the whole point of Dunks was you could go cop them at VIM whenever you wanted for $65. this shit is like having to enter a raffle to buy milk.
https://twitter.com/KicksDeals/status/1361391903816757253
like seriously why not make a ton more of them if they're gonna be so sought-after? they land at outlets? so? nike still makes money off that.
the only reason to keep making them so limited is that they KNOW all that matters is the profit on the flip and if they were readily available FEWER people would want them, not more
the whole system is super broken, but it's just gonna go the way it goes, because at this point it all caters to the secondary market. the only reason Nike can sell Jordan 1s for $200 is because the people buying them can flip them for $500
adjusted for inflation, a $65 AJ1 in 1985 is like $160—and modern-day AJ1s are made from cheaper materials in factories staffed by cheaper workers. they don't HAVE to be $200 retail. but the secondary market nuked the whole concept of what sneakers are "worth"
and heck, they could be cheaper than that because there's no need for Nike or Jordan to even market retro product. just announce the drop and watch it sell out to speculators. they're not releases anymore, they're IPOs.
and that changed who the market is. I don't care how much you love, say, the white/black/red AJ1, you're not gonna pay $1500 for a pair unless money doesn't matter to you. not just because you like them a lot.
you WILL pay $1500 for them if you think they can give you some kind of clout, as an athlete or a celeb, or if you think the "value" is just going to keep going up. regardless, far fewer regular people are gonna just wear them. which seems bad.
the entire reason shoes like that are so popular is because they WERE worn by a lot of people. and those people—my generation—hyped them up to the next generation. how long is that gonna last? why is the NEXT generation gonna want something they don't even see kids wearing?
at this point original colorway Jordan 1 highs are—for most—strictly aspirational shit. you can't get them at retail because they sell out in minutes and you can't afford them on the secondary market. this for something that should be a STAPLE.
like, imagine if Levi's 501s sold out in seconds and went for four figures on a resale market and basically only celebs and pro athletes wore them. would they stay a staple? or would they just eventually be yet another "oh those are cool but I could never justify them" thing
Air Jordan 1s popped off so major because Nike flooded the market to such a degree that they were available for YEARS, and got dirt cheap as they lingered. They didn't become a skate staple because they were exclusive, they became one because they were ubiquitous.
And now Nike's doing exactly the opposite with the most desirable Jordans and Dunks, making them nearly impossible for the regular consumer to buy and making it illogical for them to keep or wear them if they CAN buy them at retail. What do they think the endgame is?
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