Nine Storylines That Will Dominate 2019

2019 is officially underway.

The year in sneakers that just was saw more action than ever before with releases continuing to ramp up and the range of categories, collaborators and topics touched even wider than ever before.

While more sneaker heat from the usual subjects is all but expected in 2019, some questions remain unaswered at this moment.

Here are our Nine Storylines That Will Dominate 2019.

Can Virgil Abloh Outdo Himself — Again?

By all estimates, 2017 was Virgil Abloh’s year. The Off-White x Nike collection completely owned sneaker culture from a hype standpoint and proved to be the Swoosh’s ultimate countermove to adidas’ epic 2016 led by Boost and Kanye West.

So, in 2018 he’d cool off, right? Wrong.

Expanding “The 10” to 30 some sneakers and continuing his Off-White regime, his relevance and reign continued on its excellerated pace as Louis Vuitton appointed him Menswear Artistic Director. A fashion show, Kanye reunion and constant flow of collaborations kept his name not only on the headlines of HYPEBEAST but in boutiques and Barneys alike.

While Off-White was ranked as the hottest global fashion brand of 2018, outdoing himself in the sneaker world in 2019 will come down more to his work with Louis Vuitton and Nike. Will his Michael Jackson-inspired collection with LV move sneakerheads? Will the end of “The 10” see something bigger and better?

Newness will be key in 2019 for Virgil in his pursuits with Nike, Louis Vuitton and Off-White.

Will Politics Continue to Influence Sneaker Brands and Sneaker Culture?

For both better and worse, politics were more talked about than ever in 2018. This, more than ever, trickled down to the sneaker culture in 2018.

From Nike’s support of Colin Kaepernick to Kanye West’s support of Donald Trump, both alignments caused plenty of controversy, creating tons of free press, alienating some consumers, causing many to think about their buying power and increasing feelings both good and bad towards both brands.

So, will political statements continue to trickle down to sneaker culture or are consumers feeling fatigue? While we expect brands like Nike, adidas and PUMA to stand by social causes regarding both people and the planet, it will be intersting to see just how much brands tap into purely politics in the year that is.

Who Will Sign Zion Williamson?

Is Zion Williamson the next LeBron James? The next Charles Barkley? Perhaps the next Larry Johnson?

One thing’s for sure, he’s the most exciting basketball player in more than a minute.

Equal parts electric and powerful, both gigantic and likable, Zion has more marketing potential than any hooper in the last decade. Much like Mike before him, he does things that are unbelievable that many would love to believe they could do if they had a pair of his shoes.

So, who’s gonna sign him?

Smart money says Nike, however Zion would have a long list of signature and signature-to-be stars ahead of him. Could adidas make a move based off his AAU run in their circuit? Does Under Armour bring back their Must Protect This House mentality with the strongest player in years? Could Mike make the Dukie the next face of Jordan Brand? Does Converse, PUMA or NB go all in on the next big thing?

Zion’s on the rise and we can’t wait to see where he lands.

What’s the Future of Yeezy?

Kanye West has often said the world can be saved by design, but is it design or Kanye that defines what the Yeezy line means to sneakerheads?

As discussed in our piece on “FACTS” earlier this week, the Yeezy line has seen much growth since its start in 2015. In 2018 however, there was perhaps a change in the temperature due to greater availiblity of the shoes and more polarizing opinions on the line’s figurehead.

2019 will undoubtably be interesting and exciting for Kanye and the Yeezy line. Early leaks see industry vet Steve Smith exploring new silos while wears from Ye himself point to an actual basketball debut.

Will new designs bring new interest to the Yeezy line? Will Kanye’s views or music matter the most? When looking back at MJ, the most beloved Air Jordans correlated with his time on the court. Pairs with less actual play – the 2, 9, 10, XV and 19 on – aren’t loved the same. Paralleling that, it will be intersting to see how the reception of YANDHI sways the perception on Yeezys.

Will the HyperAdapt Basketball Shoe Matter?

The Nike HyperAdapt saw a WIRED Magazine press push, Michael J. Fox MAG alignment and a TV try-on. What it did not see was a major impact on the market. At least not yet.

Was the shoe not ready or were the people were not ready? Perhaps both. Perhaps it was just the price as even Tinker Hatfield would attest was too high.

But Nike has always had knack for pushing the envelope and being early if not on time. We’ll see what the future of HyperAdapt is this month as the tech makes its debut in basketball.

Truth be told, Nike hasn’t had a basketball breakthrough that’s totally shifted the market since the original Hyperdunk ten years ago and its Kobe IV follow up shortly after. Streamlined silos have proven more dull than sharp, storytelling through colorways rather than design has pulled the personality out of signature shoes and more than anything chasing denim has stifled true performance innovation.

With that said, could the HyperAdapt Basketball shoe be the model that shakes up the whole industry? A modern Foamposite One that’s aspirational in both innovation and pricepoint? A shoe we won’t totally be ready to wear off the court until ten years after its original release? We sure hope so, especially if Giannis, Ben and the rest of Nike’s young talent are tied to the self-lacing sneaker.

Will Skate Shoes Be the Next Wave in Sneaker Culture?

From A$AP Rocky’s Osiris D3 homage with Under Armour to Nike’s relentess seeding of SB Dunks to its core collaborators, skate shoes appear to be amping up heading into 2019.

The question is whether sneakerheads will be about it. Early signs point to yes.

Riffing off Rocky, the chunky skate shoe could be the next progression of the chunky runner or dad shoes that dominated the last two years on a mainstream level. DC and Vans already have product at the market with likely more to come.

Playing the middle in sizing and having the most push, it feels like SB Dunks could hit hard in 2019. Nike has a huge vault to play from and its influencers are already all over them. Will Nike use this wave to send consumers back to skate shops or will boutiques be allowed to bring in the fat tongue favorites? For now we will wait and see.

Are Reborn Basketball Brands a Hot Moment or In It For a Run?

To many, the most exciting basketball sneaker story of 2018 was not anything linked to LeBron, KD or even Kyrie but rather the reemerge of PUMA in the category after a two decade hiatus.

Not only was their shoe cooler than expected, their marketing techniques were both fun and brash, making big buzz and big moves in only a matter of months.

In the time since the PUMA relaunch, New Balance and Converse have both announced they’re getting back into basketball. New Balance has signed Kawhi Leonard while Converse has picked up Kelly Oubre Jr.

So, will PUMA be able to keep that same energy in 2019? Can Converse and New Balance bring new ideas to the court? Basketball as a category could be back on the rise and competiiton is as good as it’s ever been. Nike’s dropping signatures under $150 that play well, Jordan has its best flagship shoe in years, adidas has the MVP, Under Armour has Steph and brands like PEAK, ANTA, Q4 and Li-Ning are dropping good shoes.

2019 could be telling of what’s to come.

Can Jordan Brand Go Back-to-Back?

Jordan Brand never went anywhere of left, but man was 2018 a good year for the Jumpman.

Following a big boom in the early 2010s with the mainstream retro ressurgence, 2015’s remastered price jump and a more than saturated market had consumers feeling fatigue. Throw in the adidas wave in 2016, rampant restocks and aging buyer base, it started to feel like Jordans had lost their luster.

2018 though? Jordan Brand got their bounce back.

While leaks are limited thus far, 2019 is said to have a slew of Travis Scott collabs, more premium pairs of Air Jordan 1s and the 30th anniversary of the Air Jordan 4.

If JB can balance having a solid slew of inline retros with unexpected collabs like last year’s Union and Levi’s launches then the Jumpman will fly high again in 2019.

What’s Next for Sean Wotherspoon?

Sean Wotherspoon had our shoe of the year for 2018. So, what does 2019 hold?

Sean’s Round Two rise has been impressive to say the least, inspiring countless kick collectors to turn their passion for footwear and fashion into their own consigment shops. Brands like GUESS and most notably Nike have tapped Wotherspoon to bring energy, influence and ideas to them with the Swoosh seeing one of its best collaborations in recent years and possibly ever.

Will Sean and Nike work again in 2019 or will another footwear brand tap his talents? Regardless of who or when, Sean is a creative that cares about the culture and the people who make it. Not only was his work with Nike incredibly impressive, the amount of effort he made to ensure the people could get the shoes showed a real fight. We believe that should be rewarded and we hope it is.