Good morning, friends! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for reading today. Appreciate you giving me a bit of your time. Here’s to an excellent weekend ahead.

I’m not usually a docuseries guy, but I’m already three episodes into Netflix’s “Starting 5” NBA series. It follows five NBA superstars, giving us a look at their lives through the last year. The five this year? Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden and Jaylen Brown. You couldn’t find a more eclectic group of dudes if you tried. This is cinema, folks. CINEMA.

Let’s jump in.

The Book on Michael Jordan

I can’t lie to you, folks. When I saw the news that Jordan Brand and luxury book publisher Assouline were producing a new book called “Air Jordan” about Michael Jordan himself, I immediately recoiled.

“Another book on MJ?” I said to myself while reading the description. There are already so many about the dude. And, honestly, I get it! Jordan is arguably the greatest NBA player ever. He’s certainly my GOAT (sorry, Bron fans). I watch “The Last Dance” every time it comes on.

This book, in particular, is in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of MJ’s sneaker lineage. The angle is new and the premise is unique, but it’s still yet another book on Jordan. I just didn’t know how many more of these we needed.

But, after that initial bit of exasperation, I kept reading and realised who was writing the book. That’s when my tune changed a bit.

Hip-hop and R&B heads out there are probably familiar with Adam Bradley. He’s an author, cultural critic and professor who has done extensive work on Black culture and the music surrounding it. He wrote 2009’s “Book of Rhymes,” which contextualised hip-hop through poetry. When he writes, it’s interesting.

I was able to snag a bit of time with Bradley ahead of the book’s release to chat about his process, what it was like to work on this project alongside Jordan, himself, and all of the surprises inside of it.

Here’s that conversation. Hope you enjoy.

Michael Sykes: There are so many MJ books. What makes this one different from everything else that’s out there to you?

Adam Bradley: There’s nothing bigger in the course of my life as a fan of sports, as a fan of certain kinds of fashion, than Michael Jordan. So the question is how do you take all that that’s so familiar and make it unfamiliar again?

For me, it came down to the key holes of perspective. Sometimes it’s as simple as a particular image. One of the images that comes to mind, for instance, is seeing for the first time the mythic University of North Carolina practice shorts that he wore under [his Chicago Bulls] trunks. It was, to me, a point of entry into Michael Jordan, the man, similarly, with the brand. To see some of those sketches, those design sketches from Tinker Hatfield and many others and to understand what it took to design, manufacture and market these things that became not only commercial products, but objects of desire and longing and feeling. That, to me, was a way to make familiar things unfamiliar, again, quite literally.

Sykes: In the foreword written by Michael Jordan himself, it was striking to me that he spoke about himself as a designer and architect. I don’t recall ever hearing him do that before. Did you have the same reaction?

Bradley: Definitely. And I had echoed back to me in multiple conversations with folks who were in the room during these meetings, in which they were speaking about specific designs, on precisely that. About Michael Jordan himself becoming more and more engaged in the process of design, and more empowered to act in that spirit. He’s written elsewhere about Nike as his business school. I also think it came with his design degree, too. In those rooms, having these conversations that begin with abstract language that designers have to translate into something actionable, he becomes more and more adept at speaking the language of design. That’s something I heard from [Nike designer] Mark Smith. That’s something that Tinker Hatfield spoke to. Mark Parker has spoken to that as well.

Sykes: This is a very image-forward book with lots of things that MJ shared. As the writer, did that add any extra pressure in telling this story? Or maybe it made it a bit easier for you?

Bradley: We have this, this invocation from MJ himself: “Go ahead and do this, but don’t mess it up.” And he didn’t say mess. So I knew right off what I needed to do is just not get in the way of it.

One of the benefits about being presented with these images is that it gives you a structure. You know, people often think that imagination thrives in complete freedom. But anybody who’s written anything worth putting out in the world knows that imagination thrives on structure, on sometimes even on constraint. Knowing that I had these images to write to actually became inspiration for me to come up with things and to explore ideas that maybe otherwise wouldn’t have been accessible to me.

An example is the certificate of perfect attendance. I use that in the book to write about this baseline part of MJ’s identity that becomes part of the Jordan Brand identity, which is perseverance, endurance, showing up. It’s the same thing that would give us the Flu Game, much to my chagrin, as a fan of [the Utah Jazz]. All of these things are knitted into the fabric of Jordan’s life story — the Air Jordan Brand, these 40 years of excellence that we’re trying to encompass in the space of these very large-format books.

Sykes: What keeps Jordan’s cultural impact so powerful after 40 years?

Bradley: At the heart of the Jumpman is a feeling. This is reflected throughout the book in some of the interviews we were able to have with current athletes and performers as well, whether it’s Jay Balvin and Billie Eilish or any number of folks who talk about the feeling of putting on some Js. There is a certain something that attaches to these shoes.

For me, it’s the [Jordan] 3s. Sometimes, the [Jordan] 6s. Those are my childhood favourites. You just walk through the world a little differently. That has to do with the design, the style. It has a tethering to a particular moment in history and my own life. Some of us can do that. But, even for those of us who were not born when many of these shoes were released, there’s a legacy of longing that gets passed down. To quote [Jordan Brand chief design officer] Jason Mayden, they’re in the business of creating future ancient artifacts.

Sykes: Do you feel like it’s possible for someone ever to be as universally revered as Michael Jordan in this way?

Bradley: I think MJ is one of the last vestiges of the monoculture, in a sense. If we think about the moment of his retirement, it’s right on the verge of the social media era. It’s just as we’re getting smartphones online.

There’s a certain mystique that was possible for celebrities in that era that is no longer possible today. Even someone in the all-too-common and — I think — unfair comparison for both of them, LeBron James exposes this. LeBron has made almost every step perfectly in his life, and yet he also gets held up for all sorts of criticisms for the slightest little thing. With Michael Jordan, the media focus was more unified and, therefore, more intense. It was also not as diffuse and ever-present. He could have a public-private life. He could exist in that space in a way that I don’t think folks can today. So in that regard, I do think he is part of that last generation who could achieve the kind of universal recognition and respect and cultural standing that is maybe impossible in the current moment.

Sykes: If there was one thing that you want people to take away from this project, what would it be?

Bradley: I think, personally, the thing that I hope people will take away, that I took a lot of pride in trying to introduce into the story, was to showcase Jordan Brand, and Michael Jordan himself’s connection to the Black community.

To me, one of the most harmful things that gets out there is when people would say that somehow Michael Jordan had transcended race and that he transcended his Blackness and that he existed on a plane separate from that identity. All you have to do is listen to his mother, who will say, “My son knows where he grew up,” knows the community from which he emerged, knows the culture from which he emerged, and has always been true to that, and you see it in his philanthropic efforts over the last few years.

Those are the stories that really matter to me. I got to write in the section about legacy about how Michael Jordan belongs to the world, but he also belongs, in particular, to Black Americans. And he embodies a dream, not deferred, but achieved. There’s a power in his example. And so as much as Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand and the Jumpman are emblematic of a universal sense of aspiration and hard work, they’re essentially interpreted and rooted in Black American experience.

Off Season’s Staying Power

Earlier this week, we reported that Kristin Juszczyk’s Off Season brand is expanding to the NBA with its sports licensing deal.

Details: Just in case you missed it, Off Season is dropping a new collection of puffers on Oct. 21 in time for the start of the NBA season.

• The collection features corduroy-lined signature puffer coats for the Warriors, Lakers, Bulls, Celtics and Knicks.
• It also features a new cropped puffer coat, introduced for the first time with its NBA collection.

Between the lines: I had a chance to speak with Juszczyk ahead of the reveal to chat about the brand’s NBA collection. In that conversation, I got a good sense on how she thinks about the business. I left the conversation with a new perspective about the brand that I thought would be good to share a bit deeper here in the newsletter.

What she said: Juszczyk kept coming back to the concept of quality with everything Off Season produced. This isn’t just a logo slap — there’s a timelessness that they aim for with their product.

“I love buying vintage sports apparel. For me, that is something that I hope our brand will be one day,” she said. “Everyone loves like wearing their dad’s Starter jacket like that was something that really resonated with me and really inspired me for this brand.”

Why that matters: This quote from Juszczyk stuck with me. It reminded me of a quote from Ralph Lauren that I stumbled upon on Instagram earlier this week. He spoke about non-obsolescence and the differences between collecting and consuming. The perspective Lauren shares here feels like it’s a bit uncommon these days — especially when we’re inundated with new collaborations and products every week. Everything moves so fast. Both brands and consumers are moving at a lightning pace.

Kristin Juszczyk isn’t Ralph Lauren, obviously, but they do share the same perspective on timelessness here. As someone who covers this space and as a fan myself, hearing that felt like a breath of fresh air.

The Coolest Adidas Superstar

The Adidas Superstar is a classic sneaker with origins dating back to the 1970s. It became a staple in hip-hop and sneaker culture through Run DMC in the 1980s and has been one of the brand’s signature styles ever since.

With that said I do have to admit that the shoe has been a bit…stale in recent years. At least to me. The lack of creativity and colorways around the shoe just haven’t done it for me.

Until LA Streetwear brand, Menace, got to trick out a pair.

What’s new: The brand is partnering with Adidas to drop its first-ever sneaker collaboration with pair of Superstars as the canvas. The detailing here is precisely what this shoe has needed.

• The pair, called the “Heirloom” Superstars, was made to pay homage to Menace’s 12th anniversary.
• It features a Menace “M” logo on the heel, a pink sock liner, a hairy suede upper and a woven trefoil three stripes look on its sides.

The big picture: This is the exact sort of energy a brand needs to inject into a style its trying to revive. Adidas is doing the right thing here by allowing a burgeoning up-and-coming streetwear brand put their touch on a classic. It’s risky, considering that every design might not resonate with audiences well. But it’s also a chance that a brand like Adidas with a storied classic like the Superstar should be willing to take more often than not. Especially when things get a bit stale.

#TheKicksWeWear

YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, GANG. LET’S GET IT!

We got lots of love for Vans today! First, the homie Rohan kicked us off with these Might Ducks joints. What a pair.

The homie Diamond came through with a tie dye pair of Vans that she got from the FIRST EVER TKWW raffle four years ago. Shoutout to all the longtime readers out there, man. Love y’all.

Then the homie Steve came through with this lovely pair of AE 2s. Adidas really got another one, huh?

My guy Dave came through with these Green Ivory pair of forces. Who said AF1s were cooked?

Then the homie Kyle took us out with a pair that I legitimately have never seen before! The Mizuno Prophecy Moc! These are so fun!

What a run, you guys! Good stuff.

Thanks for reading, gang! Hope you enjoyed the newsletter.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, reach out to me via email at michael.sykes@businessoffashion.com or shoot me a message @MikeDSykes via socials.

Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.

-Sykes 💯