"QUALITY INSPIRED BY THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER"
This slogan is stitched on the heel tag of every Nike Air Jordan XII basketball shoe. As a Nike enthusiast and sneaker collector of nearly twenty years, I have been a loyal Swoosh customer who believed this tagline. I figured if they were good enough for Michael Jordan, they were good enough for me. Heck, with a retail price of $139.99, they had to be better than the rest, right?
I continued to purchase Nike products (along with Air Jordans) over the years. I was satisfied with the quality of shoes and apparel I was getting from the folks in Beaverton, OR. That was until I started purchasing "retro" models from the Nike Sportswear line.
Case in point - the Retro release of the Nike Air Max BW running shoe. This shoe was a cult classic amongst sneakerheads - a retro runner from the early 1990s. After one or two casual wears of the BW retro, I found the white paint on the midsole starting to chip away. I didn't run in them or do anything other than walk around in them. Did the original Air Max BWs have this problem? Never. Should a shoe with a retail tag of $90 have such poor quality? Of course not.
Then the trend continued to December 2009 with the release of the Nike Air Jordan XI "Space Jam"...
...the sought-after AJ XI Retro model that MJ wore in the Space Jam movie. This shoe had received much hype on sneaker message boards since it had been nearly ten years since the shoe was issued. Many regard this Air Jordan signature shoe (the model he wore during the Chicago Bulls 72-10 championship season) "the greatest Air Jordan".
This distinction was proven with campouts by sneakerheads and sellouts in minutes. Despite being called the greatest, I found this retro to be made of inferior materials, even with a price hike from the original ($125 for the original to $175 for the Retro). On the retro Space Jam, the patent leather felt flimsy and plastic-like, the leather on the heel portion resembled "pleather" and the carbon fiber heel plate felt like a cheap imitation of the original.
I know for a fact that Nike cannot make retro models in their exactness, since the molds of the originals are destroyed or lost or since the materials used are no longer in existence. But where did the quality go? Why not put out a quality retro? Why have us consumers pay top dollar for inferior products?
Nike spends millions of dollars on technology which can be seen -- and experienced -- on it's flagship models. Like the Mercurial Vapor SL soccer cleat...
...which features Nike SENSE traction that adjusts to wet or dry conditions. Or the LunarGlide running shoe...
...which is one of the most comfortable running shoes I have purchased in years. It's a runner than can be worn by novice runners or elite runners (I saw a number of elite runners in the 2009 Chicago Marathon competing in it). Or the Nike Zoom Kobe V basketball shoe...
...which is the lightest basketball shoe on the market and further revolutionized the trend that you need a high top for ankle support. But in term of retro models, Nike does not spend a dime. Nostalgia and sentimental value rule here. Nike cuts corners because they can.
How many times have you heard folks say, "I used to have a pair of those when I was in grade school" or "I used to have a poster where Michael Jordan wore those". Air Jordans have always been a status symbol and forever will be. In the past, these shoes had groundbreaking technologies, like Nike Zoom Air or I.P.S. (Independent Podular Suspension). But many today purchase Air Jordan retros to relive the past.
In addition, instead of putting out new technologies for its newer issue "team" shoes, many of the latest Jordan Brand releases are hybrids or mash-ups of previous Air Jordan models, with little to no innovation.
In 2008, Jordan Brand released the "True Flight" team basketball shoe.
Aesthetically, the shoe resembled the classic Air Jordan VII model...
...which featured Nike Air cushioning, a Phylon midsole and a Huarache-like sockliner. At $139.99, its arguably one of the most comfortable models of the Nike Air Jordan signature line.
Now, I dare you to try on the True Flight team shoe after wearing an original or retro AJ VII. The True Flight feels flimsy in the upper, claims to have Zoom Air cushioning (I don't feel it) and still carried a price tag of $139.99.
In addition, I saw none of the Jordan Brand athletes (Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, and numerous others) wear these shoes in any NBA game. Geez, I wonder why. Maybe it's because Nike is riding off the coat-tails of its past?
The regular buying public will purchase a Jordan Brand shoe because it has a "Jumpman" logo on it. Do they know the difference between a signature flagship shoe with the latest technology and a Team Jordan shoe that is an uninspired hybrid with little to no technology? No, but they do not care. That slogan about "inspired by the greatest" is out the window.
This lack of quality scares me about the products of tomorrow. CEO Mark Parker said this month that he expects to see revenue rise more than 40% to $27 billion by the year 2015.
He says he expects to see Nike-owned brands like Umbro, Hurley and Converse contribute to this rise, but I am skeptical of what Nike will do to it's own products. Will they sell inferior products and current price levels just to make this number? What incentive is there to make a quality product if sales is your number one priority?
We are already seeing a lack of quality in the retro releases. I am hoping it won't spread to Nike's current innovation-based products...
i cant really say i have a ton of experience in comparing, but the simple comaprison between my OG 15s and the new ones is simple and you can feel the difference. Also, my 01 blk cement retros are heavier, sturdier with better leather than my 08s.
ReplyDeleteThis practice is a mainstay in the restaurant industry as well where Chefs to beat rising food cost start to trim 25-50 grams off a serving size and withing a yr or 2 you are down a 1/4 lb...that is when i stop eating there. lol.
NIKE has a bottom line, but when your mantra is quality it becomes increasingly hard to get behind it...
Nice read Ron. Cheap materials+higher retail = big bucks for the Swoosh. Tomas' last sentence pretty much sums up my opinion as well.
ReplyDeleteWe will see if Mark Parker takes the advice of Steve jobs as far as quality assurance...
Good job ron, points well made, too bad we are sneaker whores, and can't help but buy half the junk they put out.
ReplyDeleteNice article! Nike and Jordan Brand make these inferior products because we the consumer 1. still buy them regardless of the quality and 2. dont have the means of communicating our reviews of these inferior products directly to them via a main stream source... we have to up our game!... we made them who they are today!
ReplyDeleteGreat read Flint. I have to agree on all points made. However, it would have been nice to see a counterpoint to the argument with a recent retro release that was deemed "good quality" to show how Nike/JB should be doing things. That being said I don't know off the top of my head what a "good quality" retro would consist of. But you can tell a difference between say the CDP black red/XI's and the Space Jams. Even though they're not perfect JB did at least minimally raise the quality on the SJ's from the god awful CDP XI's.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Prices are up but quality is way down. Hopefully this changes one day.
ReplyDeleteAwesome read, Ron. It's too bad I don't see the retro quality changing at all, especially given the fact these margins are so damn high that they could even suck up a 50% increase in raw material costs.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think Nike will continue to have amazing top end quality, given its planning to, as I see it, put Footlocker out of business. But we shall see...
What's up Ron...Cam from NT. I definitely agree with all the points you've made, as I've also said this for years. I personally think we don't have anyone to blame but ourselves. NIKE, like most business, is driven by profits and whatever they can do to shrink them to gain more is obviously a plus, and we the consumer KNOW that the materials have downgraded and the price has inflated, but we still continue to be loyal customers. We spend thousands a year, camp out in lines, only to not have our voices heard and their pockets continue to be padded. Obviously, with a projected boom in profits, things aren't going to change anytime soon. The only thing we can do is stop acting like NIKE has us by the balls and take a stand. Given, NIKE has already made their money by the time the shoes hit stores, but if we don't purchase the products, the stores aren't going to carry as many once they do their buying for the season/fiscal year, thus affecting their bottom line. In a nutshell, it all starts with us.
ReplyDeleteGreat Read.
ReplyDeleteAs a child growing up, I begged my parents to buy me Nike Air Jordans; a task that seemed impossible considering a good sneaker could be bought for $30.
So how did I convince Mom and Dad to buy me my first pair of $65 Jordan's? By building my pleas on "QUALITY".
My Jordans went from the classrooms, to the ball courts, to dusty baseball fields for kickball, and to Wednesday night Church services without a paint chip! The quality of the original Jordans were amazing, almost irritating. The was no way to convence the parnents to buy you the brand NEW Jordans because your Air Jordans from the previous year were still perfect. The only chance you had is to pray that your feet had grown.
A few years ago, I was sucked into the Brand Jordan Retro movement. Outside of the Laser IV, the quality was awful. But I didn't care as long as I had my feet in something similar to what wowed me as a young kid. I found myself doubling up on pairs not because I loved the shoes, but because I knew that I'd need a replacement for the pair that was going to fall apart in 6 months.
Fast forward to now, a Family man that buys strictly on value, I was fed up. My money is no my family's money. No way am I going to throw it away on gimmick jumpman logos stamped onto Spalding brand shoes distributed by Brand Jordan.
These days, I mostly buy current releases from the ACG line. Not the most attractive shoes, but they last true quality shoe option is worthy to be stamped with a swoosh.
Nike has definitely changed their quality. I think their research team have discovered cheaper materials that look the same. I mean think about it..the years Nike has been in business and the losses they have endured. Im sure someone told the "overseer" about the cheap quality but same look deal. Nice post Ron.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Ron! Nike needs to listen to their consumers. Basketball shoes are out of style a little bit so without quality there's not much future here. Because how many shoes we can get for balling?
ReplyDeleteLeBrons & Kobes seems to do fine, but I also got some retro Jordans and they do feel cheap. 2010's quality is ok, but that was a risky shoe with that window on both sides. 2009 was... I want to forget that one, LOL.
great read R...i completely agree with you and $$ drives the company and not its customers or products anymore....too bad we gobble it up nonetheless, is it attachment to the past we are hoping for that drives us to throw money at them? maybe but soon enough all the og heads will just quit and search for the ogs. One can only hope they can find wearable ones.
ReplyDeleteGreat read Ron, I totally agree, wanna talk about cracking one shoe come to mind "Fire reed 3's" Now I cannot even comment on what they are doing in Oregon. I have a large size foot and now a lot of shoes like the Welcome home 2010 and Anniversary 11's were both no larger than a 13. I totally agree with your comments Nike needs to step it up, but with lines hundreds deep to buy a real "B-C" grade shoe, Why would Nike change?
ReplyDeleteI been screaming this shit for years, i see the pictures of the upcoming jordan releases online and i get all excited, wow, im finally gonna get my pair of powder blue ix's that ive wanted ever since 9th grade when they first came out, i get to the store and its just a very deflating feeling, its like a high quality boot leg, its just not the same thing, it doesnt even really look like the real thing, looking down at my feet they just look and feel retarded, maybe for a young kid they doesnt know any better they might think they are fresh, but for a 30 something yr old that remembers the real thing, you know the difference. Its happened to many times and thats why ive basically given up on retro air jordans, they look different, they feel different, and its just not the same feeling as when i was a kid. And one thing you left out, always replacing that damn jumpman where NIKE belongs, someone please tell MJ that the III's look stupid as fuck with a Jumpman AIR on the back, either just put a Jumpman, or just put the NIKE AIR, i swear, things just anit the same for gangstas...
ReplyDelete