Nike has a history of successfully collaborating with top-notch television series. Whether it be Entourage, Friends, Martin, or Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Swoosh knows how to market both a popular show and a sneaker at the same time. Netflix’s highly successful series, Stranger Things, is no different. To coincide with the series’ third season premier, Nike will be releasing three pairs of sneakers inspired by the decade in which the show takes place (1980’s) and the high school in which the characters attend (Hawkins High). Slated to release are the classic silhouettes of the Nike Blazer, Tailwind 79, and Cortez – each done up in some combination of white, green, and orange. Each pair will retail for $120 and be releasing on the 27th of June.

The newly crowned 2019 NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, gets his long-awaited first signature shoe with Nike. The Nike Zoom Freak 1 “Total Orange” is slated for a June 29th debut with a reasonable retail price of $120. Overall simple in design, the shoe’s most dominant design feature comes in the form of the reverse Nike swoosh making up the lateral midsole on each foot. “Reverse” Nike swooshes on sneakers are hit or miss with buyers, but you have to look back at the success of the Nike Lebron X and Nike PG 2/2.5 to know that it can be done, if done right. Look for Giannis to be sporting his new signature sneaker next season, however you’ll be able to rock them yourself in just a few days.

You know the annoying Sprint commercial on TV right now that starts with a sarcastic, “Great, another wireless add…..”? Well if Jordan Brand had their own version of that commercial it would go like, “Great, another white/black/red Air Jordan 1.” This is exactly the case with their next release of yet another Jordan 1 in what seems like an endless amount of white, black, and red color blocking options. I mean we can all agree that the Air Jordan 1 is a timeless shoe and this colorway is a classic. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…..I  guess? None-the-less these Air Jordan 1 Retro High “Gym Red” will be releasing on the 29th with a price $160.

If you’re remotely into sneakers, or just into hyped up and limited releases, then you should be familiar with the process of how Nike launches them. The SNKRS app from Nike was created and launched in 2015 to make it more accessible for buyers to purchase limited sneaker releases. To “win” the opportunity to purchase a coveted release basically all you have to do is download the app and create a Nike+ account. Once you enter in your address and payment info the app automatically checks you out on sneaker launches you enter to win (if your entry is selected).

Unfortunately a lot of people are unhappy with how the current Nike SNKRS is run and have become increasingly frustrated with losing out on the opportunity to buy their favorite pairs. There are bots still beating the system and scooping up a majority of the pairs or people that just win constantly on the app with no intentions of wearing any of the pairs they secure. These reasons are plenty enough to give consumers across the sneaker world headaches.

We interviewed three normal, regular sneaker buyers who have done their fair share of collecting and asked them, “What are some things you would change about the Nike SNKRS app or how would you do it?” These are the responses and feedback we got from them:

Interviewee 1:

“I would create a better/fair opportunity for everyone to enter (the drawings). I also want to know what exactly are the qualifications to win a drawing/release? – if any. There should be a rewards program like FA and FL to give a more even playing field to win on the app. On big anticipated releases, make sure their (Nike’s) software doesn’t glitch out when we (the buyers) go to pay and whatnot. Lastly, Nike should create an extensive encryption to prevent bots. Go through a more verified identity process to prevent the same person creating a lot of ‘burner’ accounts.”

Interviewee 2: 

“I would honestly like to see more ‘draws’ considering bots take all the first-come-first-serves and better chances at getting shoes. I would like more of a fair opportunity for people to buy shoes. They also have to fix the error when you type in your passwords and it says “invalid password” because of the app jamming up. When it is first-come-first-serve on the app it always crashes or bots buy them within minutes. I know people have fast hands but it’s to the point where me and my boy stay up all night and morning just to try and beat them (the bots). They should give each person ample time to get them or have you type in a code that’s specific to each phone. That might limit bots because only the user can have a phone but they need to limit how many accounts one person can use somehow.”

Interviewee 3:

“It’s really hard to tell if it’s fair, is it like the Footlocker app where if you spend enough you constantly win? It’s not hard to enter but I  always question if it’s fair. I’ve only hit on one actual ‘draw shoe,’ others were first-come-first-serve style. I hit on the “Off-White Blazers” draw style and for that I had 10 minutes to enter, then whatever happens, happens.”

What are your thoughts on the Nike SNKRS app? Would you change anything similarly to what our interviewees had in mind? How has your luck been as far as being selected on the app to purchase limited releases?

Does Nike have a chance at trying to revive their tried-and-true Nike Shox line? What was once the dominant sneaker choice of the early 2000’s (in terms of performance) is now going to make a resurgence as a lifestyle shoe. Just yesterday, the Swoosh released the Nike Shox R4 “White Flash” in a white/black/volt colorway ($140). Perhaps more intriguing and widely appealing is their limited June 13th release of the Comme des Garcons x Nike Shox TL in the “Triple White” and “Triple Black” color schemes. Is this collaborative effort with CDG enough to put Nike Shox back on peoples’ cop lists or should the Shox fad remain a thing of the past? Both colorways of the Comme des Garcons x Nike Shox TL will retail for $350 each.

The wildly charismatic and unpredictable Odell Beckham Jr is getting his own release of the Nike Air Max 720 model. Dressed in multi-color/hyper pink there’s no way to look at this shoe other than it matches OBJ’s persona to a T. This shoe has a special release on June 12th at overseas retailer Solebox Berlin (limited to 20 pairs) but then will have a worldwide release on June 21st. They will retail for $200.

Streetwear brand Supreme will once again be collaborating with Jordan Brand on their joint release of two colorways of the Air Jordan 14 set to come out on the 13th. Inspired by an outfit Michael Jordan wore in the 90’s, these sneakers feature studded jewels on the side panels on top of a black/varsity royal and white/university red color blocking. Each pair will run you $248.

If you want your feet to pop and stand out this summer look no further than any colorway in the Air Jordan 4 Flyknit pack. Flyknit Jordan retros have never been hit with much fanfare, so are these Retro 4’s just in line to receive the same treatment? Even on social media platforms people are saying, “I’ll cop when they hit outlets,” or, “I’d only wear if they were given to me for free.” These sayings are somewhat accurate as the fly knit Jordan 1’s and 3’s hit numerous outlets and don’t receive much praise from sneaker aficionados. Maybe the vibrant color pallets featured on these four pairs will sway peoples’ judgements? The Air Jordan 4 Flyknit release on June 14th in “Hyper Royal”, “University Red”, “Volt”, and “Total Orange.” Each pair will have a $220 price tag.