Previously, we reported on the collective cooling of the sneaker market, which was triggered by a pretty significant slip in year-over-year growth. Brands like Nike and Adidas buckled under the weight of excess pandemic inventory, the closure of Russian stores and a slowdown in Chinese spending, due in large part to the return of COVID-19 lockdowns. 2023 will be a tough year for these titans...but newcomers, like New Balance, who haven't relied on the hype cycle to sell product, are surging.
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Hoka Clifton 8 (Eggnog Shifting Sand) Read More -
Hoka Kaha 2 Low Gore-Tex (Sharkskin Blue Coral) Read More
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Salomon XT-6Blooming Dahlia Read More
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Salomon XT-6 Gore-Tex (Black Lunar Rock) Read More
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The North Face x KAWS ThermoBall Traction Mule Read More
"New" brands dominated StockX's annual Current Culture Index, a report the resale site publishes based on data from the year prior. Sure, the same five brands from 2021 retained their rankings on the best-selling brands of the year — Nike, Jordan, Adidas, New Balance and Converse — but on the fastest-growing brands board, there are few... unexpected names, which rose in part due to the newfound permanence of GORPcore gear.
Compared to 2021, Salomon grew 2,277 percent on the platform in 2022; Hoka saw a 713 percent spike; The North Face jumped 338 percent. These are impressive numbers, especially for brands I wouldn't have considered "sneaker" brands before 2021. Sure, Hoka has always made running shoes, and Salomon is no newcomer when it comes to outdoor sports equipment, but both have crossed over into the lifestyle sector, where the fans are rabid and the resale prices are, well, ridiculous.
But traditional sneakerheads are clearly interested in these labels — hence the aforementioned data. They're treating the Salomon XT-6, for example, which launched in 2013 for "world-class athletes for ultra-distance races under harsh conditions," like Chucks. Sneakers once saved for intense trail races and daredevil-ish mountain descents are now popping up in coffee shops, in offices and on the moodboards of fashion-obsessed social media users.
Whether any of these brands having staying power in the sneaker category remains to be seen, though. But Hoka, StockX says, is just outside the top 10 on its best-selling sneaker brands ranking. And these lists are based on global sales data, not just the U.S. — which means Hoka, Salomon and The North Face sneakers (well, mules, in the case of The North Face), are catching on around the world — a good sign for further growth in 2023.
Hoka
Salomon
The North Face
