Episodes

"People think I'm being critical but I (often) talk about what I call the 'echo chamber' of the sneakerhead world in that a shoe/brand/event is bounced back and forth inside this 'echo chamber' and it makes it seem like it's a really loud voice, but when you look around the big world outside, most people don't even know that it's going on. So very many of the hot sneakerhead shoes are just not commercial in units sold."

This week, Sneakerologist Matt Powell joins the show. Matt is a prominent voice in the sneaker industry and is a vice president and sports industry analyst for NPD Group where he covers the business of sports retail, wearables and especially sneakers. Matt has been covering the sneaker industry for more than 20 years and also is a contributor to the Forbes Sneakernomics blog.

On this episode, we take a deep dive into the business and culture of sneakers — how did the industry get so large over the past 30 years? Matt shares some numbers in market shares, compares trends vs. sales, discusses brand loyalty, as well as gives us some insight into some of the startup brands such as BrandBlack.

We also discuss the alleged impact of celebrity collaborations with brands (including the Kanye/Adidas Yeezy), sneaker customization, the reselling industry, as well as the sensitive topic of violence in the retail side of the sneaker business.

Matt also covers wearable technology at NPD Group so we end with a discussion on the future of wearables in sports, including 3d printing.

Mentions include:

• @NPDMattPowell on Twitter
• NPD Group
• Forbes - Sneakernomics
• Complex's 30 Must-Follow Sneaker Writers and Bloggers on Twitter
• Kayne West Yeezy
• Zoom Flight 95 Sneakers
• And 1
• And 1 Mixtapes
• Rucker Park, NYC
• Brand Black
• Newton Running
• Ampla Sport
• SKORA Running
• Nike & 3d Printing
• Tinker Hatfield, Nike
• Apple Watch

Our next guest is T.J. Harley, founder and creative director of Harley Creative in Atlanta, GA. Before founding his own design shop, T.J. was the creative director of the Collegiate Licensing Company for 10+ years where he provided branding and creative direction for over 200 CLC/IMG clients.

Did you enjoy this episode? Then please rate and/or write a review of the show on iTunes. Also, be sure to follow show host, Adam Martin and @makersofsport on twitter.