Alex Synamatix

Variety was the cornerstone of that mentality, being different was key. Now, to love sneakers is to love what everyone else loves, to possess it first, to sell or horde it. Just a different mentality. But would it have been possible for all those companies to continue to …

% of the basket…etite and the Winner Takes All business of sneakers meant that the winner would fill that appetite. Nine out of the ten top selling shoes of 2016 were Nike or owned by Nike according to Matt Powell of the NPD Group. It’s also said that Nike now controls 96% of the basketball shoe market. You read that right. 96%. …

…it goes and sits in shops, warehouses or spare bedrooms with hundreds or thousands of other copies. There are very few independents that sell out within the first few weeks, so there’s no urgency, and no incentive for people to buy now. Limiting the number of copies available means Sampler will never turn into a huge business, but I …