‘Air’ is good for a general audience but especially for anyone interested in the history of shoes. I don’t consider myself a sneaker-head, I don’t collect shoes, but from skating I go through a lot of pairs. And anyone interested in business will find this a fun movie. Nike and the Matt Damon character basically gambled that Michael Jordan would be the best. The plot is already known to some viewers since it’s non-fiction but I’ll stop the movie review here as to not give spoilers.
Nike changed the skateboard industry. If you watch the Leo Baker documentary it states that the pro skaters sponsored by Nike, Adidas, and Vans are the only ones really making money. Nike began with some crummy practices like forcing small shops to get every size and color way in the SB collection which resulted in several shops folding from owing Nike thousands. But the online dynamic has changed all businesses so it’s hard to tell which had more impact.
In the skate world Nike sponsors both Brian Anderson and Leo Baker which has made a huge impact on the inclusion of women and LGBTQ skaters in the past 7 years or so. In the larger sport world they sponsor Colin Kaepernick who was ousted from football for a peaceful protest. A corporate brand standing up for inclusion is a change, and for the better. If Chic-fil-A and Papa Johns can donate to conservative causes liberals should have brand options as well.
Not everything is peachy though, Nike still makes shoes in Asia with bad working conditions there. As a skater I wouldn’t mind skating the Nike Dunk, but I can’t get my hands on a pair. They have fetishized their shoes. The Nike Dunk goes through a series of small releases. They do collabs with shops and artists. The shops that carry Nike have to set up a raffle for winners that pay $125 for a pair. Then the resale online can be three to four times as high. I don’t understand why they don’t have a yearly color way, and mass produce those so people that want to skate them can, and they could still have the limited edition collabs.
Adidas came out with a skate shoe based on an 84′ basketball shoe that is getting compared to the Nike Dunk. I might get a pair because they look comfortable and I can. And to end this drivel. Watch the movie, but wear whatever shoe you want to.
