Good morning, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for reading today. Appreciate you giving me a bit of your time today. Happy Tuesday! Hope you’ve got a great week ahead of you.
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but Thanksgiving is something just a couple of weeks away now. This time of year always sneaks up on you. You’ll be eating turkey one day and then — BOOM — it’s 2026 and you’re like “Wait, wasn’t it just Halloween???”
QUICK HITS:
Alright, let’s get down to business.
The Slopes Are the New Wave
Last year, skiing’s winter retro aesthetics took over the fashion world, with several brands, ranging from the industry’s upper echelon designer labels to its outsiders, launching après-ski apparel lines.
This winter, the brands are running it back alongside a new player in the game: Sports teams.
What’s new: Famed Serie A football club AC Milan is launching a new skiwear collection alongside French outdoors brand Rossignol. The collection, which launched on Monday, features both a lifestyle collection and performance gear.
- The performance line features Forza AC Milan skis, anti-fog goggles and a performance set of jackets, pants, gloves and socks.
- There’s also a performance set included for kids in the collection.
- The lifestyle selection features two main pieces: A half-zip sweater and a retro-style jacket.
My take: I think the actual ski jacket and pants are much more impressive lifestyle pieces than the half-zip and retro jacket, but that’s neither here nor there. What we’re looking at here matters less than what it represents.
Zoom out: While a football club launching a skiwear collaboration with a legacy outdoors brand might feel a bit out of order initially, it makes sense when you consider the 2026 Winter Olympic Games as the connective tissue for all of this.
- The 2026 Games are in Milan this year and are right around the corner in February (it’s closer than you think!).
The Games have made the already tight après-ski grip on the fashion world (and, by proxy, sports) even tighter. Luxury outerwear companies like Moncler, Canada Goose and more have made these sorts of collections their bread and butter, but the Olympics has everyone else ready to join in.
Just in the last week, along with Milan’s new announcement, we had:
The big picture: Even outside of this moment with the Olympic Games, brands are seeing opportunity. Experiential aesthetics have taken over fashion. We’ve seen tennis-core, gorpcore, surf style and more. Skiwear is just another frontier for brands to explore.
- My colleague, Simone Stern Carbone, reported earlier this year that the ski tourism industry is on track to grow to $5.7 billion globally by 2027.
Sounds like it’s time to bundle up, folks.
Content Over Commercials
Joseph “Joe FreshGoods” Robinson has always been known for his creative use of storytelling to sell products, but the level he’s taken that to lately has me quite intrigued.
What’s new: JFG is launching his 11th collaboration with New Balance this week on the footwear brand’s 2010 model.
- He’s launching two different colourways — one called “Bag Lady” and another called “Hand Me Downs.”
The material changes on the sneakers are what makes them stick out. Instead of traditional suede, the JFG 2010 seems to use a sherpa-like material on its overlays giving them a distinctive look.
Yes, but: The marketing campaign grabbed my attention much more than the shoes did. Instead of the usual commercial that JFG would put together, he posted an interview with rapper Babyface Ray, who was wearing the new sneakers while chatting.
- The marketing collection and campaign are called “In My Bag.”
- Robinson called this the first episode, so there are seemingly more of these interviews coming with more creatives down the line.
What this is: What we’re getting here is a podcast that explains the theme and story behind the product Robinson is selling, through the lens of another creator in another industry. It’s very similar to the “Performance Art” campaign from a few years back, but a bit more in-depth.
Zoom out: It feels like we’re witnessing a bit of an evolution for Robinson. His latest campaigns have felt like a bit more than that. Prior to this latest “In My Bag” campaign, he launched an entire documentary following the release of his “Aged Well” New Balance 992, reflecting on his his five year stint with the company.
While great commercials are nice, fans love seeing a bit of extra effort. Especially when they’ve been following some of these creators for so long.
The big picture: We’re going to see how well this strategy works for Robinson. He’ll need to hit a home run with his marketing this week with the shoe’s launch.
- It’s launching the same week as two highly anticipated pairs of Jordan 1s — the Travis Scott x Fragment joints and the OG Chicago Jordan 1 lows.
He certainly doesn’t seem very worried. Can’t say I blame him. These are incredible.
NikeSkims Is Back Already
Don’t look now, but there’s a new NikeSkims winter collection coming for the winter season in just a few days.
What’s happening: The second drop between the partnership is set to release on Nov. 13. The new collection was announced on Monday.
- The new collection will come with 65 new pieces, including accessories like socks, fanny packs and training loves.
- It’s a drop made specifically for the winter. It includes a new woven nylon material, a wrap coat and what Nike is calling “weightless layers.”
- The core materials from the first collection in Shine, Matte, and Airy, will be available on new silhouettes and colourways, the brand says.
The timing: This is what is so fascinating about this drop to me. The initial NikeSkims collection was released across the brand’s channels and in stores just over a month ago at the tail end of September.
Now, here we are, and there’s already a new collection coming. That makes me wonder if the first collection had enough time to breathe.
- While the initial launch was met with plenty of chatter and anticipation, the excitement surrounding it seemed to be somewhat muted once it actually happened.
- Considering that, you have to wonder if this new collection is dropping too soon too quietly.
The other side: Then too, maybe that’s kind of the point. NikeSkims isn’t a hyped collaboration — it’s supposed to be ubiquitous and ever-present. It’s natural to drop a winter collection as winter time arrives. The more products on the market for the holiday season, the better.
I’ll be curious to see if there’s a product in this latest launch that can finally catch on and bring a bit more buzz to the table. We’ll see.
The New “Dad Shoes”
Ready to feel old? If you’re a sneakerhead and you’ve been on TikTok over the last couple of weeks, you’ve probably seen the debate about the Air Force 1 sneaker pop up in your feed.
What they’re saying: Apparently, Gen Z seems to think that Nike’s signature Air Force 1 sneakers are “Dad shoes.” What’s a dad shoe? It’s simple: A shoe that your dad would wear. Something that can only be cool in the most ironic sort of way.
My take: I ain’t gonna lie, folks. This made me spiral.
- Am I really that old? Am I out of touch? Do these kids not respect the opinion of one of hip-hop’s most outstanding laureates in Nelly? I mean, he asked for TWO PAIRS of Air Force 1s, y’all. Two.
After quick doomscroll and a bit of reflection, I realised the answers to my questions. Yes, I am out of touch. No, they don’t care about Nelly. And, honestly, they’re right!
Here’s the thing: As a Millennial, I grew up in an era where the Y2K runner look was old. I saw my dad and my uncle and older cousins wearing old New Balances and Air Monarchs. Those meshy looks were for the generations above me.
For Gen Z, those meshy looks are in style. They’d prefer a pair of P-6000s or Vomero 5s over an Air Force 1. For many of them, those Forces probably are the shoes that their actual dad wears. So, therefore, they’re “Dad Shoes.” Is that heartbreaking? Yes. But it’s also true.
That’s fine, though. There’s no shame in this old man’s game. Give me a good pair of Forces any day.
What’s Droppin’, Bruh?
This is a dedicated section detailing upcoming sneaker releases for the week, and sometimes other interesting drops I think you might care about.
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 💯
