As much as I shun replicas, I’m always stunned by the amount of work replica factories are willing to put in to deliver striking products. Nike has literally been beating a dead horse when it comes to the Uptempo sneakers. I’ve written several posts alluding to the lack of creativity from the brand’s design team but they might’ve fallen of deaf ears. The Uptempo is a classic shoe packed with a lot of memorable stories and Nike should’ve known better not to adulterate it.
I’m saying all that to show you how dry and uninspired Nike has been with the uptempo. Today again, I came across a variant pair of uptempo’s and to say that I was impressed by the ingenuity of the people behind it would be an under statement. Ladies and gentlemen these KAWS X Air More Uptempo’s are replicas but Nike could’ve easily come up with a concept like this and WIN big time. A black on white shoe with KAWS logo printed on the panels and back would’ve been an automatic instant hit.
These guys are not only making dope colorways but they are using premium materials. I hope Nike understand how serious of a problem this could become if not contained. One thing the replica industry has understood is this,
We aren’t very favored so for us to be acknowledged, we have to put in extra work and if it means surpassing the brands themselves, we’ll do that..
Please understand that I’m mot rooting for replicas, I’m being very objective, Nike has done a poor job with the uptempo’s and I’m calling a Spade a Spade. Hopefully they’ll go back to the drawing boards and create some worthy uptempos in the months to come.
Fake Sneakers No Longer Get You Excommunicated, PerfecktKicks, The Problem
