Weekly Digest
🙌 An Unofficial Guide to the Air Jordan 1’s 40th Anniversary
TLDR:
Building up to the new year, it quickly became apparent that the
AJ1’s 40th anniversary would be a focal point of the 2025 release slate
as an exciting mix of collaborations, classics and new colorways have
been teased and rumored. We’ve assembled a list of 20 anticipated AJ1
releases to mark this milestone year.
Why
It Matters: The Air Jordan 1 is often credited with shaping
the sneaker industry as we know it today. Introduced by Michael Jordan
and Nike in 1985, its release laid the foundation for Jordan Brand, now
a multi-billion dollar empire that has achieved a status as legendary as
Jordan himself. Over the decades, it has transcended its origins as a
performance shoe to become a cultural icon, a silhouette recognizable
worldwide and associated with timeless style and athletic achievement.
And, in 2025, it’s set to celebrate its 40th anniversary. We've rounded
up a preview of 20 upcoming AJ1 releases, from collaborations and
classics to exciting newcomers. Remember that some of these pairs stated
in the list are based on speculation and early reporting, so not all
pairs may release this year.
Read the full article here.
🫢 SATISFY Calls Out Nike for MothTech™ Lookalike
TLDR:
Nike‘s new running t-shirt recently surfaced online and it has
now been the topic of public scrutiny due to its resemblance to
SATISFY‘s signature MothTech™.
Why
It Matters: It has been revealed that Nike’s new running
t-shirt features holes throughout and is expected to provide runners
with better air circulation. The original design was made popular by
French-based running brand SATISFY and has been known to be called
MothTech™. Following the reveal of Nike’s new shirt, SATISFY caught wind
of the product and has taken to social media to clarify that the shirt
is not in fact a collaboration between them and the Swoosh. In a post on
LinkedIn, the company responds the Nike lookalike stating, “We were
surprised to see a product from Nike surface that closely mirrors our
distinctive design. To clarify, SATISFY has no involvement in this
project. The design appears to draw heavily from our signature MothTech™
aesthetic, which is disappointing to see from a major corporation known
to defend its own image and intellectual property so fiercely.”
Read the full article here.
✊ LVMH-Backed L Catterton Acquires Majority Stake in KAPITAL
TLDR:
L Catterton, the LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE)-backed
private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in the Japanese brand
KAPITAL.
Why
It Matters: The firm’s website confirms a 2024 investment
year although the exact amount of the majority stake was not disclosed.
The strategic partnership between L Catterton and KAPITAL was announced
ahead of the brand’s 40th anniversary in 2025 and under a year since the
death of founder Toshikiyo Hirata in April 2024. KAPITAL was formally
founded in 1985 in Kojima, the district in Japan’s Okayama prefecture
known as the birthplace of Japanese denim. Hirata-san first founded the
denim label in 1948 while living in the United States as a karate
teacher, heavily inspired by the American denim aesthetic. He was one of
the early Japanese collectors who traveled to America at the time in
search of “vintage gold” and went on to study denim-making techniques in
Kojima in the ’80s.
Read the full article here.
🌸 Louis Vuitton Opens Modular Murakami Pop-Up in Downtown NYC
TLDR:
Where there’s a Louis Vuitton collaboration, there’s an onslaught
of expertly crafted global pop-ups to follow. So, as expected, the
megabrand’s newly released Takashi Murakami collection is currently
pining for global domination.
Why
It Matters: New York is one of seven cities worldwide
(alongside London, Milan, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo) to host
a pop-up activation for the homecoming collab, and the French label’s
Soho boutique has been redecorated with the artist’s distinct flowers
and rainbow Monogram decals to ring in the duo’s historic reunion. As
the only fully dedicated space for the re-edition collection in the
United States, the downtown pop-up is fitted with several eye-boggling
modules, including a slime green exhibition space with archival
selections from the pair’s former collaborations and a downstairs cinema
room playing digitally enhanced Superflat movies by Murakami from two
decades ago. Notably, the gallery section houses myriad hero pieces from
the first LV x Murakami lines, including the Eye Love Monogram and
Monogram Multicolore in black and white (2003/2005), the Monogram
Blossom (2003) and the Monogram Cerise (2005).
Read the full article here.
🗣️ Hypebeast Community Center: Greg Laboratory
TLDR:
Designer Greg Jackson discusses his synthesis of technical gear
and formalwear, the cinematic sci-fi inspirations behind his brand and
the power of uniforms.
Why
It Matters: Greg Laboratory is a uniform-based, technical
formalwear brand that bridges the gap between the outdoors and the city
as per Jackson himself when asked to give us an elevator pitch of his
brand. "Genres of clothing make it easier to understand and describe
brands, with so many around these days," says Jackson. "Though, I do
believe that this can somehow misconstrue a designer’s intent. With Greg
Laboratory, we’re trying to place it in this middle ground of
traditional menswear and tech. Familiar but curious." When it comes to
informing the functionality of the garments, meticulous attention is
very much given. Greg Laboratory puts emphasis on city living — where
one essentially wears the same outfit an entire day — by focusing on
comfort with utilizing 2 to 4-way stretch fabrics providing enough
storage for essentials and weatherproofing.
Read the full article here.
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