What Air teaches us about today's sneaker world

«A shoe is just a shoe until someone wears it» is the phrase that most sums up the meaning of Air, the Ben Affleck-directed film about the genesis of Air Jordan and Nike's commercial breakthrough in the 1980s. Repeated at least three times during the course of the film - first by Rob Strasser, then by Sonny Vaccaro, and finally by Deloris Jordan - almost to become a mantra, the phrase is a summary of Vaccaro's brilliant idea that led Nike to overtake its direct competitors. Those were different years from the ones we have come to know, years when the Beaverton brand was grinding out thousands of dollars in running shoes but struggling to build a reputation in the basketball world. Converse and adidas were laying down the law, and the NBA itself was not doing so well («They broadcast the finals on a delayed basis,» Ben Affleck's Phil Knight says at one point).

At a time of creative stagnation when major brands were merely chasing the next American basketball star, Vaccaro and Knight led Nike to think outside the box to pull off the heist that not only redefined the company's status forever (to the point where it bought rival Converse a few years later) but also changed the sneaker market permanently. A collabo before the word itself became commonplace. To this day, Vaccaro's idea is still the backbone of much of the sneaker world, not only because of the commercial value Jordan has today but because of what collaborations have become for the entire industry today.

This is precisely why, beyond the fascination of the story evoked by Affleck and Damon, as it recounts the greatness of the sneaker world Air reminds us, perhaps unintentionally, of its tired state and its lack of ideas. While the film is meant to be a tribute to the moment that redefined much of American pop culture and beyond, it also reminds us how great breakthroughs always come through great ideas, daring as Vaccaro had dared by betting everything on a then very young Jordan risking not only losing his job but also scuttling an entire company. Today, after sneaker culture has seen its heyday, it feels like we have gone back forty years in search of the winning idea that can rekindle the love of an entire community.

But will a new Michael Jordan ever exist? More importantly, will there still exist a cultural moment so prosperous as to propitiate success such as that recounted in Air? Those were the years of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Run DMC (faithful allies of adidas), but more importantly, they were the years when a shoe was just a shoe and those who bought them did so to feel part of the world of the athlete who wore them. Over the years, the likes of Neymar and Mbappè signed collections of all kinds, while other athletes associated their image with this or that brand. Rappers had become the new athletes, and the success of Yeezy had partly replicated what we had seen with Jordan. But if times change quickly, and Vaccaro understood this, the sneaker industry must not just chase the trend of the moment but has an obligation to anticipate tomorrow. Therefore, putting aside the elation over an all-too-unique story, the uniqueness of Air's tale cannot become the alibi for an industry that cannot, or perhaps does not want to, find the idea capable of changing once again an industry in desperate need of change.