The lack of data surprises me. It reads like the author has a vendetta against this brand.

They say that Air Jordans are “deflating” because auctions end at the low end of their estimated ranges, though still setting records for sneakers. All asset prices were inflated during zero-interest rate policy, and have fallen since then. What makes Air Jordans unique?

Showing sales data for Air Jordans would go further to making this point, and comparing that to Nike or sneaker sales overall, but they don’t offer that data or analysis.

Edit: This site says that Jordan show sales were $6.6B in 2023, up 30% annually. This Atlantic write up seems misguided, if that data is accurate https://runrepeat.com/jordan-shoes-statistics

You don't need data when you're just a "macro thinker" that goes with your gut.

Completely agree. Friends who work in the shoe trade industry also say it’s nonsense.

Jordans have been and continue to be one of the most sought after shoes for people’s collections.

Edit: yes, it’s wild but there’s a market for collectible shoes and if you google around you can see how lucrative it is for folks

i have to disagree, there was a point between like 2013-2021 where every jordan 1 ,4 and certain 11 & 3's would resale for an arm & a leg. Attempting to get a pair for retail was a nightmare from long queues to sneaker bots making it humanly impossible to pick up a pair

now its possible to get most jordans close to retail price in the resale market or pick them up at retail as demands for most jordans is gone, unless its some crazy collab

Exactly this. This market is so hot there are bot rentals that cost $1,000s/mo to run and a whole black market of AWS accounts with 25-100K credits to run those bots to “cop a drop”.

This kind of fashion obsession is so incredibly foreign to my way of thinking. Like, even when I try to imagine it from others' perspectives, I come up dry.

Can someone explain to me what the appeal or motivation is for teenagers to worry about such things?

Trust me, the moment I started taking shoes seriously, large swaths of men (of all ages) started giving me compliments for my Jordans (and I'm talking about black friday deals from nike, not the custom bidding war stuff)

I mostly started doing this because I noticed that at least when on sale, Jordans/Air shoes seem to be both economical and of elevated durability and quality compared to traditional running shoes. I also like high-tops and find the comfort and support that they give my ankle to be nice.

That said, I do live in Nike's back yard and that may have something to do with the seeming obsession I've seen among men for sneakers.

re: all the other people claiming it's entirely "status" - where is the status of shoes who normally retail for ~100-150$ USD when not on sale? That's like two levels above bottom of the barrel. I claim there are other reasons for the success and admiration of those shoes.

This is wild. I don't think I have once even looked at someone's shoes. Much less identified them. This is so alien to me.

I'm a member of an auto enthusiast forum, and it always surprises me when someone comments on wheels on a car. I simply never look at them.

But, just because I don't care about wheels, doesn't mean it's not a valid aesthetic and functional choice.

(I don't care about shoes, either.)

It definitely seems to matter on an almost jewelry-level to some people, footwear.

Even if I doubt they spend more time intentionally looking at other people's shoes day to day, but I guess "louder" designs may change that a bit.

I have been a runner for many years, and I do habitually glance at running shoes.

Yeah, I can relate to this. Not Jordans, but still Nike; it wasn't a stylistic choice at first, but I habitually wear AF1s because they're the most comfortable I've found and I can walk ~5 miles a day in them for 2-3 years for about $100 a pop. (I've got dogs, I walk that much even in the winter. My running shoes are Jordans, though, because my wife bought me "Air somethings".) It helps that I go with pretty eye-catching colors, but folks even at my Extremely Business Casual employer speak positively of them and I don't feel self-conscious wearing them when most of the team are in dress shoes or boring brown whatevers. People just like Nike/Jordan.

You see someone you admire wear them, so you want them because they become a part of an aesthetic / community that you admire and want to associate with. Then from there you might get drawn in to rarer, more expensive versions to signal a higher standing in that community.

We all do it. We’ve all bought in to something because someone we admire has it / does it, without evaluating from first principles.

There are lots of things I trust expert judgment in more than my own. Michael Jordan for shoes would be a great example.

He's been very explicit that it's not the shoes :)

(Referring to some TV ads he used to appear in.)

Why do people care about reddit karma or HN points? Why do people put lights on their gaming rigs or stickers on their laptops? It's fun and provides social validation.

Humans of all ages want to peacock and demonstrate social status, and sneakers are a socially acceptable way for young men to do that.

Peacock is a great metaphor. The one hand you could save the display is wasteful and useless, but the other hand genuinely is evolutionarily, beneficial.

Any individual Peacock might wake up one morning and say “wow this is silly,“ but they are still strongly incentivized to participate, because the rewards are significant.

Participation in irrational, rituals can be a perfectly rational decision.

I would not be surprised if it is the same part of the brain that is activated when some people see brands as for religious or spirituality things. I think believing in something, being part of a tribe is very important for some (maybe most) people and brands with marketing have been really successfull at replacing religions.

See also: car brands, expensive watches, and so on and so forth. It’s certainly not for everyone, but some people are quite into this sort of thing.

Status games are not supposed to be logical

Somewhat related, StockX laid off 40 corporate roles

https://www.teamblind.com/post/StockX-CMO-Among-40-Corporate...

I am surprised StockX has 40 corporate roles to layoff.

As a member of the collectible asset class, Jordans are not falling like the rest of the cohort.

Most collectibles are -90% these days. Jordans selling at humble discounts isn’t a sign of weakness all things considered.

Growing up in Chicago, I was always amazed to see friends and family from far away and even “rival” NBA cities like Detroit or LA wearing red-and-black Jordans. Did Messi or any other international athlete ever inspire the same “personal brand” loyalty? Maybe Federer at his peak came close? Tiger?

Kobe Bryant came close for a while, but I can't think of somebody who just held onto it like that.

I feel like Air Jordans are mostly an American thing. Or at least I have never seen anyone wear these (or care about them) in Europe. Is that true?

? I guess you haven’t been around Paris in the last couple of years. Nike’s dominate street shoes - Jordan’s, AF1s, and Dunks.

As a teenager in Germany in the early 2000s we were really, really into Air Jordans. I'm and old geezer now and couldn't care less about contemporary sneaker culture, so I can't speak to today.

They are (were?) big on trading sites like https://stockx.com/ where they sell (sold?) for multiple times the original price. At least in Germany.

I don't know the numbers bu there is a joke in the US of a few other cultures being obsessed by Jordan brand.

It's not a huge deal for most people in the US but it is pretty normal to have it on a T-Shirt or something you buy.

I grew up in Dubai back in the 80-90s and all the rich, cool kids wore the latest Jordans :)

Sneakerhead culture is big in the UK, Australia and New Zealand as well.

Air Jordans and Nikes in general were popular in Western Europe during the 80s/90s. I had a Nike Air myself. I can't speak about later periods.

They're just as big in Europe. Especially with the tiktok generation.

Although the Airforce ones might be more popular overall, but Jordans are definitely a second.

I live in London and often notice people wearing Air Jordans. They are quite popular and there's a grey market for limited editions.

They are big everywhere even South America although 90% of them are fakes

Market is more dominated by Adidas.

Europeans are way less into basketball also, maybe that plays a role.

Air Jordans are a very famous brand of Nike footwear, bearing the name of Michael Jordan, one of the top basketball players of all time.

Fun fact, the Air in Air Jordan was originally because they had air bladder insoles. I’m not sure they use that tech today but I remember pumping up my Nikes when I was a kid with a little basketball on the tongue.

Wow, I had totally forgotten about that! You're right, that's exactly how it worked -- if you had those you were basically the coolest kid in your elementary school, at least.

Reebok Pumps had the basketball on the tongue.

Nike experimented with inflation methods on the collar, IIRC using external pumps.

I think you’re remembering Reebok Pumps!

Such is the power of Nike's brand!!

I guess I wasn’t as cool as I thought!

Movie “Air” is recent

and its fairly decent,

… For those confused and uninformed,

It’s about how this sneakers line formed