Nike cracks down on people customizing sneakers. But is it shooting itself with its feet?
Kino Hernandez and one of his close friends started a business together last year to customize and sell sneakers online. A few weeks after the surgery, his friend rescued him, but Hernandez decided to move forward. A resident of Salem County, NJ, said, “It’s been about three months, when I started taking orders, not talking about local orders.” “I received orders from California, Las Vegas, etc.”
He estimates that Hernandez has earned about $ 10,000 by adding colors and designs to his shoes in the last few months. For Hernandez, the shoe customization business not only allows her to generate income while working part-time, but also allows her to be flexible as an artist. This is an ideal work-life balance. But the lawsuit from Nike threatens her livelihood not only for Hernandez, but also for countless other shoe customizers.
In a lawsuit filed in California last month, Drip Creationz, one of the world’s largest shoe customization companies, disassembled Nike shoes, added new materials, and resold them at a much higher price than normal retail prices. Is accused. According to Nike lawyers, this violates trademark and copyright law.
“Our goal is to enable consumers to buy products that are genuine and approved by us, so they won’t be confused,” Nike said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. I am. “None of the items sold by Drip Creationz are Nike Inc. certified products.”
According to one legal analyst, Nike’s complaint suggests that it plans to come after someone who customizes the shoes, including one-man operation like Hernandez.
Does Nike Need to Care?
No one knows exactly when people started changing Nike shoes, but people involved in the world of customization say the convention is decades old. Of course, this piece isn’t just for Nike shoes. Customizers are working on adidas, vans, and other shoe brands that clients like.
According to market research firm NPD Group, one of the best-selling athletic shoes in the United States is the Nike Air Force 1. This is the shoe that many customizers use as a blank canvas.
Aaron Solomon, a Montreal lawyer and self-proclaimed sneaker head, noted the tendency to customize shoes, saying “this wasn’t done maliciously.” “If anything, it just encourages people to buy more Nike.”
Hernandez, one of the many customizers who pay retail to customize Nike shoes, said the athletic gear giant’s suit had nothing to do with him. “I’m not really scared of it. If they win, I’ll just find another shoe to work on.”
21st Century Home Industry
According to Solomon, most customizers are either experienced artists, fashion enthusiasts, knowledgeable entrepreneurs, or all three. “Most people are one or two artists doing one or two at a time in the garage or basement, like side hustle or hobbies,” he told CBS Money Watch.
Experienced customizers have mastered the technique of wiping an acrylic solution across a new shoe to remove the protective coating and immersing the brush in a special leather paint to change the color of different parts of the shoe. For a seasoned artist like Hernandez, the finished pair usually takes about 72 hours, but more complex designs can take quite a long time.
“The longest time I worked on shoes was one month. Now I’m a one-man factory,” Hernandez added.
Some clients request a simple color change for some spots on the shoe. This will bring you back to about $ 100. However, more elaborate requests can come with a price tag of $ 10,000 or more.
Social media is important in fostering an interest in shoe customization, and the online community is adapted to all levels of interest and experience. Customizers post photos of the latest designs, often inspiring enthusiastic discussions by fans, and other artists compare notes about techniques.
New customizers will use platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to learn where to buy the right paint, when to layer colors, how to complete stencils, and other practical tips. Customizers can even get job leads from social media via direct messages, Hernandez said.
How to Build Several Easy Antennas for Amateur Radio – https://t.co/MauBNA1yTi . More nice examples.. Sorry neighborhood may need a few more
— David Thomson
Wed Oct 21 03:10:04 +0000 2015
“Significantly changed” shoes
Customizers make money by designing and selling shoes online or by working with clients who want a particular design. For Nike, that’s a problem.
When someone customizes the shoe, “it changes significantly in a way that Nike, partners, approvals, and approvals haven’t approved,” the company said. This may include the use of trademarks or brands of other companies that Nike has not agreed to cooperate with.
According to Nike, “the more unauthorized customizations are manufactured and sold, the harder it is for consumers to identify authorized collaborations and genuine products.” “Unchecked, post-sales customizations undermine the brand because it gives you control over what the brand means and what the message is.”
Nike hasn’t said if it plans to legally challenge other customizers after the Drip Creationz case is resolved. However, the company has filed a second lawsuit alleging trademark infringement against former employee-turned customer Jeffrey Waskowiack and his company Kickrich.
Nike in May
Block sales of MSCHF’s “Satan shoes”
— A modified version of bubble shoes produced by Art Collective in Brooklyn, New York, in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X. The group explains that “there is human blood on the soles of the feet.”
“Giant Brand Miss”
At stake for Nike and customizers is part of the huge athletic shoe market, which analysts predict to reach $ 66 billion by 2027. Sales of athletic shoes increased by more than 35% in the first half of 2021 compared to the previous year’s figures. , According to The NPD Group.
At the heart of Nike’s proceedings, according to Solomon, is how far consumers can go under the law in changing or reselling goods. Does the line stop, for example, by drawing the face or logo of the shoe, or does it extend to the replacement of the sole, tongue, or leather? In any case, he believes “Nike is making a huge brand mistake” in pursuing the case.
Solomon said in a drip creations proceeding that Nike could have a hard time proving that it had suffered a financial loss. And one customizer, Racine Dixon of Schenectady, NY, believes Nike could hurt himself even more by winning in court.
“No one wants to wear the Nike Air Force 1 that everyone else can have, so cracking down on it would cause Nike to lose many US-based customers,” Dixon said.
Dixon said he started customizing shoes about three months ago and already has several clients. Orders are starting to increase as students prepare to return to school, he told CBS MoneyWatch.
“Even if they win this, we’ll find other brands to customize,” he said of the Nike suit. “There is always a way to do what we like and make it work for us.”
Nike cracks down on people customizing sneakers. But is it shooting itself with its feet?
Source link Nike cracks down on people customizing sneakers. But is it shooting itself with its feet?