Stanisland Magazine

Opinion: Nike needs new ideas as their design stagnation triumphs through marketing

We all laugh at Apple for coasting — but I think it’s fair to say that Nike have been too. I get it — I was stuck in the same loop for years too: buying the latest, because that’s what everyone is does, right?

New Marketing, Old Designs

Well, as you leave your teens and grow into your twenties, you start to realise that Nike is a fake designer brand. Their true talent isn’t design, it’s marketing. And their customer base? People they can manipulate.

Their latest drop is no different: the same tick, the same design with a new ‘limited’ edition pattern. It’s not just the Air Force 1s, but the rest of their catalogue too.

Overpriced Sneakers

If you’re going to be paying upwards of $200, surely you’d like something to come with that? I don’t know, perhaps game changing fits or a design that doesn’t look like Spiderman repaired his web shooter all over it.

The company’s new CEO, Elliott Hill, has said the same, admitting that they have relied too heavily on promotions, retro fits and legacy lines as opposed to chasing innovation. They’re not alone in this, even Adidas is stuck in the 1980s.

Verdict

Their latest, the Nike Air Force 1 Low “Realtree” is another example of ‘once you’ve see one, you’ve seen them all’. Honestly, don’t bother.