Bossing UP

Part 2 of 3

Hip-hop started “street style” and from that emerged a sellable “cool, rebellious, fresh to death” factor that remains even today.

With the emergence of hip-hop and rap, groups like the Cold Crush Brothers ditched their suits and long mink jackets in favor of the ‘B-boy style’. Similar to how rap music broke the confines and challenged the racial discrimination and economic instability, fashion became a visible personification of this tension. Instead wearing suits, artists were decked out in chains, sneakers, velour/nylon tracksuits, looser fitted clothing, and started rebranding street-wear as fashion. Hands down no one showcased this better than P. Diddy’s, Sean Combs, fashion brand Sean John.

It was during the 80s and 90s, that Black artistry in “Urban” fashion made its debut with fashion lines inspired by self-expression and hip-hop culture. In 2001, Sean Combs’ globetrotting brand “Sean John Clothing” broadcasted live on television. For a while Black fashion was being sold in mom and pop stores catering to the innercity areas. Unsurprisingly, as hype around our take on fashion grew and hip-hop became more popular, department stores and brands made moves to capitalize on these consumers too. When did basketball sneakers become a thing?

Notably, the sneaker market started taking off in 1984 following Michael Jordan’s signing with Nike to wear its Air Jordan shoe line. The branding linked the shoes to the performance of the basketball players. Wearing Air Jordan meant you could jump higher and run faster. (Is it just me or do you get “Get Out”(2018) vibes?) That being said, I find basketball sneakers in fashion to be an interesting example at which to look for the following: it’s a product typically sponsored by famous black players, but lining the pockets of white-owned corporations. The global athlethic footwear industry is expected to reach $95.14 billion by 2025 according to Grand View Research Inc. The branding strategy around the sneakers largely relies on partnerships with various athletes or hip-hop artists- Nike’s Air Yeezy 2 “ Red October”, Adidas’ Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtledove”, Off-White x Air Jordan “Chicago”. The market plays up the cachet or “cool” factor in order to drive up sales and uses exclusivity and limited editions to create high demand. The power of black influencers in this category has impacted how it is valued and should not go ignored.

Following Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, its shares fell 3%, translating into a $4 billion dollar lose in its market capitalization. This shows the outsized influence athletes of color have on the athletic sportswear industry. I hypothesize an even bigger growth in this market now that several states have legalized sports betting and advances in virtual/augmented reality work towards enhancing the home viewer experience. As black consumers, I hope this article encourages us to ask whether the brands we support, support us back. Is it enough to have black sponsors on their brands, but not pro-black sentiments? When we purchase their merchandise, are we checking how they donate back to our communities? Lastly, as this basketball sneaker market continues to grow, how can we, as a deeply vested community, get in on the action?

We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on our social media platforms. The purpose of these articles are to engage our community and invoke meaningful conversations about when, where, and with whom we spend are money. For more on the power of the Black dollar check out our “A Seat at the Table” article – Bossing UP - Blog | A Seat At The Table