In this episode I talk about how sneaker brands can get stale and what do they need to do to stay relevant in light of the lack of hype for recent A Ma Maniere releases, and even Bodega store closures. I also discuss how newer brands and releases must be more persona based in this day and age, particularly looking into UnheardOf's recent releases.I also discuss Zadeh Kicks Pleads Guilty, Nike News, What Happened to Air Max Day and why don’t they call it Air Max Day any more? I wonder if StockX Verified Seller program has a strike team auditing resellers. Plus a lot more!Timestamps00:00 Intro04:45 On Feet05:50 Pickups: Nigel Brick by Brick Jordan 4 10:04 Pickup: Kith 997.5 Easter11:20 Pickups: Kobe 6 Dodgers & Action Bronson 990v612:12 Misses: Jordan 4 SB Navy12:48 Recent Releases13:17 Supreme Air Max 113:52 Salehe NB 991v2 Grimace be the Shoe14:39 JaeTips Saucony Jazz 9 - I Love You But I'm Busy18:32 Unheardof Adidas Adistar Cushion 3 Piggy Runners20:32 Air Max 95 Neon22:00 A Ma Maniere Pack23:53 New Balance Spring Releases and Kith vs Packer 25:28 Zadeh Kicks Pleads Guilty29:07 Nike Earnings, DTC Shareholder Lawsuit 31:03 Tinker Got a Weird Case33:10 What Happened to Air Max Day?37:31 StockX Verified Seller Program47:12 Should Bodega Be Saved?54:25 Staying Relevant / Not Getting Stale58:08 Persona Based Brands59:51 UnheardOf Case Study

In this episode, I do a Top 10 Signs That Sneakers Are Back List. I also do release recaps of Bred 1 and Union Jordan 1 release. And cover sneaker news over the recent month. A fun show as always so check it out~!Timestamps00:00 Intro02:21 Skips: Haven Asics Gel Nimbus 10.103:01 Black Toe 1s and Sneakerhead Math04:38 Undefeated Spiridon Needs a Gimmick05:32 Air Max 1 Polly Adventure and the Triangle Stitching08:39 Misses: Kobes, Galaxy Foams11:19 Pickups: Black Metallic Jordan 5s12:17 JFG New Balance 992 Aged Well16:33 Bred 1 85 High20:39 Union Jordan 1 Chicago Shadow22:36 Yuto Dunk SB Matcha24:51 Recent Releases: Bred 1 85 Highs27:30 Union Jordan 1 Chicago Shadow Release39:45 News: Tom Sachs Put Some Pants On And Announced Mars Yard 3.043:36 A New Low For Kanye50:09 Nike Skims54:30 Kai Cennat gifts a Freddy Kreuger SB58:57 Travis Scott and WWE01:04:38 StockX Found Liable for Selling Counterfeits01:09:31 Sneakers and Tariffs01:16:40 Top 10 Signs That Sneakers Are Back

In this episode, we talk about the release of the Bred 1 85 High and if the marketing fit the low stock numbers and distribution. We talk about the community resentment and take a look at the 5 Stages of Sneakerhead Grief. Other topics covered include Corteiz’s design contest, sneaker retailers hurting and the recent fires in Los Angeles.  Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 06:48 - On Feet, Skips and Misses  09:53 - Corteiz Design Contest 15:24 - Sneaker Retail Hurting 19:48 - LA Fires 25:40 - 2025 Bred 1 Release 27:04 - Most Historically Accurate Jordan 1 Ever 29:06 - Ticketmaster Approach to Pricing 30:33 - Stock Numbers and White Glove Service 36:13 - Marketing Blitz 42:27 - 6 Year Cycles 44:21 - Disconnect / Resentment 45:41 - Everything Should Be a GR Opinion 48:08 - 5 Stages of Sneakerhead Grief

In this episode I talk about the making of sneaker of the year lists and the criticism they get and why I believe that anyone creating lists like this should embrace the debate. That leads to the main segment which is about how fandom is changing in sneakers and all other niches. I talk about how it's becoming more tribalistic and how that affects the state of criticism and feedback in this modern digital age. There's also a special announcement! Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 03:25 - On Feet 04:19 - Pickups 13:40 - Misses 15:07 - Skips 17:17 - James Whitner, Virgil Abloh and The Lore of a Swoosh on a Converse 19:00 - Embrace Debate: Making Sneaker of the Year Lists  28:45 - Fandom vs Tribalism in Sneakers

In this episode, I discuss my spat with the Editor in Chief of Complex, criticism vs hating, how past history affects harshness, the backlash, and a lot more. It's not intended as a rant, it's intended as a reflection. Also, Sneaker Guy of the Week returns, plus the debut of a new segment: We Are So Back / It's So Over. 00:00 - Intro 05:40 - Pickups 06:11 - Misses 07:33 - Skips 10:48 - Upcoming 13:06 - Sneaker Guy of the Week 15:05 - We Are So Back / It's So Over 22:21 - Sneaker of the Year Panels 25:41 - The Zone of Conflict of Interest 26:53 - Recap of What I Said Last Episode 29:56 - Whitaker Group x adidas official 34:17 - What Does an Editor in Chief Do? 38:10 - EIC Responds 41:11 - Looking For Clout 42:10 - Anonymous 47:35 - Journalism Skills 48:18 - Go Outside 48:54 - God Bless 53:40 - My Response 58:29 - Outro Cover includes artwork by Aldo Giorgini

In this episode we talk about James Whitner not getting charged by feds and apparently signing with adidas and speculate if his relationship with Nike and Jordan will continue. We also talk about the Nike CEO John Donahoe stepping down and who’s really to blame for Nike’s decline in these last 5 years. Some other topics, we talk about StockX sneakers available at Walmart, TwoJsKicks apparently out at Urban Necessities, customizers selling fakes, and Tom Sachs back at Nike. A lot of topics! If I had more time, I woulda made a shorter podcast. Timestamps 00:00 - Cold Open: Let the Blessings Come In 00:18 - Intro 02:10 - On Feet 02:30 - Pickups 05:26 - Skips 12:05 - EQL Feedback 15:31 - Influencer Era 20:18 - StockX Sneakers Available at Walmart 23:51 - TwoJsKicks Apparently Out At Urban Necessities 27:46 - JSM Customs Accused of Selling Fake Customs 39:03 - Tom Sachs Back at Nike 46:01 - James Whitner Gives Up Claim to $1.2 Mil  50:33 - Complex Interview 57:16 - Potential Adidas Deal 1:00:03 - Working With Multiple Brands 01:02:10 - Nike Relationship Over? 01:07:14 - Prosper Closing 01:08:27 - MJ and James Whitner 01:10:08 - Nike CEO Out 01:17:21 - Outro

In this episode I cover EQL's recent customer privacy incident in full detail and explain what happened, and why it shouldn't be considered as no big deal because incidents like this could potentially be company ending events. I also talk about Nike suing The Shoe Surgeon and how coverage of the story seems to be ignoring that he's being accused of mass producing counterfeit sneakers. Allegedly. Timestamps 00:00 - Cold Open 00:21 - Intro  02:38 - On Feet / Pickups 09:22 - Skips 12:57 - Upcoming 15:06 - Shoe Surgeon Sued By Nike 26:08 - EQL and Customer Data 29:22 - Disclaimers 33:17 - Kept The Same Energy 36:12 - Twitter Timeline of Events 46:46 - One Time Exception 51:38 - Tweets Deleted 53:45 - Blowback 57:16 - JBosston617's Side of the Story 01:00:52 - Morality and Companies 01:04:04 - Avoiding Company Ending Events 01:08:43 - Who's to Blame Buy socks at https://shop.sockjig.com/

The series concludes with a conversation with my friend Corey Whatever who runs the digital agency Whatever Industries that has worked with brands like Rhude, Fear of God, JJJJound on their sites and on their hyped sneaker collaborations. We talk about what happens on that side of the aisle during and after sneaker drops. You can find Corey Whatever at: https://whateverindustries.com/ Twitter: @corey_whatever Instagram: coreywhatever Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 06:41 - Corey Whatever 07:21 - Starting Point with Retailers 13:14 - Working with Converse on the Lost Daze Weapon Low FNF 20:27 - Part 2 Reaction 21:30 - Working with Shopify on Drops 25:17 - Collabs are Awesome for Brands 28:19 - Nina Chanel Abney Jordan 3 Drop 32:43 - When Things Go Wrong 40:31 - FNF 46:34 - Resellers Cause Havoc 55:17 - Have You Seen The Backdoor 57:56 - Getting New Brands To The Next Level Support the Jig, buy socks at https://shop.sockjig.com/

Premise You own a fictional skateshop in San Francisco called Ice Age Skate and you're getting 10k pairs of a Dunk SB to release in-store and online. Let's create a release strategy plan for a hype collab sneaker, and decide how we want to release in-store, to fnf/vip, and online. We'll also do some Backdoor Math and decide if that's an option we should explore. Finally we look at the logistics involved in warehousing and shipping 10k pairs. If you like the episode, consider buying some Sockjig Socks: https://shop.sockjig.com/ Timestamps 0:00 - Cold Open: Pump Up The Volume 0:35 - Intro 02:14 - Premise: You’re Getting 10k Pairs of a Hype Dunk SB to Release 04:16 - Why a Nike SB Dunk for the Collab? 06:55 - Think of it Like You're Planning a Wedding 07:35 - Start With Why 08:56 - The Business of Collabs 13:54 - Release Strategy 14:40 - Marketing Plan 17:29 - A Sidebar on Location Clearance 21:03 - In-Store Raffle 25:19 - FNF / VIP 27:08 - Online Drop or Raffle 30:32 - To Backdoor, or Not To Backdoor 34:00 - Option 1: 100% Retail, No Backdooring 34:53 - Option 2: 80% Retail, 20% Backdoored at $200 36:39 - Option 3: 80% Retail, 20% Backdoored at $300 37:08 - Option 4: 50% Retail, 50% Backdoored at $350 38:13 - Option 5: Full Trophy Room Mode 38:45 - Recap 40:51 - Final Stock Allocation 42:46 - Logistics Plan 46:21 - Shipping 10k Sneakers 48:57 - 3PL - Third Party Logistics 53:25 - Did Any Pairs Fall Off the Truck? 54:05 - Backdooring Logistics 55:10 - Drop Time 56:30 - Customer Service 58:21 - What If the Online Drop Didn't Go Well? 01:01:22 - Post Release

This is a special edition Sockjig x Loose Laces Crossover episode all about Nike re-releasing grails like Wu-Tang Clan Dunk Highs and potentially Undefeated Jordan 4s. Listen and Subscribe to Loose Laces Podcast Apple https://open.spotify.com/show/7irgYwZjswyrUFCBtdio4T Spotify https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/loose-laces/id1623728170 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@LooseLacesPod/ The Game Is The Game Socks available now at https://shop.sockjig.com/