The Complex Sneakers Podcast

The Nike Roshe Run, a budget sneaker that became an icon in the 2010s before turning into a meme and fading out, is coming back. But how will its return be received by sneaker collectors who helped make the shoe hot in the first place? The cohosts discuss this on the latest episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast. They also check the temperature on the Nike Dunk, another iconic shoe that’s been watered down in recent years. Elsewhere, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty discuss the closing of Hanon, the state of physical sneaker retail stores, the collaboration between Travis Scott and John McEnroe on the Nike Mac Attack, and more.

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New York designer and rapper Jae Tips has been making waves this year with the release of his Saucony Grid Azura 2000 collaboration. Here, he joins the podcast to talk about his long history in the footwear industry—from working chaotic Foamposite drops at Foot Locker to reselling in the streets of New York to landing his own official collaboration. Elsewhere on the episode, the cohosts talk about those nasty fakes that landed on Shein, the bad rumor about Travis Scott’s SB Dunks restocking, and what’s next for Nike in terms of innovation.

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Fake sneakers, which were once universally condemned in collecting, have become increasingly embraced by people who want limited edition Air Jordans or Nike SB Dunks but don’t want to pay crazy resale prices for them. In this episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, the cohosts discuss the eventual embrace of counterfeit sneakers. They also break down the upcoming Adidas Yeezy relaunch, the mystery Jordan shoe worn by Travis Scott, and Carmelo Anthony’s best player exclusives.

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Denis Dekovic is a designer who spent decades at the world’s top sneaker brands—Adidas and Nike, most recently. He started out at Lotto right out of high school, moved to Puma to make shoes for Michael Schumacher, helped Nike take over in soccer, and famously defected to Adidas as part of the “Three Amigos” crew of designers. Here, Dekovic talks about his long career, from sketching shoes as a kid to getting sued by Nike to working with Michael Jackson on the Moonwalker footwear brand before his passing. Also, the cohosts react to the news of Adidas’ latest plans with Yeezy.

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Anders Holm liked every sneaker you like now 20 years ago. The Workaholics co-creator talks here about his long footwear history—from getting an early pair of Air Jordan 6s as a kid to watching the Three Stripes Posse in high school to getting free Reeboks during his time in college. Holm waxes poetic on sneaker trends that have come and gone, and how he was there for it all. Sambas, Salomons, New Balances, Holm had them all. He even met Virgil Abloh in college, between getting caught up in an NCAA sneaker scandal. Elsewhere in the episode, the cohosts react to the Tom Sachs x Nike Mars Yard 3.0 rumor and the Nike SB Instagram account taking a shot at Private Selection.

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What’s the most valuable sneaker in the world? Ken Goldin might have the answer. The auctioneer brought some of the most coveted sneakers he has access to—all the shoes worn by the 1992 Olympic Dream Team and Michael Jordan’s original ‘Flu Game’ Air Jordan 12s, for example—for the latest episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast. Goldin talks about how to identify game-worn sneakers, how to identify when sneakers aren’t actually game-worn, and the best sneaker collection he’s ever come across. Also, the cohosts discuss which sneakers they’d wear for the rest of their lives and leak some upcoming Nike releases.

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Last week’s restock of the ‘Lost and Found’ Air Jordan 1 in the Chicago colorway on the Nike SNKRS app was a bit of a disaster. Co-hosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk about what went wrong during the drop and how frustrating it can be to try and buy a pair of shoes from Nike. They also break down Jerry Lorenzo’s first-ever Fear of God show, which featured the debut of his upcoming Adidas collaboration. Elsewhere, the cohosts make predictions for the Nigo x Nike collaboration and look forward to the return of the “Galaxy” Nike Air Foamposite One and the “Olive” Air Jordan 5.

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The new movie ‘Air’ from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon recalls how Sonny Vaccaro helped sign Michael Jordan to Nike in a deal that birthed the Air Jordan sneaker line. In this episode, the co-hosts discuss its merits, historical accuracy, and the portrayal of real-life footwear industry legends like Phil Knight and Rob Strasser. They also breakdown the possible decline of the Air Jordan 1, the best and worst Jordan hybrids, Bode’s Nike collaboration, and the coming Terror Squad Air Force 1s by Fat Joe.

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The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they are joined by skateboarding legend Elissa Steamer, who broke onto the scene with her part in Toy Machine’s Welcome to Hell video in 1996. Steamer talks about her career in footwear, from her signature shoe at Etnies to her Gnarhunters collabs with Nike SB, and how skateboarders helped inform the SB x Air Jordan 4. She breaks down her different sneaker deals over the years and also the lucrative agreement that led to her appearance in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series. Elsewhere, the hosts discuss Joe’s rare white footwear, the Air movie, and John Cena’s custom Air Force 1s.

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The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they are joined by Betsy Parker, a Nike veteran who spent 35 years at the brand. At Nike, she worked on trend research out of the brand’s New York office and helped recruit design talent. Parker talks about her visits to footwear factories, interactions with legends like Rob Strasser and Tinker Hatfield, and what Nike recruiters are looking for when hiring. Also, the hosts talk about the CRTZ x Nike Air Max 95 launch, Zelensky’s hyped sneakers, and Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God x Adidas line.

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