Hello, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for spending a bit of your day with me this morning. Appreciate you.
Hope you had a fantastic weekend! Do y’all play fantasy football? I hope the answer is no. Remind me never to play again. My season is somehow already over after an injury to Joe Burrow. Sigh. Better luck next year, I guess.
Let’s talk about something else.
Can’t Cancel Hype
In 2023, fresh off accusations that he’d fostered a toxic work cult at his studio, Tom Sachs’ reputation was in the dump. Any talk about the potential release of the Mars Yard 3.0 that Sachs had worked on felt like a fantasy.
Alas: A little more than two years later and, not only has the third iteration of Sachs’ signature line arrived, but it’s being met with plenty of fanfare.
- Scores of Sachs fans participated in his virtual I.S.R.U summer camp, hoping to grab pairs. We don’t have numbers on how many participated, but Sachs told the New York Times that users submitted more than 2 million photos and videos.
- There also seems to be enough excitement around the sneaker that Sachs says he and Nike will produce more shoes in 2026 for those who participated but might not score pairs this time around.
Why this matters: It seems clear at this point that, despite how maligned Sachs was two years ago and all the controversy surrounding his work, people haven’t hesitated in trying to get the Mars Yard 3.0 at all.
Naturally, that leaves people to wonder why. Especially when considering the initial response to the controversy surrounding the artist.
- Nike suspended its work with Sachs, and his General Purpose sneaker lost its momentum.
Yes, but: It’s hard to be surprised by the positive reception Sachs’ work is getting here when you look at how things have played out for others in similar circumstances.
- Nike eventually dropped Kyrie Irving for reposting content that included antisemitic material on Twitter in 2022. Three years later, he’s got one of the most popular signature shoes in the NBA with Anta. They just hosted a fashion show together.
- Balenciaga was “cancelled” for a 2022 ad campaign where it was accused of sexualising children. Three years later, Demna is the creative director of Gucci.
Those are just two examples, but they’re key examples in showing that controversy surrounding creatives doesn’t turn consumers away — especially not when the product the creative is producing is a coveted one.
During a time when there are few cash cow sneakers left on the resale market, Sachs is clearly one of the creatives in the sneaker world who can still craft one. The Mars Yard 1.0 and 2.0 are two of the most hyped sneakers in the streetwear category. They resell for thousands of dollars on platforms like StockX and eBay. Sachs’ Mars Yard 3.0 hasn’t had a wider release yet, but it seems like it’s already following that same path. It seems Sachs’ off-putting behaviour isn’t enough to cut those premiums down and condense profit margins for resellers.
The big picture: There was a time, a few years ago, when the moral decisions of creatives and the companies that backed them mattered to consumers. In some cases, it still does matter. But, by and large, scandals aren’t the backbreaker for brands that some might’ve thought they were.
VF Corp Drops Another Brand
It seems that, even after selling Supreme in 2024, VF Corp is still making cuts.
What’s new: VF Corp is working to slim down its portfolio again after the company announced a deal to sell Dickies to brand management firm Bluestar Alliance, Lei Takanashi reports.
- For those keeping count, Bluestar Alliance is the same firm that purchased Off-White from LVMH in 2024.
- The sale isn’t official yet, but VF Corp says it’s selling the company for $600 million in cash.
The backdrop: VF Corp is selling Dickies at a loss. It originally acquired the classic workwear brand in 2017 for $820 million. Here’s more detail on the VF side from Lei:
“On an earnings call in January, VF Corp.’s chief executive, Bracken Darrell, said the brand was in the midst of a “deep turnaround.” In March, VF Corp. laid off 125 Dickies employees after it shut down the label’s headquarters in its hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, and relocated them to VF Corp.’s campus in Costa Mesa, California.”
The why: As VF Corp has been working its way back under CEO Bracken Darrell’s “Reinvent” plan, it’s looked to reduce its debt to somewhere between $4 billion and $6 billion. Part of the way it’s done that is by selling its brands. That’s why it offloaded Supreme last year and why it’s offloading Dickies here.
Be smart: While this move makes sense from a debt reduction and restructuring standpoint, it doesn’t mean it isn’t a loss.
Dickies isn’t Supreme, obviously. This sale won’t make for great headlines like that one did. But Dickies has existed for over a century in the United States and is globally distributed. When the brand works out, it really works. The bones of a potential cash cow are there for Bluestar Alliance — especially as styles are changing again and oversized denim is back.
The big picture: While this is a loss — both literally and figuratively — for VF, it’s one worth taking. The company is consolidating and focusing its efforts on the brands it believes could be its winners moving forward in The North Face, Timberland and (maybe soon?) Vans.
Dickies simply wasn’t a part of that picture. That’s OK. Now, all parties get to move on to potentially greener pastures.
Tyrese Haliburton’s Shoe is Coming
We won’t see Tyrese Haliburton playing for the Indiana Pacers this season after he tore his Achilles, but his sneakers might still have a place on the court.
What’s new: Haliburton’s upcoming signature sneaker, the Hali 1, finally has a release date after he debuted it in the NBA Finals in June.
- The Hali 1 will drop in the “Opal” colourway on Sept. 25 via a pop-up in partnership with Footlocker in Indianapolis. They’ll sell through 317 pairs — a nod to Indianapolis’ area code.
- There will be a global release to follow the next day on Sept. 26.
Why this matters: While it’s certainly not one of the most anticipated footwear releases of 2025 so far (What a stacked year, btw!), it still feels like there’s quite a bit riding on the success of this shoe.
- As we mentioned before, Puma needs wins. The company’s short-term outlook is bleak. The Pinault family isn’t selling its stake in the company, but there are still questions about what the future looks like.
- Plus, Puma has invested quite a bit in this sneaker. Signature shoes are always expensive, but especially when you attach a big name designer like Salehe Bembury to them.
A lacklustre showing for the Hali 1 where pairs are sitting and there doesn’t seem to be much interest in the sneaker would be a devastating blow for Puma’s basketball category — especially considering how hot the category seems to be right now with brands like Nike, Adidas and Converse having success with their own new model launches.
The bottom line: This drop won’t necessarily make or break Puma as a brand, but how it goes will be an instructive sign of things to come.
Terrence Crawford Lifts Off-White
Boxing certainly isn’t the sport it used to be, but it’s still always great to find yourself in the winner’s corner. Shoutout to Off-White for finding a way to fit in.
What happened: Everlast partnered with Off-White to create a custom kit for Terrence “Bud” Crawford ahead of his fight against Canelo Alvarez for the super middleweight title on Saturday night.
The look literally dazzled.
- The kit featured over 1,000 hand-embellished Swarovski crystals stitched into his shorts, shoes and jacket.
- The best detail, in my opinion, was the crystal-covered Off-White arrow logo.
It’s a good thing Bud won. You can’t wear that many crystals at once and get knocked out. That would’ve been embarrassing.
Why this matters: While Off-White as a brand has always been adjacent to sports, it’s never been directly involved in a sport at this high a level. But designing a kit for the greatest boxer of this generation is a big deal. That’s a huge win for the brand and could potentially be a sign of more to come.
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 today! I appreciate your time! Hope you enjoyed today’s 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 💯
