Predicting the Future of Retro Sneakers

These days, retro sneakers represent a tremendous part of the footwear economy.

When you close your eyes and think about anything retro, the first thought that comes into mind is Jordan Brand. From the Air Jordan I and onward, Nike has reissued and retooled this famous line year in and year out.

It’s not surprising, either. Jordan Brand has thrived off releasing classic silhouettes and drenching new colorways over anything marked Air Jordan. But even brands like Adidas are getting in on the action. According to Ellen Emmerentze Jervell of the Wall Street Journal, the three-stripe regime sold a combined 23 million pairs of Stan Smith and Superstar sneakers in 2015.

We know what the market looks like now. But what does the future of retro sneakers hold? Will basketball kicks like Kobe Bryant’s line and LeBron James’ Nike endeavors begin to take over? How about Kanye West’s work with Adidas?

The following slides will predict eight sneakers and ideas bound for retro greatness based on popularity, design and the athletes behind them. Find out what’s coming next, as we predict the future of retro sneakers.

Nike Brings Back LeBron James' Zoom Generation

LeBron James arrived in the NBA prior to the 2003-04 NBA season, and the No. 1 pick in the draft was immediately given his own sneaker in the form of a Nike Zoom Generation.

This shoe came on the heels of the seven-year, $93 million contract James signed freshly out of high school. He was minted a star before playing a minute of pro hoops, and Nike took a huge financial gamble by loading him up with signature shoes.

The deal has paid off. James has become a sneaker salesman of grandiose proportions, dropping $340 million worth of product alone from February 2014 to January 2015, per Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.

It’s logical to assume a series of LeBron retros are on the way. And any retro wave should start with the Nike Zoom Generation.

Few debut sneakers shined like the Zoom Generation. Besides a robust exterior shell, the inventive Sphere technology—a tool used to create a pocket of air between one’s foot and the sole—strong leather base and full carbon fiber plate, it’s no wonder why the shoe has held up so well, even by today’s standards.

Seeing the Zoom Generation rerelease would be a treat for fans of the King. It has to only be a matter of time before these sneakers finally hit the open market once more.

The fact remains, King James is the future of retro sneakers, no matter how you cut it.

Kanye West Becomes a Staple of Adidas Retros

Image courtesy of Adidas

Kanye West’s sneaker empire has grown into a commendable force of action in just over a year. His Adidas takeover started with the Yeezy Boost 750 in 2015 and has since expanded into the low-top Boost 350.

It’s hard to picture Adidas releasing the original Boost 750 any time soon. The sneaker hasn’t collected enough dust. However, long-term thinking has to be this sneaker will become a staple of Adidas' retro arsenal.

Like the Stan Smiths or Superstars, West’s Yeezy Boost 750 changed the face of the company. The shoe melted retailers and became an instant seller. It also altered Adidas’ way of doing business, as they introduced a digital app to determine whether people were able to secure a pair.

In order for West to really jump over the Jumpman, he’s going to have to eventually master the whole retro part of the sneaker game. The Boost 750 would be a good start.

Jordan Brand Expands Use of Fresh Materials

Image courtesy of Nike

There’s no doubt Jordan Brand will continue to flex on the retro market with conceptualized releases of classic shoes.

We’ve seen this trend manifest for years, and based on consumers going all in on Air Jordan I throwbacks, like the “Banned” released in September and other cuts, it’s silly to imagine a world without additional Air Jordan drops.

Perhaps the future of the retro Jordans will include a greater use of diverse materials. We’ve seen the company experiment with quilt overlays and substitute canvas for leather in the form of the Jordan KO series.

Look out for additional material usage and unconventional techniques in order to stoke the flames that are Nike’s retro marketplace.

Brands Begin to Dig Further into the Vault

We’ve seen plenty of shoes get treated to a sense of retro redundancy. The future of retro kicks should expand on that idea.

How about digging into the vault and pulling out a handful of rare shoes? It worked for the Nike Sock Dart, which was altered in 2015 after first surfacing in 2004. The Sock Dart would go on to embrace heavy fanfare.

Rebooting old shoes could also help expand the current marketplace beyond the same tiresome drops. How about the Nike Air Ship? The shoe Michael Jordan wore prior to the Air Jordan I. What about the Nike Air Force II?

There are tons of great choices out there that need to be given a proper dose of vintage. All the brands have to do is climb outside of the box and expand their arsenal.

Current Athletes Will Be Tapped to Push Retro Products

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

It happens a lot these days. Current athletes will go out and wear retro sneakers on the hardwood. Russell Westbrook has done so, sporting various Air Jordan player exclusives, while Nick Young has shown off his vast Adidas collection.

NBA players without signature shoe deals are the biggest proponents of this trend—just look at Phoenix Suns forward P.J. Tucker. But in the future, it will be fascinating to see if brands lean more on their outlier stars to serve as agents of vintage.

With social media flourishing, a logical transition to generate more buzz for retro kicks would be to equip current athletes with these models. Instead of instinctively pushing core models, perhaps the future will give more merit to the past, which would turn shoes like LeBron James’ signature line, Kobe Bryant’s and others into eternal parts of the footwear industry.

Nike Will Use Kobe Bryant's Best Shoes as a Jumping-Off Point

Image courtesy of Nike

Kobe Bryant’s innovative signature line never ceased to amaze us over the years. We can touch on his crazy ventures with Adidas, but Bryant’s real takeover came with Nike.

There’s a bevy of Bryant sneakers that should be continually released. The closest we got to Nike bringing back his kicks was a limited “Fade to Black” pack prior to Bryant’s retirement, which featured noir takes on all of his kicks.

We should know more as time transpires, but one shoe that has to be on the docket is the Kobe 9 Elite. Constructed using Flywire technology, this high-top sneaker became an all-encompassing effort, which showcased the best Nike had to offer.

Lightweight and full of all kinds of support, the Kobe 9 Elite remains a monumental effort from lead designer Eric Avar. Its design, despite gravitating into uber-athletic territory, holds up tremendously well.

Nike should go further and use Bryant's signature line as a jumping-off point to history. Show the world why his sneakers in particular were so far ahead of their time.

We'll See More of the Same

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

It might seem obvious, but glossing over the fact we’re bound to see more of the same over the next five years would be an act in futile journalism.

Sneaker companies have relied on popular models like the Stan Smith, Air Jordan I and others to help carry the flag forward and march on. There’s no reason to believe they are suddenly going to ditch those efforts and change direction.

Like we mentioned during the intro slide, Ellen Emmerentze Jervell of the Wall Street Journal reported Adidas sold a combined 23 million pairs of Stan Smith and Superstar sneakers in 2015.

Those are powerful numbers that help the bottom line, and the bottom line is what dictates the release of retro sneakers.

Deeper Stories on Social Media Will Accompany the Release of Retro Kicks

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The best way to drive the retro market is by stoking the fires through various channels of social media. Between Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the amount of information thrown around on a daily basis is enough to overwhelm any consumer.

Companies have to use social media in a smart way to tell stories about people’s favorite kicks. This expanded sense of reach, something we never saw when Michael Jordan’s signature line debuted, or even when LeBron James’ Nike effort emerged, is now the way of the West.

In the future, retro sneakers need to be appreciated by a younger generation in order to maintain success. Using social media to weave a narrative about the rich history of athletic footwear will keep them fresh and provide people with a reason to buy.

Retro sneakers will always be around if brands are able to keep them relevant. What better way is there than leveraging the power of social media?

All production information and release dates via Nike News and Adidas News, unless noted otherwise.