The State of Sneakers in 2023:
As 2023 begins to take shape, KickWave looks at some of the current sneaker trends and assesses where a few of our go to brands are at.
Jordan Brand is still a juggernaut:
Jordan Brand is still going strong, but their most sought-after model is changing. Certainly, before and during the pandemic, the Jordan 1 was the most hyped model the brand had. This was hardly surprising as the shoe is iconic. Every single colourway, from the classics, to the collaborations, to the general releases sold out. But as we come out of the pandemic the market has become saturated with 1s and now some sit on shelves as the resale market slows. Despite the fact that Jordan Brand have pushed the Jordan 2 heavily (the Maison Chateau Rouge pair was one of my favourites of the 2022), the Jordan 4 seems to have emerged as the most desirable for much of the sneaker community. With far fewer releases than the 1 through the pandemic, it still has that ‘want but can’t get’ factor. 2023 is already shaping up to be a big year for the Air Jordan 4, with the Pine Green SB pair releasing soon, and the first ever retro of the Thunders coming later. Who knows, the long awaited re-release of the Military Blue 4s could come towards the back end of the year.
Image Credit: British GQ
Asics are making big strides:
Asics seem to be having a bit of a moment in sneaker culture right now. They have the perfect storm of runners being cool at the moment and plenty of sneakerheads being switched on to the brand in 2022 through their collaboration with JJJJound. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if the Gel Kayano 14 becomes very popular. With people like longstanding collaborator Ronnie Fieg on board, Asics could put out some really good shoes. Interestingly, the Gel Lyte V seems to be gathering some traction online. The new Gel NYC is also a shoe to keep an eye on as it gets a wider rollout, seeing as it shares so much of the design language that is making Asics so desirable right now.
Image Credit: Sneaker News
Adidas is having a tough moment:
Life after Yeezy was always going to be difficult for Adidas, particularly given the way that their partnership ended. We have good reason to believe that Adidas have $527 million worth of unsold Yeezy stock that they are unsure what to do with. Nor does there seem to be a concrete plan as of yet around what they will and (can) do with the silhouettes themselves. To make matters worse, Beyonce’s Ivy Park line with Adidas has reportedly missed sales targets by around $200 million. The iconic three stripes brand is clearly at a crossroads, and in need of a reinvigoration. A return to their sporting roots could do just that. There is plenty of doom and gloom around Adidas at the moment, but the recent preview of their new basketball line is something to get excited about. Special mention goes to the ‘Crazy IIInfinity’, the spiritual yet futuristic looking successor to Kobe Bryant’s old Adidas line.
Brands continue to dig into their archives:
After the success of the New Balance 550, brands are continuing to dig up older performance footwear from the archives and repurposing it for lifestyle use. The Nike Airship is a good example, with Nigel Sylvester recently debuting a ‘Bike Air’ collaboration. But I think there’ll be some other surprises too. I personally enjoyed the Nike Kukini coming back in 2022 and I think we’ll see more retros of somewhat niche silhouettes as we go deeper into 2023. This has already begun with the renaissance of the Adidas Samba, and more recently Nike’s rerelease of the Humara. Perhaps we’ll finally see a wider return of Nike’s Sunder Max (pretty please).
Image Credit: The Sole Supplier