For years now, Nike’s nostalgia “retro” Air Jordan reissues—with a healthy boost from engineered scarcity—have been the 800-pound behemoth of the sneakerhead market. All things must end, though, and Jordans have gone from so-hot-you-can’t-get-’em to so-not-hot-resellers-are-actually-losing-money. It’s not a done deal for the Jumpman logo, but Ross Andersen pulls together some nice reporting and analysis to see why the iconic shoe’s cultural dominance seems to be on the wane.
No trend can last forever. Fashion is cyclical. The question is whether we can expect Jordan fever to return, and whether it will be as intense the next time it strikes. Bengtson is bearish. “We’re moving further away from Jordan’s playing career,” he told me. “It’s gone from consumers having direct memory of watching him play, to stories from older brothers and friends, to stories from parents.” Jordan’s highlight packages still do numbers on TikTok, but there is something qualitatively different about consuming an algorithmic drip feed of 30-year-old clips while you’re on your iPhone in bed. That’s not an experience that imprints visceral memories. Gen Xers and even some Millennials can remember where they were when Jordan elevated, according to some higher physics, and stuck a game winner on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Craig Ehlo. They can still hear the involuntary way that announcer Marv Albert’s voice rose—“ a spectacular move”—as Jordan soared through a forest of Lakers, moving the ball fluidly from his right hand to his left.
from Longreads https://ift.tt/CMfV7dE
Check out my bookbox memberships! 3, 7, or 15 vintage books a month sent to organization of your choice, or to yourself!
https://ift.tt/iY2Hykn
