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/

This episode is about how to release a sneaker from a collaborator's point of view. I'll take a look at how they can create a release strategy that suits their needs. But first they need to know what are they trying to get out of a sneaker release and what are their core values. I also evaluate why sneaker releases are the way they are, taking a look at recent releases of Action Bronson, Nina Chanel Abney, and others. I'll answer why some choose raffle, or loyalty access or first-come first-served approach. Plus a lot more! Links New Socks Available Now! shop.sockjig.com MLB Article I'm quoted in: Instant classic? New Balance unveils Ohtani 1, Shohei's first signature cleat Sockilizer: The Raffle Simulator: https://www.sockjig.com/sockilizer/ Whatever Industries: https://whateverindustries.com/ Timestamps 0:00 Cold Open 00:12 Intro 01:25 Shohei Ohtani Article on MLB.com 04:42 How to Release a Collab Sneaker Series 07:07 On Feet  07:45 Pickups 12:09 Skips / Recent Releases 20:34 Misses 21:55 Don't Stop Disbelieving About Tomorrow 24:19 Skepta's Getting Royalties 27:59 Nike Stepping in the Drake v. Kendrick Beef 29:03 Kanye x Nike Not Happening 31:14 Kool Kiy Gets a Slap on the Wrist 33:28 Intro: UP NYC Lightning 17 Drop 38:35 How to Release A Collab Sneaker: Start With Why 41:26 The Why 48:11 The How: Designing a Release Strategy 54:11 Evaluating EQL  01:02:05 Rewarding Loyalty 01:04:35 The What: Did You Get it Right? 01:06:27 Post Mortem / Retrospective 01:09:50 JBalvin Release 01:10:29 Travis Scott Release 01:12:34 Action Bronson Release 01:14:30 Nina Chanel Jordan 3 01:17:29 HUF AM1 01:18:02 Outro

An in depth look at sneaker brands, collaborators, retailers, resell, sneaker media, trends and overall thoughts on the state of the sneaker game in 2024. Timestamps 00:00 - Entrance 02:01 - Intro 04:33 - Opening Remarks 15:49 - State of Sneaker Market 17:41 - The Rise of EQL 19:30 - State of Reselling: Resell is Dead, Long Live Resell 21:24 - State of Resell Apps 23:15 - State of Sneaker Media 34:27 - State of Sneaker Retailers 36:33 - Boutiques and the Loss of Targeted Facebook Ads 38:51 - Big Box Retailers 40:20 - PacSun Supporting Independent Streetwear Brands 41:09 - State of Signature Basketball Sneakers 44:18 - A'Ja Wilson and Nike Gaslighting 47:04 - Too Many Signature Shoes? 48:16 - One Release a Year 51:06 - AE1 and Being On Offence 53:56 - State of Nike 58:43 - Dylan Raasch Leaving Nike 1:02:40 - State of Jordan Brand 1:09:19 - State of Nike SB 1:11:16 - State of Adidas 1:13:20 - New Balance is a Family Biz 1:17:47 - Asics: Getting GRs Over 1:19:48 - Reebok and Authentic Brands Group 1:27:13 - Other Brands: Salomon, Saucony, Puma, Hoka, On, Crocs, Luxury, Independent Brands 1:31:59 - Outro https://shop.sockjig.com/

In this episode, I talk about Nike’s marketing and shitty products problem. I also talk about my trip to Japan, how Instagram is a key for vacation planning, what I wore and what Japanese were wearing. I also talk about shopping and a give a brief history Ginza, the birthplace of Japanese Fashion. Other topics include the Bode Astrograbber release and how Hidden NY has no point of view. Timestamps 00:00 - Newsradio Cold Open 00:21 - Intro 03:09 - Pickups / Skips / Misses 04:54 - Skips 06:35 - Misses 08:47 - Bode Astrograbbers 13:19 - Hidden NY Asics 20:42 - Nike and Goat 24:51 - Nike's Marketing and Shitty Products Problem 29:41 - Nike's AI Designed Sneakers 31:39 - Nike and MLB Fanatics Deal 33:35 - The Sword of Donahue 37:08 - Big in Japan 41:09 - Picking a Travel Sneaker 42:02 - Clothing for Japan 45:01 - Initial Thoughts in Japan 48:42 - Cash Money 49:42 - Language 50:51 - Food 54:12 - Transportation 57:07 - Sneakers Japanese Wear 59:52 - Clothing Japanese Wear 1:01:36 - Shopping 1:08:37 - Ginza and the History of Japanese Men's Fashion 1:15:19 - Closing Thoughts Buy Sockjig Socks https://shop.sockjig.com/

In this episode, I talk about Live Streaming and how future sneaker influencers will more likely emerge from this space. I also share my thoughts on all these overly dramatic takes about the Death of Sneaker Culture because Trump appeared up at SneakerCon. Plus a lot more! Timestamps 0:00 - Cold Open: Thurston Moore 02:51 - Pickups 04:17 - Skips 07:12 - Misses 08:56 - HartCopy adidas BW Army Release 13:14 - Wale Deserves More 16:36 - Nike Signs Kai Cennat 20:13 - Complex Sold to NTWRK App 25:14 - Future Sneaker Influencers and Livestreaming 27:27 - Trump at SneakerCon 40:01 - Shawn Stussy Says Sneaker Culture is Officially Over 49:09 - Outro