 2018. Plus, homages to bootleg street fashion are hard to pull off with any real sense of authenticity as you’re essentially making a bootleg of a product that was already bootleg-ing something else, and there’s not much to be found here in the way of inspiration. Sometimes the past is just better off left there.

The second issue? Jeff Hamilton, a designer who’s know for creating custom leather jackets and originally introduced the polarizing all-over NBA logo aesthetic has still not received any real credit for the designs more than two decades later. Ever see the Diplomats or Kobe Bryant wearing custom leather jackets adorned with colorful patches? They were made by Hamilton. His product is known, but his name isn’t.

Although he hasn’t produced NBA or logo-centric pieces in several years (apart from Drake’s amazing Kobe-inspired jacket he wore at 2016’s All-Star Game), he did create the all-over logo aesthetic that the collection is built upon, and recently stated in an interview with Hypebeast that he was not contacted by anyone from Supreme (Nike did contact him to ask if he was aware of the shoe), nor was he asked to collaborate on the project even though it was clearly inspired and influenced by his past work.

Not paying homage is out of character for Supreme, a brand that’s typically very open about their artistic influences. Hamilton may not be a household name on the level of some of Supreme’s other inspirations, but he did create an aesthetic that’s immediately recognizable and therefore should receive more credit for the collaboration coming to existence. If Gucci can acknowledge Dapper Dan’s influence on their products, Supreme, Nike, and the NBA can and should give Hamilton the credit that he deserves for inspiring their collaboration as well. A simple “inspired by Jeff Hamilton” byline would suffice.

And finally? Any way you slice it the pieces in the collection are just flat-out undercooked. We expressed our misgivings regarding the design and the silhouette choice of the Air Force 1 Mid in an earlier article, and the rest of the items? They’re simply too busy, and all appear to be nothing more than a jumbled collage of logos and branding.

You don’t need multiple team logos AND a gigantic Nike swoosh AND a Supreme box logo to boot. There’s a difference between maximalist fashion and looking like a walking billboard for a corporate entity, and this collection toes a bit too far towards the wrong side of that line. And from a technical standpoint, the materials used in the collection don’t work either. These are homage pieces, inspired by a retro look … so why are they presented on new Dri-Fit jerseys and shorts with sublimated logos? A more appropriate homage would be embroidered patches on a traditional mesh jersey, just like the OG pieces they draw their inspiration from. Thankfully at least the jacket presents embroidered graphics.

Only time will tell how the Supreme/Nike/NBA collaboration is received by the general public and what its legacy will be after the season is over. It may fade away, or it may become a reference point in Supreme’s 20+ year history, but no matter what happens it’s simply not their best work. We’ll admit that we could see why someone might like it, as nostalgia is indeed a very powerful thing (look at the staying power of 90’s vintage clothing!) but the collection’s designs flat-out doesn’t deserve the amount of attention it’s receiving from the general public. The hype around the collection is built on brand names, not on fresh, innovative design.

Oh, well. What can you do? Even the G.O.A.T. misses some shots sometimes. Even though we’re not fans of the collection we still love Supreme nonetheless, and you already know that we’ll still be on our computers furiously refreshing Thursday morning in the hopes of acquiring a few new pieces … we just aren’t going to be gunning for anything from the collaboration.

What do you think of the Supreme/Nike/NBA collaboration? Are you a fan, or do you think it’s overdone? Do you think it’s wrong of the brands involved to not pay the proper homage to Jeff Hamilton? We’d welcome your thoughts on these topics either way, as the collection and the story behind it offers very interesting points of discussion. Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post Why the Supreme x Nike x NBA Collaboration Misses the Mark appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

There’s no logo in streetwear (and arguably in fashion as a whole) that’s more iconic than Supreme’s signature box logo. The vaunted design, consisting of a Barbra Krueger-inspired red rectangle surrounding white Futura Bold Italic text is at once recognizable to people from all corners of the world and walks of life. Indeed, it’s reached near-mythical status alongside other infamous logos like Nike’s swoosh, Louis Vuitton’s LV monogram or the “NY” on a Yankees cap.

Since its inception in 1994, Supreme’s box logo has arrived in many different iterations, adorning many different items, from tees to hoodies to stickers. It’s been done up in a myriad of colors, used as a collaborative centerpiece by multiple brands who have worked with Supreme, and has been re-interprited by some of the most famous street artists of our time. It’s an outstanding logo with an amazing story behind each design, and has come to represent the very pinnacle of streetwear glory.

There’s so many box logos that keeping track of every one released in the brand’s 20-plus year history is borderline impossible … so we thought we’d break all the options down to the cream of the crop. Today we’re bringing you a list of the ten best box logos that Supreme has ever released. It’s not a list of the best box logo tees, hoodies, stickers, or anything else … it’s just about the actual box logo itself and the cultural relevance of each design. From classic to collaborative to under-the-radar, there’s a box logo for all types of Supreme fans among these ten, so let’s dive right in to the hyped-up madness.

Honorable Mention: Kaws

Year Introduced: 2011

Brian “KAWS” Donnelly and Supreme have a long collaborative history beginning back in 2008 when the artist worked on a now-infamous Kate Moss tee along with two highly desirable skate decks featuring his iconic “Chum” character. For their second go-around in 2011, KAWS added a hand-drawn touch to Supreme’s iconic box logo, offering a stencil outline of the rectangular border and the letters themselves for a stripped-down, rough-hewn, authentic street art look.

10. Coca-Cola

Year Introduced: 1997

Back in 1997, a mere three years after they were founded, Supreme was still small enough to get away with releasing as many parodies and logo flips as their hearts desired. One of of their earliest gems? A Coca-Cola inspired box logo. Not an official collaboration, the logo took Coke’s iconic swooping graphic and “enjoy” mantra, and molded them into their box logo in a fashion that was so seamless you’d be forgiven for mistaking it as a Coke tee at first glance. Can you imagine the lawsuits if they did a flip like this in 2018? We don’t even want to think about it.

9. Burberry

Year Introduced: 1997

Another early parody gem from Supreme, this Burberry check-inspired box logo was a fan favorite before official high fashion and streetwear collaborations were even a twinkle in Kim Jones’s eye. The box logo arrived at a perfect time, as Burberry was trying to distance themselves from this pattern in the 90’s because it had become a favorite of their unwanted “chav” audience. The disassociation from the legendary British high-fashion brand made Supreme’s take on the classic pattern doubly amusing, as it was somewhat accidentally aimed at the same cultural sect that Burberry was trying so desperately to avoid.

8. 9/11

Year Introduced: 2001

As a brand that’s always been incredibly proud of their New York roots, you know Supreme had to do something special when tragedy struck their home city on September 11th, 2001. A stylized, waving, patriotic American flag box logo tee was that aforementioned “something special,” and 100% of proceeds from the design were donated towards 9/11 relief efforts.

7. The Sopranos 

Year Introduced: 2005

If  the box logos on this list were ranked solely on value and overall scarcity, the “Sopranos” graphic would be much closer to the top spot. The iconic television show’s logo was re-purposed to fit Supreme’s needs, with a gun replacing the “R” in Supreme, a clever nod to both the show’s original logo and theme song, “Got Yourself A Gun.” As a box logo any Supreme lover or die-hard Sopranos fan would kill to own, we’d say the gun graphic is pretty fitting.

6. Bape

Year Introduced: 2002

When two titans of industry come together and fuse their two most iconic graphics into one design, the result is usually nothing short of spectacular. Spectacular is exactly what Supreme and Bape did when they collaborated on more than ten different colored camo box logo tees back in 2002. One of the few iconic prints in streetwear that can match the relevance of the box logo, Bape’s camo combined with Supreme’s signature typeface ignited a logo-fueled wildfire under fans of both brands, and the shirts flew off the shelves in record time. Can you imagine what would happen if this collaboration re-occured today? One word: pandemonium.

5. Damien Hirst

Year Introduced: 2009

English artist Damien Hirst lent his signature dotted motif to Supreme for a highly sought-after box logo tee in 2009, and later on decks adorned with “Life’s A Bitch And Then You Die” (in 2011). Offering a more playful, colorful, whimsical look than most of the other box logos on this list, Hirst’s collaboration is one of the few iconic box logos that doesn’t heavily feature a red-and-white colorway in some way, shape, or form.

4. Gucci

Year Introduced: 2000

This box logo doesn’t have anything to do with Gucci Mane (who Supreme collaborated with in 2016) … it’s just good old classic Gucci. Supreme took the legendary Italian brand’s signature red and green/red and tan stripes, and applied their own font to it for yet another unique parody graphic. While other brands (that you’ll encounter shortly on this list) didn’t appreciate Supreme’s homage, Gucci was unaffected, never issuing a cease and desist to Supreme. That doesn’t affect this logo’s rarity however, as finding a sticker or tee shirt with the red stripe is both difficult and extremely expensive.

3.  Fuck Bush

Year Introduced: 2005

Supreme gladly did what they could to support their city through hard times with their 9/11 charity box logo, but they had no love lost for sitting president George W. Bush, releasing a “Fuck Bush” sticker, (the only “box logo” on this list that doesn’t actually say “Supreme”) after the controversial president won a second term in 2005. Supreme has never shied away from making political statements, but this loud, direct graphic that replaced the brand’s name on stickers was their most powerful statement to date, and is a favorite of many a New Yorker and OG Supreme collector around the world.

2. Louis Vuitton (OG)

Year Introduced: 2000

Before Supreme and Louis Vuitton came together officially in 2017 for a wide-reaching collaboration that (for better or worse) changed the landscape of both streetwear and high fashion forever, Supreme cheekily appropriated Louis Vuitton’s classic monogram print, replacing the monogrammed LV’s with a hybrid S/dollar sign logo. Louis Vuitton was not amused by the parody/homage and almost instantly slapped Supreme with a cease and desist (clearly they’re not as laid-back as Gucci), forcing them to stop production and pull any products featuring the graphic off the market. A key point and design in Supreme’s history, anything adorned with the homage monogram is so rare and valuable that even the stickers sell for well over $100.

1. OG

Year Introduced: 1994

Rhetorical question: could anything really take the top spot over the OG red box logo? Nothing else on the list (and likely the brand as a whole) would even exist if James Jebbia hadn’t dreamed up the Barbra Krueger-inspired graphic back in 1994. It’s simple, clean, and as we mentioned at the top of the article … it’s iconic. Love it or hate it (we’re assuming you love it if you got this far), you know about it and respect its value and what it stands for, exactly the reason why it claims the #1 spot on this list of storied designs.

What’s your favorite Supreme box logo of all time? Do you agree with our list, or would you re-arange a few things? Was a box logo you’re partial to left off? If so, which one was it? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post “The Ten”: Ranking Supreme’s 10 Best Box Logos appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

It’s back like it never left. A classic KicksOneTwo series. An encore over a year in the making. After a nearly 18-month hiatus, our infamous Starting Five has returned.

Not familiar with the concept? We’ll explain. A KicksOneTwo homie picks the five sneakers that are currently getting the most wear in their rotation, and explains what they like about each pair. It’s a great way for you, our KicksOneTwo family to see what other people in the community are rocking, and gain a little insight into your peers (and their collections) as well.

The re-launch of Starting Five comes courtesy of our good friend Dallas Camp, a manager at long-standing Minneapolis sneaker boutique Studiiyo23. He’s no stranger to these pages, having done his first Starting Five all the way back in 2015, and is a long-time KicksOneTwo family member, having been a part of the squad since the day the site launched.

His rotation consists of everything from a pair of collaborative Vans to a pair from Virgil Abloh and NIke’s collaborative “The Ten” collection to a plentiful helping of Air Max, both collaborative and in-line. There’s something everyone can enjoy and appreciate, and he’s been kind enough to provide insight on exactly why he’s so fond of each pair as well. Enough background: it’s time to get into the kicks.

Vans Authentic x Supreme “Bruce Lee”

“I don’t skate as much as I used to (even though I did stick a three flip first try earlier this week), but I’ll always have love for a clean pair of Vans. The Supreme & Bruce Lee collaborative Authentic turns heads with the all-over print, but the colorway is toned-down and unique enough that the print is not way too garish. These are a cool piece of Supreme history and a very underrated pair of Vans.”

Nike x Virgil Abloh “The Ten” Blazer Hi

“I’ve owned a few pairs from Virgil Abloh and Nike’s “The Ten” collaboration, but out of all the pairs I’ve had, the Blazer is easily the most wearable, which is why it’s earned a spot in my Starting Five. The rubber toe cap and giant swoosh add just enough personality to these, and although I’ve tried out all three colors of laces, I find myself coming back to the black over and over again. These will likely be in my rotation through the spring, summer, and beyond, as they’re one of the best pairs out of the ten. I haven’t tried to three flip in these just yet, but I’d bet you that I could stomp out a clean one with that rubber toe cap.”

Nike Air Max 97 “England Country Camo”

“You ever have a bid out on StockX that you forget to cancel, and it goes through a few days before it was supposed to expire? That’s what happened to me with these. I’m not gonna lie: I was pretty salty about how the whole situation at first, but now I’m just glad these are part of my rotation. A clean camo that works with almost anything I want to rock, these have become my favorite pair out of the whole country camo pack.”

Nike x Undefeated Air Max 97 “White”

“Although I also own a pair of the black Undefeated 97’s, the white ones are way more dope to me, as they offer a luxury look and feel that still retains the sporty look Air Max are loved for. I’ve just now started working these into my rotation as all the salt, snow, and ice are hard on a white shoe and I’m not trying to thrash these, but they are going to be getting even more heavy wear in the next few months as the temperature warms up.”

Nike x Atmos Air Max 1 “Tiger Camo”  

“I’m not just about the new, hyped-up Air Max colorways. I’ve been rocking Air Max since I was too young to even really know about kicks. The “Tiger Camo” Atmos Air Max 1’s are one of my favorite Air Max of all time, and they offer a different, more bold look than the other camo pair of Air Max in my Starting Five do because of the snakeskin detailing. I had these once before, let them go, and then realized I needed them back almost as soon as I got rid of them. I haven’t picked out what pair I’m gonna be rocking on Air Max Day just yet, but these are definitely a top contender.”

What was your favorite pair in Dallas’s Starting Five? Were you partial to one of the Air Max, or were you more fond of the Blazers or Vans? What’s in your Starting Five this spring? What Minneapolis sneakerhead would you like to see us feature next? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post Starting Five: Dallas Camp (Part II) appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

New Balance: a brand with a long, rich history. Known for their premium materials, quality craftsmanship, iconic silhouettes, and long-standing partnerships with legendary sneaker boutiques, the  Boston-based brand founded over 110 years ago boasts a loyal following both in the U.S. and abroad. But New Balance’s story stretches far beyond just high quality in-line releases: they’ve also been part of many a legendary collaboration.

Their massive collaborative success draws from two things: the no-holds barred approach they bring towards any collaborative effort and their boutique partners. When it comes to a collaborative shoe, New Balance isn’t the type of company to call up one of their high-profile retailers, slap two logos and a “new” colorway on an in-line model and call it a day. Their collabs come equipped with a backstory and design inspiration that is meaningful to both them and their collaborative partner, and the raw authenticity (and extremely high quality) of the finished product is typically what makes it special.

Sometimes past collaborations are just so damn good that you have to pay homage to them, and New Balance announced earlier this month that they’d be releasing an “Iconic Collaboration pack” on March 1st which consists of four re-made, wildly successful, culturally relevant sneakers with a fresh new twist: the original collaborative colorways will be arriving on the 574 silhouette, one of New Balance’s most famous sneakers ever that just happens to be enjoying its 30th anniversary this year.

Today we’re exploring the inspirations behind the original colorway for each of the four kicks in the pack, as well as providing detail on the materials each pair are constructed from. From Boston to Stockholm, from bright pastels to dark woodsy colors, there’s something for everyone in New Balance’s “Iconic Collaboration” pack. Let’s get right into the kicks.

Concepts x New Balance “Rose”

Original Model: 997

Boston-based boutique Concepts has collaborated with New Balance on many a classic sneaker, from the “Luxury Goods” 997’s to the “C-Note” 998’s, but arguably their most famous collab ever was the “Rose” 997’s, originally released in 2014 to celebrate the opening of Concepts’s new store in Tribeca.

Inspired by the pink sparkling wine the sneaker shares its name with, the “Rose” colorway features a soft pink suede upper that contrasts beautifully with the reflective grey croc tongue and heel. Concepts branding adorned the tongue and laces on the original pair, but is left off the re-release in favor of traditional New Balance hits on the tongue and heel.

Sneaker Freaker x New Balance “Tassie Devil”

Original Model: 998

Australia’s Sneaker Freaker celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2012 with the best way they knew how: a collaborative pair of New Balance kicks that were so limited they didn’t even release in the US. Named after (you guessed it) the iconic Tasmanian Devil, Sneaker Freaker aimed to draw attention to the animal’s plight (almost 50% of the Tasmanian Devil’s population had gone extinct by 2012) … and have a little fun with the collab too, as they mentioned that their “self-imposed brief was simply to knock-up a beastly colourway and smash it out of Hobart. If you don’t like purple, you’ll pass.”

The shoe is nothing if not loud and luxe, featuring multiple shades of purple like eggplant, violet, mauve, lilac and lavender. Triangular fangs to represent the Tasmanian Devil’s sharp teeth adorn the front of the midsole, contrasting beautifully with a lightly speckled bone midsole. It’s not just the outside that features rich detail either: the co-branded insoles feature an all-over Tasmanian Devil print.

Sneakersnstuff x New Balance “Erik”

Original Model: 577

Sneakersnstuff co-founders Erik Fagerlind and Peter Jansson’s love for the New Balance 577 is well-known and stretches back to the beginning of their business, with each founder creating a separate colorway of the silhouette in 2007. There’s no extra-fancy backstory or collaborative history on this pair, just a well-thought out design: Fagerland wanted to make a shoe that featured muted earth tones on the outside and bright, loud colors on the inside.

Featuring a soft brushed suede on the toe and collar surrounded with premium leather, Fagerlind and Sneakersnstuff were able to perfectly balance loud and subtle for a shoe that stands out without doing too much. 11 years later, the sneaker still looks just as good as it did in 2007, showing the staying power of both a good colorway and a classic silhouette.

Mita Sneakers x WHIZ Limited x New Balance

Original Model: 1700

This Mita Sneakers x Wiz Limited collaboration may not have a special nickname like the other sneakers in the pack … but that doesn’t mean it’s any less special or unique of a shoe. Originally released in 2012, this red white and blue colorway featured a loud, bright aesthetic that was bolstered by a cut-out star pattern.

Blue leather offsets the premium red and white suede on this un-nicknamed sneaker, and offers a patriotic look that works year-round. And the stars aren’t just there for show either: a phosphorous lower layer lets the shoe glow brightly in the dark through the perforations. Would it be possible to find a better pair of 4th of July kicks, especially after the sun sets and your stars are glowing? We think not.

What’s your favorite 574 from the “Iconic Collaborations” pack? Which original release did you like the best? Do you prefer the OG’s, or are the re-releases better in your opinion? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

Editor’s Note: All images courtesy of Hypebeast

The post Living Icons: All About The New Balance “Iconic Collaboration” Pack appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

“If Nike ain’t have Drizzy man, they wouldn’t have nothin!”

Hours before the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 2015, Kanye West released “Facts,” a now-legendary diss track with most of its venom and vitriol aimed at Nike, his former creative partner. He mentioned that they “treat employees just like slaves,” mocked them for having to give LeBron James a billion dollars not to “run away,” and most memorably stated that if Nike didn’t have partnerships with Drake and his close personal friend Donald “Don C” Crowley (of Just Don fame), they wouldn’t have any relevance in street or hip-hop culture.

The song was Kanye at his sneering, swaggering, braggadocios best and put the industry on notice that he (and Adidas) were gunning for the top spot in 2016, aiming to wrest the throne away from Nike, Jordan Brand, and their celebrity endorsers like his close friend Drake.

Now that the background is set, fast-forward to the current day. February 2018: Drake, still currently endorsed by Jordan Brand is the most popular and relevant musician in the world. He’s got a worldwide hit with “God’s Plan” which just went triple platinum and a certified street anthem with his feature on BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive.” He’s released several highly sought-after, co-branded shoes with Jordan Brand, from a X to an XII to obscure pairs like a Truner LX and more recently a VIII. He’s the foremost pitch man for the brand, and is rarely spotted without a piece of collaborative apparel or a pair of his OVO/Jordan kicks on.  He’s on top of the game in every way imaginable … but apparently there’s trouble in paradise.

This week, sources close to Drake revealed that he’s disgruntled with his Jordan Brand partnership, and wants a different deal. These same sources (apparently people close to Drake’s inner circle) have mentioned that the Canadian mega star is in talks with Nike/Jordan’s chief rival Adidas.

Could it be true? The 6 God leaving the Jumpman to get down with the Three Stripes? If it is true, what does it mean for Nike/Jordan, Adidas, and the sneaker industry as a whole? It’s hard to tell (and mind you, nothing has been confirmed by either Drake or Adidas just yet), but it’s a question/hypothetical situation that does merit discussion.

First and foremost, Drake leaving Jordan Brand would be a huge blow to Nike Inc. Although it likely wouldn’t make a tremendous difference from a sales standpoint, in today’s hype-driven world of sneakers, co-signs and celebrity endorsers are almost as important as sales. Ten years ago, the product made the people wearing it cool, as you had to be “in the know” to get your hands on limited kicks and gear. Nowadays things are reversed: the “influencers” wearing the product are what makes the product cool.

Consumers care more than ever about what their favorite celebrity/artist/athlete is wearing and endorsing, and a celebrity with the reach and squeaky-clean image that Drake has is an invaluable marketing asset to any sneaker company. If he were to leave Nike, their foremost musical influencer would be Travis Scott, who boasts an impressive fanbase but simply cannot compete with Drake’s reach and mainstream crossover appeal.

From an Adidas standpoint? It would be a flawless victory. They’ve already got some of the biggest rappers and artists in the world under contract, with a lineup boasting the aforementioned Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Pusha T and more. Adding Drake to that lineup is the musical equivalent of LeBron James joining the Heat in 2010: it’s borderline unfair to the competition.

Granted, Drake has many more steps to take before he can become like Kanye West, the king until proven otherwise when it comes to building hype and moving shoes/apparel … but from a musical and cultural standpoint you’re got to admit that he is significantly more relevant than West currently, who’s mainly been in headlines solely because of the recent movements of the Kardashian clan. As the most popular rapper in the world today, Drake would give Adidas an immediate shot in the arm, something that they need badly as they’re beginning to give up ground to Nike from a cultural standpoint.

Adidas’s Boost technology and brand-new silhouettes like the Ultra Boost, Yeezy 350, and NMD were all the rage in 2015-2016, but now trends are swinging back around, and classic Nike Sportswear silhouettes like Air Max and Air Force 1’s plus their new hybrid models like the Huarache 90/10 and Vapormax are all the rage in the sneaker game. In this championship fight between two titans of industry, Adidas needs to throw back a haymaker of their own, and stealing Drake away from their main rival would be the coup of the year for the German brand.

An interesting side note: Drake leaving Jordan would also lend weight to Kanye’s claim that Nike doesn’t give its partners enough creative freedom, the reason he left the Swoosh (with whom he created some of the most legendary sneakers of all time) for the Three Stripes in the first place. If Drake were to make the jump between brands and echo Kanye’s sentiments, it could be extremely damaging for the brand’s popularity among young, impressionable millennials. Although it’s unlikely that Drake would have a sold-out Madison Square Garden chanting “Fuck Nike” like Kanye did at his Yeezy Season 3 show, it’s safe to say that the brand’s reputation may be damaged with his millions of fans.

For now though, we’ll just have to wait and see. Drizzy may very well be content with Jordan (these are just rumors, after all) but if he isn’t, a stinging jab from a jilted former partner about how Nike would be nothing without Drake may just turn into more than a timely insult. It may become into a harsh reality that Nike/Jordan Brand will have to face head-on. Scary hours, indeed.

And no matter what happens, Drake and Kanye West will be forever intertwined as the two biggest rappers of the decade, dancing either around or with each other (depending on what brands they’re partnering with), swaying influence and culture. We can’t wait to see where this saga goes next … but we’re guessing no matter what happens we’ll be in line for some great rumors, some great stories, and most importantly some great product.

What do you think of Drake’s rumored move to Adidas? Do you think it’s really God’s plan, or do you think it’s just the Internet rumor mill churning again? Do you agree with Kanye’s claim about Nike being too stifling to work with, or do you think he’s just spouting off? What shoe do you think Drake and Adidas would collaborate on first if they worked together? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post What Would Drake Leaving Jordan For Adidas Mean? appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

YouTube is one of the most powerful and expansive mediums of communication in today’s digital world. Since its inception in 2005, the once-humble video sharing site has blossomed into an endless library of content, with everything from news to music to cat videos to fight compilations just a simple search and a click away. YouTube has created a new breed of “influencer,” one that controls and sways a viewer’s taste through their videos.

YouTube also brought many subcultures into the spotlight by making them much more accessible. “Sneaker YouTube” was a fringe term only a few years ago, but has exploded in popularity due to daily vlogs (video blogs), unboxings (new product being opened live on camera) and discussion videos from content creators with subscriber numbers in the hundreds of thousands, like BULL1TRC, Blake Linder, Money Kicks, and Qias Omar amassing huge loyal followings.

Today, sneaker YouTube is very loud, brash, and maximalist. It’s seemingly become about who can spend the most money, buy the most pairs of sneakers possible, have the biggest collection and jockey to get the most free product from their “sponsors”. It’s a strange microcosm for late-stage capitalism, and although the mindless consumption is borderline horrifying, it’s also impossible to turn away from.

However, sneaker YouTube wasn’t always this way. Before sneakers exploded in popularity and resell values of rare kicks shot sky-high, sneaker YouTube enjoyed a “golden age” of sorts from 2012 to early 2015. The content may not have been as refined and well-produced as it is today, but one thing that newer videos simply can’t match is the raw, grassroots enthusiasm and true love for kicks (not just love of how much they’re worth or how rare they are) of early sneaker YouTubers. It was all about the product, but not in the same mindless way it is today. Reviews, discussion videos, and long pickup videos were the name of the game, and the tight-knit community was an exciting thing to be a part of. It was a time when 100,000 subscribers was immense and 500,000 subscribers was entirely unheard of.

So today, we’re taking a look back into the past, and exploring the glory days of sneaker YouTube by nodding to some of the many personalities, video styles, and sneakers that made it so enjoyable. Get ready: you’re either in for a fun trip down memory lane, or a learning opportunity where you can discover the genesis of sneaker YouTube.

Let’s start at the very beginning with a question: why did sneaker YouTube become a thing in the first place? There’s really no exact answer, but the most accurate guess is likely because collectors like to show off their things, and explain why they like them/what makes them special, and YouTube offers a great platform to do just that. One of the earliest examples of this is Franalations, a sneaker collector from California who started making videos back in 2012, and still produces content today, although most of his time is spent on his successful sandal line, Sandalboyz.

Franalations offered something that wasn’t really available to sneakerheads at the time: a chance to check out exclusive product from a (mostly) unbiased perspective as well as offer real-life feedback and opinions on kicks. Before Twitter and Instagram grew into what they are today, it wasn’t as easy to see/find out about new product from an independent point of view, and his simple, straight-to-the point videos connected with sneakerheads the world over who followed him as he branched out into toys, clothes, and  “day in the life” videos.

However Franalations wasn’t the only sneakerhead making “pickup” videos. San Fransisco’s Dubsepslap415 rose to popularity for his “Sneakerhead Saturdays” series, posted weekly in which he’d share his pickups from the prior week. As his popularity grew, so did the amount of kicks in his videos until he was constantly over 25 new items each week.

If you watch the video above and then the video below, you’ll see: things got out of hand quickly. In later videos, Dubstepslap415 began to comment that there were “more important things than shoes” and that he was “spending time on other things” before stepping away from sneaker YouTube completely in 2015.

It was more than just product too. Golden era sneaker YouTube was full of intelligent sneaker heads with big personalities. You either had to love them or hate them, but no matter how you felt about them, your opinion was very strong. Scoop208 and The Sneaker Addict (also known as DJ Delz) gained loyal followings by being loud, outspoken, and brash. Both channels have experienced their fair share of ups and downs (being accused of PayPal scamming, selling fake kicks etc), but both are still around, churning out content on the daily and holding it down for OG sneaker YouTube.

And before Complex’s wildly popular “Sneaker Shopping,” there was Nice Kicks’s “Sneak Peek,” where host/editor George Kiel would visit the home of renowned collectors, athletes, and musicians so they could show off their collections. Everyone from Mayor to Nick Young made an appearance on the show, and offered a look into both the closets and mindsets of famous collectors, making you feel like you were along for the ride. The series came to an end a little over a year ago, but its influence is still felt in Complex’s content today.

Not all sneakerheads are collectors by default however. Some prefer to learn about the performance aspect and technical specifications of a shoe, which is where the “performance review” genre of sneaker YouTube video was born. KickGenius and Nightwing2303 were two of the first to put high-end, high priced performance shoes to the test and give their honest feedback on the product, saving many a product-conscious hooper from blowing a bag a bad pair of shoes. Both have reached new levels of success, with KickGenius boasting almost 950,000 subscribers and Nightwing receiving his own sneaker silhouette with BrandBlack.

And just because we always gotta show love to the underground favorites, there were several smaller channels churning out unique content as well, like GTFan712, who just returned to YouTube a month ago after a long hiatus. Known for his simple, clean on-feet videos and matter-of fact style, he offered a video and a description that was all about the product iself, not the person reviewing it.

There are far too many sneaker YouTube OG’s to list every single one, but content creators like JumpmanBostic, TBlake, Mr. Foamer Simpson, Elite Kicks and Eddie Win all contributed to the rise of sneaker YouTube as well. Some have moved on to other ventures while some are still creating fresh new sneaker content, but all played an integral part in the growth of the sneaker YouTube community.

As you take a look back at some of these videos, you can literally watch the evolution of sneaker YouTube and sneaker culture as a whole, from first pickup videos to “influencers” beginning to get seeded products, to the monolith of hype it’s become today. As sneaker YouTube gradually became larger and large, it traded in the charm and community feel it used to offer for higher viewers, more money, and more free product. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as anything cool will eventually grow and morph into something else, but we do find ourselves hoping that sneaker YouTubers can recapture some of their old magic and bring back the authentic grassroots feel in 2018 and beyond.

What’s your favorite sneaker YouTube channel? Do you prefer pickup videos, product reviews, performance reviews, or something else entirely? Do you miss the “golden age” of sneaker YouTube, or do you prefer the vlog-style content that’s become more popular today? Sound off in the comments or hit us up and let us know on Twitter!

–RDwyer

The post TBT: The Golden Age Of Sneaker YouTube appeared first on Kicks-1-2.