Nike Is Already Winning 2026
Good morning, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for reading today. I appreciate you giving me a bit of your time. Thanks so much for being here with me. If you were in the US, I hope you had a great Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Not only do I hope you had a peaceful day off, but I really do hope you took the time to reflect on the man’s legacy and what he meant to the world.In celebration of the day, here’s my favourite King speech: “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop“. This was King’s final speech before his assassination on April 3, 1968. He was in Memphis supporting the community’s sanitation workers in their labor battle for fair wages and improved working conditions. Til his very last day on this earth, he stood tall for regular, everyday working people.I share this with readers every year. It means a lot to me. I hope you’ll take some time to read through it today! Alright. Let’s dive in. The Nike Mind Shoe Is a WinnerWe’re only a few weeks into 2026, but one of Nike’s new products might have the brand playing on its front foot for the first time in a long time. State of play: Nike’s Mind 001 and 002 shoes, released just over a week and a half ago on Jan. 8, seem to have the public intrigued. These are the neuroscience-based silhouettes Nike created to support athletes during warm-up and recovery. The 001 is a mule and the 002 is an actual sneaker. They each have 22 foam nodes in the outsole that are supposed to create a “ground-feel” sensation for the wearer, helping centre the mind.The reaction: The shoes sold out immediately on Nike’s website, albeit in a limited capacity. Nike normally shortens stock on a release like this to build up a bit of hype and excitement for the product. This is one the brand especially has an interest in making cool — it was one of Nike’s touted products in its October innovation reveal. The strategy seems to have worked so far if the aftermarket is any indication. Some pairs are selling for more than $400 on StockX despite the product’s $95 retail price. I’ve also seen the fervour firsthand. Over the weekend, five people reached out to me for advice on how to get a pair (and whether they should fork up hundreds of dollars over retail for one). These were casual folks just looking for a pair of shoes — not sneakerheads itching for their next pair. So what is it? I asked a couple of them what interested them about the shoes. Their answers revolved around the same two key points. First, people are genuinely interested in the technology. They’re curious about how it works and wanted to give it a try. In this case, innovation did seem to be a driver. Second, the shoes generally looked comfortable. The cushy aesthetic they come with is appealing to people. What’s funny about that second point is that some folks who’ve reviewed the shoes have noted that the comfort level isn’t what most people would expect — there’s just a comfy vibe that the shoe comes with. The big picture: The full-court press is on with these. Nike has more in store for this model, including collaborations — photos of a collab with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment brand have already hit the internet. I’ll be interested to see how this shoe continues to grow as more people get their hands on these. Will the same curiosity about the innovation and comfort remain? Time will tell. Regardless, Nike should count this as an early win for 2026. Casualisation Isn’t Going AnywhereLots of people were skeptical about Bank of America’s assertion that fashion’s casualisation trend is coming to an end. If you’re one of those people, you’ll love what Bernstein’s sportswear analysts had to say last week. What’s new: The firm released its latest global consumer survey last week, in which the firm interviewed 3,200 consumers across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China to get a sense of their shopping habits and what’s trending. Details: The results painted a picture of a vibrant scene for the sneaker and sportswear industries — not one that seems to be fading out. 46 percent of US consumers surveyed said they plan to spend more on sportswear in 2026 than in 2025. Sneaker ownership grew across geographies, except in the United Kingdom, where the number of respondents who wore sneakers 1 to 3 days a week shrank from 48 percent to 46 percent. Make no mistake: The report makes clear that we’re not looking at the same ecosystem that we were in 2020 and 2021 when the marketplace was on fire. But it does seem to indicate that casualisation is alive and well. Consumers still plan on spending on sportswear products in 2026. Experts we spoke to in our reporting last week on the casualisation trend shared the same sentiment as Bernstein’s report here. Be smart: While I do think it’s fair to point out that things are much slower than most anticipated, I also tend to agree with that line of thinking. I have two reasons. First: Nothing has arrived to replace sneakers and sportswear. While people might be less interested in those categories, they haven’t seem to become more interested in anything else. Second: Sportswear is such a strong category because it’s one of the only categories that seems to break through with both high and low earners as the K-shaped economy continues to tell a tale of two consumers. Considering that, it’s hard for me to envision sneakers or sportswear going anywhere anytime soon. Kith Has Guest Designers NowLisa worked with founder Ronnie Fieg to co-design a collection made specifically for Kith Women. (Kith) In a bit of a surprising move, Kith announced on Friday that it’s launching a new collaboration with Blackpink rapper Lisa. Details: Lisa worked with founder Ronnie Fieg to co-design a collection made specifically for Kith Women. The announcement was posted on Instagram on Friday alongside a photo of Lisa in a lace mask and Kith branding. As far as what’s included in the collection, we don’t quite know yet. Specifics haven’t been given out, but we do know the collection is set to release in February. The backdrop: Lisa worked with Kith previously on a Kith Women Summer 2024 campaign where she modeled for the brand. Fieg told Complex the two sides remained in touch following that initial connection, which eventually led to Lisa’s upcoming collection here. Why this matters: This feels like an interesting zag for Kith. The brand has always specialised in collaborations, but usually Kith is the collaborator working under another major brand’s umbrella — not the other way around. In this case, Kith’s product is the one being reshaped by a celebrity. Why it’s smart: It’s a smart partnership for Kith to take on. Blackpink is one of the most popular K-Pop acts in the world. The group has over 40 billion streams across platforms and Lisa is one of the more popular solo acts to branch out a bit from the group. K-Pop is also just an immensely popularly genre these days — one that fashion brands like Kith would be smart to jump on. A Low Cut Nike Boot?As a DMV Native, I’ve seen Nike Boots of all kinds. The classic Goadome, the seamless Goadome, the Foamposite joints. You name it, and I probably know someone who rocked it or maybe I rocked it myself. Yes, but: I’ve never seen a low cut Nike Boot…until now. My take: I…don’t know? Honestly, I’m having trouble deciding if I like these. They’re definitely interesting — especially that tan pair. I think they’re something that I’m definitely willing to try. I’ll give them that at least. Props to Nike for finding another way to remix this classic. 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!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 💯
