Jordan Release Date Delays Due to Pandemic
Since I was a little girl, I always remembered the significance of Air Jordan sneaker releases. I grew up in an era where dedicated customers would skip school/work to wait in lines for hours just for the newest release. This era was made up of raffles and hypebeasts. During this time, we also saw the growth of the online/ecomm niche that surrounded these huge releases. These drops are still highly anticipated, leaving people counting down the days until they can get the freshest pair of Jays. Unfortunately for many sneakerheads, Air Jordan has decided to delay many of their Spring releases until they can have a more impactful drop.
According to Complex, sources have speculated that these delays are due to Coronavirus- related obstacles. As a way to combat the spread of COVID-19, many Nike stores were forced to close their doors. And although Nike still has an online storefront, nothing beats coming into a physical store on the day of a big release. These delays include one of the most anticipated drops the company has ever had.
For their Fall 2020 show in Miami, Italian luxury brand Dior and it’s Artistic Director, Kim Jones, revealed their collaboration w/ the famous Air Jordan 1’s OG.
The collab called “Air Dior” includes low-top and high-top OG 1’s, as well as RTW (ready to wear) apparel and accessories curated by both brands. The hightop sneakers were said to be one of the most expensive Air Jordan releases, retailing at staggering $2,000 dollars. This release was limited to only 8,500 pairs, each pair individually numbered.
The decrease in big releases has impacted sneaker retailers and resellers worldwide. Without big drops during Spring, retailers are having a difficult time attracting consumers to their online shops. In turn, there is bound to be a decrease in activity via online markets like StockX or FlightClub. There has also been a decrease in prices of many of these limited edition sneakers.
Experts believe that this pandemic will change the retail platform as a whole. There will be more emphasis and utilization of online platforms while people get comfortable with the idea of going outside again. This will result in people flooding to sites for their sneaker needs. It is also predicted that many people will not want to spend big bucks for big releases, leading to a decrease in sneaker prices as a whole. It all depends on the demand for the release. For now, brands like Nike are in a waiting game with the rest of the world.
Photo creds: @sneakernews and dior.com
Report: Lauren Tucker
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.