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My older cousin had me in jordans at 4. I wore them till bout 15. Then started again found 18. Now at 29(in a week) I find myself only getting what I reallywant.
Has your passion for collecting J's dampened at all?
- Thread in 'Jordan Brand' Thread starter Started by karl kani kicks,
- Start date
darthska
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the more retros w. og colorways i see the more it feels like we're passing to the next generation. cheaper versions with altered colors/materials take thefun out of it.
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Good topic first off. I've found myself having this conversation with many people these days. My passion has dampened to be sure, but for many differentreasons. The obvious is I'm 24 now and there's more to life than guns, drugs, money, and Jordans. I've got two kids and I buy Jordans for them butnot excessively. With all the fakes coming out, it takes away the excitement of those Saturday mornings and is more like a redundant task/chore I must completethan something to look forward to with excitement.
I still get pumped for the RD and cop mostly everything that drops (if I like it of course) but for the most part I'm just trying to finish off '08 andmy collection as solid and stalwart as possible...don't know what my hobby will be after that. It's not fun anymore, and I'm looking forward to allthe extra money I'll have once this year is over.
The only thing that I could foresee bringing me bacc into the game heavy post-2008 is the release of more OG colorways of the 1, particularly my grail theBlacc/Soft Grey. Beyond that, I will probably only buy six pairs or less of Jordans a year if that many. It depends on where the brand goes after 2008, andfrom what I've seen and heard, the direction they're planning to take doesn't interest or excite me much at all...
I still get pumped for the RD and cop mostly everything that drops (if I like it of course) but for the most part I'm just trying to finish off '08 andmy collection as solid and stalwart as possible...don't know what my hobby will be after that. It's not fun anymore, and I'm looking forward to allthe extra money I'll have once this year is over.
The only thing that I could foresee bringing me bacc into the game heavy post-2008 is the release of more OG colorways of the 1, particularly my grail theBlacc/Soft Grey. Beyond that, I will probably only buy six pairs or less of Jordans a year if that many. It depends on where the brand goes after 2008, andfrom what I've seen and heard, the direction they're planning to take doesn't interest or excite me much at all...
solewoman
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yes because the materials/qualities suck and they hurt my feet after playing ball in them or just wearing them.
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Follow me for a second: for me, it's weird seeing Cadillac under it's current identity. When I was a kid, if someone would have told me Cadillac would have a top-selling pickup in a couple decades (Escalade EXT), and that they would have an SUV that young people with money clamored over, and SUV with aggressive, sharp lines, I wouldn't have believed it. When I was a kid, Cadillac was the definition of 'American middle-class luxury'. Now? Now it's got a little more of a bad-a edge to it.
BUt it's not just the way the vehicles look now; it's Caddy's marketing as well. They no longer market themselves as JUST luxury. They market themselves with a little more edge, while maintaining the quality that previous Caddy owners grew to appreciate.
In short: there's nothing wrong with deciding your business needs to change directions and go with another lane... but the decision has to be relayed throughout.
Jordan Brand decided to become more of an ever day brand and less of an elite brand, but they still market themselves as a premier brand of the highest quality, performance, and looks. If they wanted to make themselves more mainstream in the hopes of making more money (which is what it sounds like you're alluding to), then that would make business sense, but deciding to make the brand more mainstream while maintaining an advertisement tangent that paints the Jumpman as something to be revered is inconsistent.
It's like this Ferrari decides that they no longer want to be an elite sports car brand, with price points in the 6 figures. They want to come down to a 5-figure market, rivaling sports cars like the 350Z and the Corvette. That would tick off a TON of Ferrari owners, but if the brand thinks it makes more business sense, then... hey... do what makes sense for your company, right? So they decide to do it; they decide to take the Ferrari brand down to the middle-class demographic... and then they still run ads and present their product as some super-elite, ultra superior product created with the most exquisite materials and craftsmanship. The response by the majority of people who remember what Ferrari was would be, "No, you're advertising how the brand USED to be. That's not what you are any longer. You're mainstream now; advertise accordingly."
It's like Jordan Brand still expects people to have the excitement for a new shoe with a Jumpman on it even though we'll see a new shoe with a Jumpman in it next week. One of the reasons lobster is my favorite seafood is because I have it so rarely, because it's so expensive to find in a place that prepares it nicely. If it were prepared nicely for a couple bucks at every McDonald's and Burger King, then it wouldn't be as desirable to me.
And it's for that reason that I answer the question in this thread the way I did: "No, it's not as desirable to me."
again, a good argument, and i agree with most of your points. to continue as my role as advocate to the devil, i have to say that your ferrari argument isflawed. marketers and advertisers have a job to do - convey a brand message that (hopefully) ends up in a sale. what you are asking ferrari to do in thisinstance is to abandon any equity they have accrued in their luxury business model and basically start from scratch. as a marketer, i know that any sort ofbrand image a company holds is its greatest asset, and you would be stupid (or fired) not to capitalize on that in your various ad campaigns. anyway, for themost part, i agree with your analogy, but wouldnt go so far that JB should change their marketing schematic.
let's rewind the clock for a second and go back to the fork in the road where JB needed to decide to retro or not to retro. lets say tthey stick withtheir "exclusive" business model and maintain their production numbers and consequently are able to maintain the quality of every show.
now my remaining question would be: if JB stuck to the pre-retro days of releasing only two new shoes a year (in say 2-3 colorways max - one OG and one lowversion) would we (the aficionados) be yelling for more? would the ebay business of buying selling OGs get out of control?
quality issues aside, in the end, what is the fine balance between flooding the market and creating an exclusionary / limited product?
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Originally Posted by El Bro
Very Well Said.
6 years ago, it could have been said that Nike and JB were the Ferrari of Sneakers, but now it would be more like Isuzu with the same price tag of Ferrari.
I agree 10000% with that statement!
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Same goes for me as well. I just wished the quality of retro Jays would be better. The Vi, VII packs better be right.
darthska
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Karl Kani Kicks:
if JB stuck to the pre-retro days of releasing only two new shoes a year (in say 2-3 colorways max - one OG and one low version) would we (the aficionados) be yelling for more? would the ebay business of buying selling OGs get out of control?
Heck no! I know I never said that I yelled for more, and I don't know too many older Air Jordan collectors that have been in it for awhile andyelling for retros. I mean, yeah, one of us would give out the occasional 'Man, it would be nice to have some fresh white/cement IIIs' every once in awhile, but for me and most collectors I know, it wasn't like... begging. It was nothing like 'Please JB, bring back the white/cement IIIs! I'llsell every shoe in my collection for them! Please, PLEASE re-release them!'
And I think that kind of talk has caused Jordan Brand to take the turn that they have, a turn for the worst.
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2003 was the last good year. However I still need the XI's!
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hahaha you guys finally realized the scam JB has been pulling on all you guys. can't blame anyone else but the consumers. ugly colorway, copped; shoes thatlook whack but has the Jordan brand labeled on it, copped; bs packages while hiking up the prices, copped lol. seriously, are you guys on extasy or somethin?the only thing JB is doing is getting more of your money while saturating the marketplace with more JB products. personally, 75% of the jordanproducts/colorways being released now a days are garbage. there are still some og stuff that are coo, but majority of the stuff are garbage.
younggza
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I think that as times change, people change, I have been collecting since the mid 90's and it does not feel the same as it once did, back then I was ateenager, and now Im almost in my 30s, It will NEVER be the same for me that is for sure, although at times its hard for me not to buy Jays
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i have better things to buy now
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I still like Jordans but I don't actively look for them anymore
I don't plan on buying any of the packs, not even the 11/12 pack
I just gotta move on no matter how tempting it is
It's at the point where they don't deserve my money anymore, not even when they make the shoes I want
But for some reason, I still check this forum frequently
I don't plan on buying any of the packs, not even the 11/12 pack
I just gotta move on no matter how tempting it is
It's at the point where they don't deserve my money anymore, not even when they make the shoes I want
But for some reason, I still check this forum frequently
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I completely agree with the thread starter.
To add I don't care to much for the Jordan Game anymore because for me it was about retros taking me back to my childhood and the memory of the OG. Likewhen the OG Aqua's first dropped no one liked them back in the day but I was in love with them mugs totally reminds me of the All Star game when he worethem and I was like I have to get a glimpse of what he has on!
Now it's like all the kiddies have to go and buy them just because hype beast built it up. Not to mention fakes have really put a hurt on JB.
The color ways aren't nice... I mean aside from the Cool Grey Models I could care less about any retro+ release. I mostly get OG colorways and to be honestthere is only like 1 maybe 2 of these "Packs" I'm even interested in.
To me I wish the younger generation would focus on Lebron's and Melo's etc etc and leave the Jordan's to grown folks that know something about thetime and what MJ did for sneakers, pop culture, and Hoops in general.
To add I don't care to much for the Jordan Game anymore because for me it was about retros taking me back to my childhood and the memory of the OG. Likewhen the OG Aqua's first dropped no one liked them back in the day but I was in love with them mugs totally reminds me of the All Star game when he worethem and I was like I have to get a glimpse of what he has on!
Now it's like all the kiddies have to go and buy them just because hype beast built it up. Not to mention fakes have really put a hurt on JB.
The color ways aren't nice... I mean aside from the Cool Grey Models I could care less about any retro+ release. I mostly get OG colorways and to be honestthere is only like 1 maybe 2 of these "Packs" I'm even interested in.
To me I wish the younger generation would focus on Lebron's and Melo's etc etc and leave the Jordan's to grown folks that know something about thetime and what MJ did for sneakers, pop culture, and Hoops in general.
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I never bought every single JB release but bought mostly colorways I liked (OG's)...other than some quality issues I guess I have no problem with thebrand...I have no problem with all the bright crazy colorways they might come out with because I don't wear them and even though they are apart of thebrand they don't represent me, they represent the brand...Honestly I can't think of any other brand that can fulfill my needs a like Jordan Brand andNike Basketball (as for casual footwear and for basketball)...just my opinion though...
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I'm about done with this shoe thing all together. Every release has to have some kind of gimmick behind it when its not necessary. JB won't give mequality, Nike Air, or even decent colorways. I'd love to have a Lebron collection, but GR's are disappointing and everything nice is released overseasor in ridiculously limited numbers. AF1's are overpriced.
I'm almost forced to become a casual consumer. But JB is the most disappointing of all. I had so many expectations upon the introduction of Jordan as aseparate entity. And I gotta admit, although I've already peeped their strategy, Gentry, in this last interview, really made me feel like a lame for beinga Jordan die hard for all these years. He's bragging about the "chase" wearing Titaniums, arguably the best colorway of the XX3. Gentry'sdemeanor is so arrogant so I take that as reflective of the entire company. He's a puppetmaster. He has everything you could want plus, as far as Jordans.And he's almost taunting 'us' on some "you wish you could be me" type steez. I would respect his "marketing" a lil more if hewasn't showing off his own collection. And he wants you to chase what he has in abundance. It's beyond corny now.
Take a step back and look at what you're supporting and what lengths you're going through to gets things that aren't even completely satisfactoryby your own standards.
I'm almost forced to become a casual consumer. But JB is the most disappointing of all. I had so many expectations upon the introduction of Jordan as aseparate entity. And I gotta admit, although I've already peeped their strategy, Gentry, in this last interview, really made me feel like a lame for beinga Jordan die hard for all these years. He's bragging about the "chase" wearing Titaniums, arguably the best colorway of the XX3. Gentry'sdemeanor is so arrogant so I take that as reflective of the entire company. He's a puppetmaster. He has everything you could want plus, as far as Jordans.And he's almost taunting 'us' on some "you wish you could be me" type steez. I would respect his "marketing" a lil more if hewasn't showing off his own collection. And he wants you to chase what he has in abundance. It's beyond corny now.
Take a step back and look at what you're supporting and what lengths you're going through to gets things that aren't even completely satisfactoryby your own standards.
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only a liar would say their passion hasn't wavered
JB is almost dead to me, I just want to cop some XIs and Im out.............
JB is almost dead to me, I just want to cop some XIs and Im out.............
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Very, very well said, and 100% accurate.
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Gentry is a buster, and has no taste
he was probably one of those dudes back in high school who never even saw a @++#* until he paid for it
he's wack to death, and he's a puppet who plays his customers like they are fiends on the corner - just give then barely enough to come back again
Fire him ASAP.
he was probably one of those dudes back in high school who never even saw a @++#* until he paid for it
he's wack to death, and he's a puppet who plays his customers like they are fiends on the corner - just give then barely enough to come back again
Fire him ASAP.
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It's funny. Over the last few years me and this dude chitown4eva have been like a mirror image. So let me co-sign the hell outof his post.
As for me, I had been hardcore into Jordans since 1988. Over the past two or three years the company has done everything it can to alienate me as a customer. So, they will be proud to hear that they succeeded. I bought the XX3 because I needed some closure. It was a beautiful shoe and I was proud to buy it. Ihave not purchased one other Jordan product this year and don't really see myself buying anything in the near future. Those fusion shoes are gay as hell. Team Jordans are for people on welfare and the packages are just weak. I have most of the stuff releasing in them already and they are so hard to get that itsjust not worth it. I'm not paying extra and I'm not waiting on lines.
Look at the way the whole company has gone....Military I's??? Opening Day I's??? No offense, but that %++* is weak as hell.
I'll also second what other have said, in that the whole sneaker thing has gone wrong the last few years. It used to be a fun way to meet people and hookeachother up. Now its just a way to make cash and be "exclusive." The whole thing just went mad gay.
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yes!....i can't stand JB anymore....too many people wear jay's and what they have been releasing is trash....I am done with Jordans. Nike SB's areso much better.
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I've always have, and will always like sneakers but Iam not dealing with JB anymore. JB has alienated the culture for so long now, and its easy to see thatthey dug a hole for themselves they wont ever get out of. Saturating the market with garbage, horrid quality, and price increases pretty much made me fed up.When I heard news of the packages being $310, it was the last straw. I mean only one package is worth it retail wise, the VI/XVII and I only say that becausethe XVII retailed for $200.
After watching Gentry's presentation about the future of the brand, all I could say is they should have slowed down releases in the first place. Now in2009 after you've prostituted yourself all over town, you gonna try to be a virgin again?!? Nah man it dont work that way, not for a company anyways. Iamsure we will see the death of JB sometime soon, either they will fade competely like Fila or just die.
I would love to see JB return back to the good ol days but with Gentry's ever evolving way of thinking, that will never happen...
After watching Gentry's presentation about the future of the brand, all I could say is they should have slowed down releases in the first place. Now in2009 after you've prostituted yourself all over town, you gonna try to be a virgin again?!? Nah man it dont work that way, not for a company anyways. Iamsure we will see the death of JB sometime soon, either they will fade competely like Fila or just die.
I would love to see JB return back to the good ol days but with Gentry's ever evolving way of thinking, that will never happen...
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to be honest yes. I love jordans i just bought the white/blk red XX3s i always wanted them but no shoe is a must for me anymore. Idk y maybe its the fact thatgentry has become like the evil emperor palpatine and hes just playing us left and right this limited crap and the whole chase thing. Plus almost every weekthere is a new shoe i dnt have money for than anymore.
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Agreed. Ever since 3-4 years ago I haven't cared about Jordans that much. I think I've only copped one pair of J's (aj v's blk/caro). it justdoesn't appeal to me anymore, it doesn't feel that great to cop a new pair. especially when they're now doing a bunch of outlandish stuff iwouldn't even have imagined in the past, i.e. spizikes, those fusions, and what not.
and these packages are ridiculous. don't get me wrong...but 310 for RETAIL of two shoes packaged together is ridiculous...
and these packages are ridiculous. don't get me wrong...but 310 for RETAIL of two shoes packaged together is ridiculous...