Why Nike’s SNKRS App Isn’t Going Anywhere

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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! Hope your weekend was excellent. Mine certainly was. In a stroke of luck, my Wizards won the lottery. I can’t believe it. Might have to catch me in Vegas in July.

Today’s newsletter dives into the rumour mill churning around Nike’s SNKRS app. Some have speculated that, following the layoffs in the company’s tech department, the popular-but-polarising app might be phased out in the long term. I explain my doubts here.

Plus, A Ma Maniére opened up a new brick-and-mortar location in Atlanta that I think could set a new bar for independent multi-brand retailers out there.

Quick hits:

• Lei Takanashi’s new case study on how today’s fashion brands build hype is so fascinating. You’ll recognise a lot of these strategies if you’re a sneakerhead.
• This week is a critical one for some of the biggest luxury players in the marketplace. Eric Sylvers gets you prepared for it here.
• Elliott Hill speaks. Here’s an NBC interview with Nike’s chief executive. There wasn’t really much new here, but I thought his passion for the company was made clear.
• The WNBA season is here and the vibe around the New York Liberty is awesome. Read more on it in The Cut this week.

Let’s jump in.

Nike’s SNKRS App Isn’t Going Anywhere

Speculation about the future of Nike’s SNKRS app, the platform where the company releases its most limited products, bubbled up over the weekend thanks to a viral LinkedIn post from Stacy Devino, one of the app’s former principal developers.

Details: Devino mourned the app, saying that the jobs of “The org and people behind SNKRS were obliterated” as part of the brand’s recent round of layoffs in April. Following Devino’s post, sneaker news site House of Heat reported that 90 percent of the team was nixed, and that a source they spoke to guessed SNKRS would end in “12 to 18 months.”

Why this matters: The internet ran with this. The social chatter across various platforms would lead you to believe that the SNKRS app is on its last legs. But I think that’s jumping the gun.

• All of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Devino hasn’t worked for Nike in years and surely wouldn’t know the ins-and-outs of the company’s future plans today. She also doesn’t claim to.
• Despite reports saying otherwise, it’s also unclear how much of the SNKRS team has been cut.

What they’re saying: One thing that did become abundantly clear to me in reaching out to Nike for comment is that there are some fairly big changes coming to SNKRS, and across Nike’s digital platforms.

“Recent changes to Nike’s Technology organisation combined our Nike App and SNKRS engineering teams into one team,” the company said in a statement. The brand’s new tech team will work solely in Oregon at the brand’s main campus.

“This new, unified team combines the expertise of engineers previously dedicated to SNKRS with the team behind the Nike app, website, and Nike By You — creating one team to better serve customers, reducing handoffs and driving efficiency.”

Be smart: That sounds like a brand consolidating its teams, not completely dissolving them. The SNKRS team may eventually change its branding. Maybe it’ll all be on one Nike app instead of a standalone venture. But that doesn’t mean that the team is completely eradicated.

Reality check: Nike won’t say this, but it’s true: SNKRS is way too valuable of an app for the brand to completely disband it.

• Love it or hate it — and many sneakerheads do — it’s undeniable that, since it began more than a decade ago in 2015, the SNKRS app has become one of Nike’s most recognisable properties.
• “The ‘GOT ‘EM’ screenshot is just as ubiquitous of a slogan as “Just Do It” these days. You could make an argument that it actually carries more weight in the 2020s.

The brand isn’t dumping that. Not when, even in Nike’s current slump, the app still drives hundreds of thousands of people to the brand’s most coveted releases. So many brands would do anything for a platform that powerful. Many of its rivals have tried to copy it and have found little success.

The bottom line: SNKRS is definitely changing. It’s not the same app that it was in 2017 when “The Ten” dropped, or even in the early 2020s when Panda Dunks were all the rage. But changing isn’t the same as ending. Don’t conflate the two.

A Ma Maniére Sets the Bar

It’s always interesting to see who is innovating in retail as the consumer pendulum continues to swing away from digital and back to physical experiences. James Whitner and the Whitaker Group’s A Ma Maniére brand seem to be taking things to the next level.

The news: A Ma Maniére is opening a massive new location in Atlanta this month. The brand teased the new location on Monday, and Hypebeast shared more details.

• The 23,000-square-foot building is located in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward on Edgewood Avenue.
• It has multiple levels for multiple purposes. One section is for the brand’s “Maison” luxury retail concept, the second is for the brand’s culinary concept and the third is for its living space equipped with multiple suites. All under one roof.

Why this matters: This is quite the ambitious build — especially for an independent retailer like A Ma Maniére. There aren’t many out there with concepts like this. The closest that we get is with Ronnie Fieg’s Kith brand, but even Kith Ivy doesn’t come with a luxury living space.

The backdrop: This feels like a natural progression for the brand.

• The A Ma Maniére Experiences brand has dabbled in all of this. The Washington, D.C. store has a living space in it, for example. The brand also opened a luxury beachside resort in Miami in 2024.
• The Houston location doubles as a retail space and a restaurant. The brand also launched a champagne in late 2025.

This new Atlanta location seems to be a culmination of all the experiments we’ve seen from the brand over the years.

The big picture: The debate about whether retail locations can serve as third places for consumers rages on. Personally, I’m still sceptical that retail brands can drive community without it feeling like a business tactic. But some might argue that Whitner and company have already pulled it off, given how far the brand’s experiential side has come.

We’ll see how it works when this new spot finally opens up.

Under Armour’s Weird Rolling Loud Presence

There is no world in which I could’ve called Under Armour and Rolling Loud — the giant hip-hop festival that’s become one of the rowdiest music events in the US — crossing over. But, uh, here we are. Under Armour was named the festival’s official “performance apparel” partner for 2026.

Yes, that’s a sentence I just typed. You are reading that correctly.

Details: Under Armour’s branding was all over the place at the festival in Orlando over the weekend thanks to this collab.

• The brand made Rolling Loud-branded performance gear for the event, including sweat-wicking tees and shorts, that were available at “Fit for the Pit” stations for festival attendees. The “pit” in question refers to the festival’s mosh pits. You can’t make this up.
• Under Armour reps handed out sweat-wicking workout shirts to festival attendees over the weekend.

Here’s the thing: I want to say this is off-brand for Under Armour, but I’m not sure that’s true anymore. Again, this is one of the rowdiest hip-hop festivals of the season.

But Under Armour has entered a really interesting grunge era that sort of fits this vibe.

• It launched that dark Balenciaga collection in 2024, which fits this crowd perfectly.
• The brand has also moved to work with hip-hop artists like Gunna and Playboi Carti, who also match this energy. Playboi Carti was Saturday night’s headliner.

Is it strange? Yes. Absolutely. Can I say I’m surprised? Honestly, no. Credit to Under Armour for finding a niche here. More brands should do this.

Freddie Gibbs Teams Up With Mizuno

Speaking of strange-but-fun rap partnerships, the Japanese footwear brand announced rapper Freddie Gibbs as its first non-sporting global ambassador. Gibbs and Mizuno collaborated on a film documenting the Japan leg of the rapper’s Asia tour, which is a neat way to announce a new partnership if you ask me.

My take: I’m honestly not sure exactly how much Gibbs moves the needle for international audiences, but he’s always shown an appreciation for Japanese culture in his music. It’s pretty cool to see that pay off here.

Plus, I have to admit I enjoy the creativity behind the announcement.

• The documentary will follow him as he bops across Japan, exploring the cities he’s in and taking in the culture. He hits sumo wrestling spots and makes an appearance at some baseball batting cages. Plus, it’ll follow him through a tour of Mizuno’s headquarters in Osaka.
• The documentary will only be streamed on Japan’s Sabukaru platform.

Shoutout to Gibbs. This is another one I’d never have expected, but I like to be pleasantly surprised.

What’s Droppin’, Bruh?

This is the community section of the newsletter where you send me your best fits and kicks from the week. Feel free to send submissions to michael.sykes@businessoffashion.com or shoot me a message via social channels @MikeDSykes.

• Nike SB x Blue Tile Dunk Low — Tuesday, May 12
• BAPE x Crocs Echo Clog — Thursday, May 14
• Brain Child x Reebok DMX Series 3000 — Friday, May 15
• Songs for the Mute x Adidas Collection — Friday, May 15
• Julian Klincewicz x Vans Old Skool — Friday, May 15
• Air Jordan 3 “Brazil” — Saturday, May 16

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 💯