LeBron James is inching ever closer to breaking one of the NBA’s most monumental records. But today, that was secondary. Front and center were his clothes. He is known for suave tunnel fits but tonight’s fit was just hype.
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Just a day ago, Tiffany & Co. announced that they would be collaborating with Nike on a pair of Air Force 1s. And while the hype was built up from the moment they unveiled their signature “Tiffany Blue” box – it died down the moment they showed the sneakers.
.@nike x @tiffanyandco, a legendary pair.
Coming soon… 👀 pic.twitter.com/Oif05GrfOM
— Tiffany & Co. (@TiffanyAndCo) January 29, 2023
And eager fans took notice. LeBron, who is Nike’s premier athlete decided to rock the fit. The shoes and a special varsity jacket. However, it didn’t get the response it should have.
LeBron James is the first to unveil the collaboration and gets immediate flak for it.
As the internet learned of the collab, we got to see a first look thanks to the Lakers superstar. He wore the $400 shoes and a custom varsity jacket with Tiffany’s lettering on it.
LeBron James pulled up wearing the @TiffanyAndCo x Nike Air Force 1 👀💎 pic.twitter.com/QetSbBIkyf
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) January 31, 2023
And before we even saw the on-feet pictures, people already were skeptical of the launch.
I’d much rather see jewelry out of a Tiffany’s X Nike collaboration and not a shoe.
— bobbyhundreds (@bobbyhundreds) January 31, 2023
You mean to tell me Nike teamed up with Tiffany and Co and THAT’S what they came up with?? https://t.co/lcWgVz0xAt
— Angie Thomas (@angiecthomas) January 29, 2023
“Yea so Tiffany & Nike are finally releasing an official collab together and people aren’t impressed. On top of that, they’re selling a bunch of random silver sh*t on the side too including silver dubraes that shoulda just come on the shoe to begin with” pic.twitter.com/43duBqCBzp
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) January 31, 2023
The real storm rose up when we saw LeBron wear it and people didn’t feel like it lived up to the hype.
Twitter is livid at the Nike x Tiffany & Co. collaboration
NBA Twitter took notice of this and immediately went into a frenzy. The reactions were mixed, however, one thing was clear, it is not as hyped out as it seemed.
Man, I swear this is the most mid looking overhyped sneaker I’ve seen in years. (Aside from every dunk yall hope on weekly of course) https://t.co/5nW2Zcg1tL
— Silky Johnson (@Jeezyvega) February 1, 2023
— KALI 🌊💙🏁 (@mzkali) February 1, 2023
— Johnnny (@J0hnnytano) February 1, 2023
@Nike these shoes are trash https://t.co/aAiAmyWDoY
— J. Strong (@StrongggVSOP) February 1, 2023
The strong opinions meant one thing, a shoe with this much hype need not be that drab. When such a huge collaboration takes place, the least people expect is a shoe that looks the part. And for it to cost $400 seems like a cash grab at best.
LeBron James himself might have no opinion about it. He is after all their marketing spearhead. And as we and everyone else talk about the shoe, it will get the attention it needs.
As a user pointed out the irony here is that Tiffany & Co. is known for making beautiful things. This shoe simply doesn’t fit that bill.
painful to see tiffany go from making beautiful things with elsa peretti to shoehorning themselves into every pop culture/ “streetwear” trend, like so many other companies that have lost confidence and are now flailing around trying to capture young luxury money pic.twitter.com/4j6hCE7g8c
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) January 30, 2023
