Fashion Capitalises on a More Exclusive US Open

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Good morning, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for reading today. I appreciate you giving me a bit of your time. I hope you had a fantastic weekend. We’ll have a shorter newsletter today as I’m a bit under the weather.

In today’s edition, we cover the current conversation around the US Open. Tickets are hard to come by at market rates as the experience economy surges. I explore what that means for fashion.

We also touch on Ib Kamara’s exit at Off-White and the brand’s direction — or lack thereof — moving forward.

Quick hits:

• Catbird’s latest collaboration with the WNBA is proof that brands are doubling down on the league despite any contrived controversy that might surround it.
• Aimé Leon Dore is reportedly seeking more outside investment as the brand looks to expand. Sounds like we’re in for a big move with the company.
• Lionel Messi is retiring from international play! This is the true end of an era. What an incredible career he’s had.
• Naomi Osaka’s Allen Iverson-inspired fit is so cool. Took me back to 2001 with this one.

Let’s get to it.

What the US Open’s Exclusivity Means for Fashion

That the conversation dominating the US Open so far hasn’t been about tennis says a lot, considering Carlos Alcaraz is making his return in the tournament and playing doubles with Serena Williams.

The chatter that has taken over the tournament has mostly centred on its pricing. Fans, pundits and everyone in between have noted just how expensive it is to attend the event.

• Perishing Square CEO Bill Ackman, who is not exactly struggling to afford a ticket, called the $363 listing price on the resale market for a one day ground pass “absurd” in a post on X. At retail the ticket goes for $65.
• Resale prices will only get worse as New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the US Open is held, undergoes an $800 million renovation for next year. That renovation will increase the capacity to around 5,000 seats, according to the US Tennis Association, but a majority of those seats will be the expensive courtside views.
• Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 of the lower-priced upper-level seats will be removed.

Zoom out: The US Open has never quite been an accessible event, but more and more, it’s becoming an exclusive experience for those who can afford high ticket costs. It follows the same trend that a majority of sports are going through. From the Knicks’ run to the NBA Finals to the expensive seats at the World Cup, sports are becoming a playground for the wealthy as people are increasingly willing to pay more for experiences.

Why that matters: The exclusivity of the tournament has made attendance into more of a status symbol than ever, not quite at the level of getting a ticket to Wimbledon but inching in that direction. This signalling power only makes the US Open more attractive to fashion, which has woken up to the marketing opportunities offered by sports in recent years and is currently doing everything it can to win over high-income US consumers, who have been the most resilient spenders on luxury over the past two years. While the industry has long had a presence at the tournament, the range of brands activating around New York’s big tennis moment this time around is notable.

• Ralph Lauren opened a six week pop-up at Nordstrom’s NYC flagship that will last until Sept. 20.
• Paige Paul’s Dairy Boy also hosted a two-day pop-up in Greenwich Village timed with the beginning of the tournament from Aug. 21 through 23.
• Speaking of Paige Paul, the Waldorf Astoria turned its grand ballroom into a tennis court and featured exhibition matches that her husband, Tommy Paul, played in alongside other star tennis players. Anna Wintour attended the matches.
• Lacoste is hosting a pop-up at the Plaza Hotel through Sept. 6 and turned the Palm Court into Le Cafe Lacoste.

The big picture: Tennis fans trekking to Queens for a chance to watch world-class tennis at an affordable price may not be happy about the rising costs of the US Open, but fashion sees the event’s exclusivity as an opportunity rather than a problem. This isn’t just a tennis tournament anymore — being in the city and participating in the events around the game are a status symbol, for better or worse. Brands are doing everything in their power to make sure they’re part of it.

Off-White’s Fall

The future of Off-White is up in the air again after creative director Ib Kamara’s exit from the brand. The company announced his departure in a statement on Monday. You can read details from BoF’s Lei Takanashi here.

• The brand doesn’t have an immediate replacement in mind for Kamara as it moves into its next era.
• Nor does it have a New York Fashion Week show planned for September.

The state of play: Kamara’s exit has been par for the course in Off-White’s journey since the death of its founder, Virgil Abloh, in 2021. The company has bounced from path to path while never quite finding its footing.

First, Virgil Abloh’s estate separated itself from Off-White. Then, the company hired Kamara to take the reins as the brand’s lead creative in April 2022. By 2024, LVMH sold the Off-White LLC to Bluestar Alliance. Now, here we are two years later with Kamara out and no evident direction for the brand.

What they’re saying: Kamara called working at Off-White an “honour” and a “profound creative education.”

“Off-White is bigger than any one idea, exactly as Virgil intended — a house with genuine values, rooted in culture, community and the belief that fashion can speak to everyone,” he said in a statement.

Be smart: Kamara’s exit felt inevitable. The brand eliminated its need for a single creative director after the announcement of its 10x10 initiative, where it would bring in 10 creatives to recreate signature products every few months. The initiative included big names in fashion like Stephane Ashpool, Raul Lopez, Kid Cudi and Guillermo Andrade. It’s set to last through April 2027.

What do you need Ib Kamara for when you’ve got a rotating door of creative directors working on projects throughout the year?

My take: While I can’t say that Kamara wowed anyone with his work while he was at Off-White, I don’t think he was necessarily put in the best position to succeed. It was an impossible task.

• There was a stigma attached to the brand after its separation from the Abloh family, and in a way Kamara was the face of that. He had an uphill battle to get the public on his side.
• Plus, Off-White was linked to Abloh himself before Kamara took over. That was always going to be a difficult act to follow up on.
• There was also never a hero product or collection that launched under Kamara that people grew attached to. Abloh’s first major win with Off-White was “The Ten” collaboration with Nike. That success isn’t repeatable, but Kamara never came close.

The big picture: I do think there’s something to Kamara’s statement above. I like the idea of Off-White as an open-source fashion platform, which feels a bit closer to what Abloh had always intended for the brand. Maybe this is the brand trying to inch a bit closer to that.

But right now, there’s no clear direction for Off-White. There’s no central idea. The brand doesn’t really have an ethos. Those things need to be clear for Off-White to be Off-White again.

Travis Scott Brings Something Different

If you’re like me and you’ve grown tired of the Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 lows, then today is your day. Hip-hop’s favourite fashion mogul brought something new to the table with Nike and tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.

What’s new: Scott starred in a Nike spot celebrating Alcaraz’s return to the court for the US Open. This wasn’t quite “The Odyssey,” but the rapper did a solid job on the narration front here.

Two new sneakers debuted in the spot.

• First: Alcaraz was wearing the new Travis Scott x Nike Zoom Vapor 12 Tennis HC, which is yet another tennis collaboration for the rapper. It follows 2023’s Cactus Jack Mac Attack.
• Second: Scott is wearing the Ice Blue Cactus Jack x Nike Air Force 1, which comes in a baby blue colourway.

A change of pace: It’s nice to see something from Scott that breaks the mould a bit. We’ve grown so used to the different colourways of the Jordan 1 low. What was once a novel approach to a classic shoe feels so milquetoast these days. Putting his touch on a performance model like the Vapor 12 is a good move — especially with Alcaraz playing in them.

This is how you activate a celebrity in sports. Good move, Nike.

What’s Droppin’, Bruh?

This is a dedicated section detailing upcoming sneaker releases for the week, and sometimes other interesting drops I think you might care about.

• Jennie x Adidas Superstar Square Ballet — Tuesday, Sept. 1
• Adidas Futurecool — Thursday, Sept. 3
• Converse x SHAI 001 “Lace” — Friday, Sept. 4
• Nike Air Diamond Turf 2 “49ers” — Friday, Sept. 4
• Pharrell x Adidas Jellyfish “Timber” — Saturday, Sept. 5

Thanks for reading, gang!

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, reach out to me via email at michael.sykes@businessoffashion.com or shoot me a message @MikeDSykes via socials.

Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.

-Sykes 💯