Subscribe to The Kicks You Wear with Mike D. Sykes, a drill down on the red hot intersection between sports and fashion.
Good morning, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for lending me a bit of your time this morning.
Happy Friday! Here’s to a great weekend. Guys. You need to lock in on the WNBA playoffs right now if you haven’t already. The Phoenix Mercury pulled off an incredible comeback against the Minnesota Lynx a few nights ago. They were down by 20 points! That’s one of the biggest comebacks in league history.
The basketball. It’s really good!
Anyway, let’s get to the good stuff.
NikeSkims Still Has to Prove It
NikeSkims’ run officially begins on Friday when products hit physical and virtual shelves for the first time. The company hasn’t actually sold anything yet, but this already feels like a pretty big win for Nike.
Here’s why: The timing for the brand couldn’t be better.
Why that matters: While the launch of NikeSkims certainly won’t move things forward fiscally for Nike in the first quarter, it will be another thing the brand can hang its hat on to give investors confidence in its direction moving forward.
If we’re being frank, Nike hasn’t had one of those things in a long time. It’s a good thing for the brand.
Let’s be real: I like to come at these branded partnerships with as clear-eyed a view as possible, considering the possibilities of what might go right and what might go wrong. But I’ve got to be honest, folks. There’s no such thing as a guaranteed hit, but this feels like a guaranteed hit.
And there’s just so much potential here, even beyond activewear. There’s no doubt that sneaker collaborations are coming. NikeSkims can get into lifestyle. I’d honestly love to see Nike get into beauty with Skims, too.
There’s a but: Because there always is. In sports, we often say that things look great “on paper,” meaning that in theory, everything sounds great. But the game plan still has to be executed. NikeSkims still has to sell well. And, maybe more than anything else, the product has to be considered cool. If it’s not, then it won’t work.
If anybody knows that, it’s Nike.
- There was a point just a few years ago when it felt like the swoosh would reign over the sportswear space forever. Everybody else was just playing for second.
- Now, we get surveys every few months with data showing us that Nike has lost its touch with the youth.
Be smart: The product is also launching at a somewhat tumultuous time for the activewear industry. The category has regained some momentum, but the data show that it’s not as hot as it was during the pandemic.
The big picture: Everyone has an opinion about NikeSkims. Some people think it’s great. Some people think the Yeezy vibes are too strong. Some people think it might not work. Others are sure it will work. Everyone wants to be in on that conversation. For Skims and Nike, that’s an essential part of the plan.
The next part is actually proving that it’s worth all the chatter. That effort is finally underway. I look forward to revisiting this conversation in a year or two.
E.l.f Takes the Pitch With Tottenham
The embrace of beauty brands in men’s sports continues with Tottenham Hotspur’s new partnership with E.l.f. Cosmetics.
What’s happening: Tottenham’s men’s club will feature E.l.f branding on the back of the club’s shirts throughout the Carabao Cup tournament this season.
The big deal: That last point is what makes this deal so interesting to me. It’s not unusual that we see beauty brands crossing over into sports in 2025. E.l.f has plenty of experience doing it. We’ve seen Sephora work with brands like the WNBA and Unrivaled in basketball. The same with brands like Mielle, Fenty and Glossier.
But we’re seeing more and more of these partnerships emerge on the men’s side of things these days. It was only a couple of weeks ago that we talked about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s fragrance partnership with YSL.
The why: There’s such a huge opportunity with male athletes and male audiences when it comes to beauty, grooming and skincare. Perceptions of these categories have shifted. As that’s happened, a new marketplace for these brands has opened up. These brands are producing products that male athletes are increasingly consuming. As that continues, we’ll continue to see more partnerships like this one between Tottenham and E.l.f.
The other side: Do you wish things could’ve gone a bit deeper here? Absolutely. The crossover might feel a bit gimmicky, considering that E.l.f will only be on Tottenham’s shirts for a specific tournament and not the entire season.
But this is at least a start. And, if it goes well, there will be more opportunities down the road.
Loro Piana’s Flex at the Ryder Cup
If I’m being completely honest with you all — this will probably make some of you upset — golf kits usually bore me.
Can you blame me?!? I mean, of course, you’ve got folks like Jason Day, who usually pulls some incredible stuff off with Malbon. Eastside Golf always does a solid job, too. But, by and large, golf fashion is usually kind of stale. Sweat-wicking polos are just not for me, guys.
Yes, but: I can’t lie. When I saw the story about Loro Piana’s upcoming kits for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, I kind of felt like I needed one.
The backdrop: For those unfamiliar, the Ryder Cup is a biennial golf tournament between the United States and Europe.
- The first official Ryder Cup took place in 1927 between the United States and Great Britain.
- Great Britain’s team was extended to include continental Europe in 1979.
Loro Piana has been designing the uniforms since 2016 and, I’ve got to say, the newest one might be the most creative yet.
- The design is based on Team Europe’s most recent “away” wins, meaning the times they’ve won the cup on US soil.
- The kit comes in four different colors, each representing the uniforms worn during those years.
There are two things that I love in sports: Being fly and talking trash. This combines both. Well done, Team Europe. Bravo, Loro Piana.
Jae Tips Wants You To Bring Him Plants For Shoes
Saucony’s partnership with John “Jae Tips” Cotton continues to push the boundaries of creativity and access in ways that simply bring a smile to my face.
What’s new: Cotton’s latest collaboration on Saucony’s ProGrid Triumph 4 is launching this weekend with two separate pop-ups the rapper-turned-designer is hosting in London and New York City.
The title of the collab is “Flowers Grow Uptown,” so, naturally, Cotton is asking that people “donate a plant of any size” at the pop-up for a chance to purchase the shoes.
- As someone who grew up watching my grandmother garden every day, this warms my heart a little bit.
- The donations will be sent to community gardens around New York City.
I’m sorry, guys. This is awesome. Shoutout to this sort of out-of-the-box thinking. This is how you have fun with sneakers.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GOOOOOO.
First, the homie JD came through with these heaters. I never get enough of those Travis Scott 6s, gang.
The homie Josh came through with these heaters from Dior. What a look.
The homie Rick Dubb came through with these Sacai Cortez joints. SLEEPERS, guys. I’m telling you.
Then the homie Rob took us home with these Off-White joints. I’m so glad high-tech running shoes are back. It’s awesome.
Great work, gang. Fantastic stuff.
Thanks for reading, gang! Hope you enjoyed the newsletter.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, reach out to me via email at michael.sykes@businessoffashion.com or shoot me a message @MikeDSykes via socials.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯