The Biggest Sneaker Storylines for 2017

There are three more days left in 2016, and the year can’t end soon enough. Luckily, though, time goes on, and 2017 is a fresh start in some ways. The same can be said for the sneaker industry, as this year was full of ups and downs, and the future is looking better than the present. There’s still a lot of unknown things that can occur over the next 12 months, and they’re going to make or break whether 2017 is an upgrade from 2016 or not.

The Adidas NMD was the most popular sneaker of 2016, and they were more than 100 different colorways that released this year. But will it be able to maintain its popularity in 2017? The brand has already launched a new version of the sneaker that’s gaining steam, and it will be for consumers to decide if enough’s enough of this lifestyle running shoe. The biggest issue with the NMD’s future, however, isn’t Adidas getting in its own way, it’s the other brands copying the sneaker’s success. Nike has already released the Lunarcharge, which has a very similar storyline and market share with the NMD, and every other brand is trying to find a way to take their heritage and flip it into a sneaker that connects with the casual consumer. The space is getting flooded, but the NMD still reigns supreme, at least for the time being.

The NBA decided to move 2017’s All-Star Weekend from Charlotte to New Orleans because of North Carolina’s discriminatory bathroom laws. This last-minute move has many wondering if this ruined the big plans that the footwear companies have every year. There’s already been whisperings of scrapped projects due to the change of locations. Hopefully the sneaker brands can get their acts together in time.

Adidas has said that it’s going to open Yeezy-specific stores in the near future, and that will certainly help fulfill Kanye West’s promise of everyone being able to own his sneakers. It’s unknown if there will be a complete line of different shoes or if Adidas will simply produce higher quantities of the Yeezy Boosts, but it’s a good sign for those who have taken Ls so far.

It’s been a rough couple months for New Balance, thanks to the brand’s endorsement of President-Elect Donald Trump. The New England sneaker brand rallied around Trump because of his support of producing more manufacturing jobs in the USA. New Balance is the only major sneaker brand that still makes product in America, and it received a major backlash on social because its choice to support a Republican politician. The Internet has a short memory and New Balance still makes good shoes, so will people trade in their disdain for the company in 2017?

When it comes to sales, Under Armour is killing it, thanks to having a roster of athletes that includes reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry and Tom Brady. When it comes to actually sway with #influencers with kids, well, Under Armour is lacking a bit of juice. The brand, however, has tried to gain credibility with the fashion-forward crowd, and it released luxury versions of its Curry sneakers, including activations at sneaker boutiques such as Concepts. 2017 presents its own set of challenges for Under Armour. The company’s moving in the right direction, but it has to make sure that it doesn’t try too hard and have organic growth. Its partnership with fashion designer Tim Coppens is going to help this cause and will hopefully springboard the brand in the right direction.

It was a rough year for Nike Basketball, and its biggest endorser, LeBron James, needed to rework his signature line of sneakers due to slumping sales. Nike lowered the price on the shoes from the previous LeBron 13 by $25, and it’s rumored that the shoe takes inspiration from 2016’s sneaker of the year, the Acronym x Nike Air Presto. LeBron and the Cavs are looking to defend their Larry O’Brien Trophy, but he can he be atop of the sneaker world, too?

It’s become as predictable as Kanye going on an unexpected rant. Jordan Brand is going to release an Air Jordan XI around the holidays. It’s happened every year since 2008, and this year was the biggest and most successful one yet with the rollout of the “Space Jam,” which sort of help start this phenomenon in 2009. This year’s release was so large, in fact, that it will be hard for the brand to follow up the fanfare that surrounded this year’s sneaker, which also included the Air Jordan XXX1, an Air Jordan IX that Michael Jordan wore in the film, and an Air Jordan 1. It seems nearly impossible for Jordan Brand to make next year bigger than this time around.