Hello, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for spending a bit of your day with me this morning. Appreciate you.
This weekend should be a good one. Happy Fashion Month! Things are off to a great start. Have you been reading our coverage of The Great Fashion Reset? The latest piece comes from the homies Cathleen Chen and Malique Morris on the future of multi-brand retail, which is in a really tough place as of late! Make sure you check this piece out.
And while you’re here, if you’re catching this on the site and aren’t subscribed to this newsletter already, make sure you lock it in here! Big things are coming soon! You don’t want to miss it!
Now, let’s dive in.
From the Runway to the Track With Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger is an absolute icon in the fashion world, but through Formula One racing, the world-famous designer has become a staple in the sports scene too.
His eponymous brand has sponsored various F1 teams for over three decades, starting with Team Lotus in 1991. The brand has undergone multiple changes over the years, collaborating with iconic brands such as Ferrari and Mercedes. In 2018, Tommy Hilfiger even brought on Lewis Hamilton as a brand ambassador.
These days, the Hilfiger brand is in the pits with Formula One’s newest team — Cadillac. The two sides announced their new partnership earlier this summer and revealed their two new drivers in August. Team Cadillac is the second American team to join since 2016.
I got a chance to chat with Hilfiger about the partnership with Cadillac, what fans can expect from it, and F1’s overall embrace of fashion. Below is our conversation.
Sykes: Was partnering with another American brand a big consideration for you when choosing to sponsor Cadillac?
Tommy Hilfiger: A big consideration. It was a marriage made in heaven, you could say, because we’ve been sponsoring European motor sports for a very long time. If you think of Team Lotus, that’s British. You think of Ferrari, that’s Italian. Mercedes is German. But this is an opportunity for us to become a partner with Cadillac. We’re two iconic American brands holding hands together. We’ve got a shared commitment in honoring the F1 heritage while pushing this sport forward.
Sykes: What’s the most exciting part about this opportunity to partner with a brand like Cadillac for you?
Hilfiger: With the global viewership soaring, the timing is ideal to showcase what an American team can bring and also what an American design house can bring. Because, you know, having our logo on the Mercedes uniforms was cool, but we want to make a real statement. We want to be the leader in all of the clothing and all of the merch that goes along with the sport.
Sykes: As someone who has been in this sport for a long time, how have you seen it evolve from a fashion standpoint?
Hilfiger: Well, I have to say that I think our collaboration and partnership with Lewis Hamilton was an unlock. A lot of the drivers were somewhat fashion-conscious, but not in a deliberate way. Whereas Lewis was all in, and Lewis co-designed collaborations and collections with us. Many of the colors, the fabrics, the detail, were all his ideas. He brought me ideas and we baked them into the brand. He couldn’t wait for each race in the various countries to take place because he was planning his outfits way beyond, way ahead of that.
The way the NBA has a runway off the bus, Lewis created that runway on the track pre-race. When he shows up, he shows up in amazing outfits. He has such an eye for fashion, and he’s multi-talented, obviously. But I think with Lewis doing the collaborations with us and with us sponsoring Mercedes, it’s all a very well thought-out marketing campaign, but it was a game-changer for the sport.
Sykes: That was one of the first major moments I can remember an athlete was so deeply involved in developing something like that.
Tommy: We think it’s cultural momentum because it aligns with everyone’s rapid rise in viewership and cultural relevance. It really is very much a part of the culture today, and it’s growing every moment.
Sykes: There’s the cultural aspect of this. But there’s also the business aspect. And I’m curious, as someone who’s done this a lot, what are your considerations when you’re thinking about who to partner with?
Tommy: Well, we’ve always, I would say, had the desire to align with the best. When we aligned with Lotus, it was best in class. And then Ferrari speaks for itself. Mercedes — again — speaks for itself. Lewis [Hamilton] is like the undisputed champion and superstar of the sport.
Cadillac F1’s team is going to be a partnership that will be historic. Not only because of the fact that they’re the first American team to enter the sport [since Haas in 2016], but because General Motors is, I would say, developing and investing in every aspect of the team.
I think when you talk about the fashion part of it, and talk about the clothes and where we come in, for many years, fans have wanted to wear the merch but that’s not really enough for them. They want to wear what the drivers are wearing. They want LeBron [James’] game jersey. So they want not only fan wear, but collections that are very much a part of what the drivers are wearing and what is authentic. So we’re giving them that with the collaborations, and also we’re sort of elevating the fan wear as well.
Sykes: What should people expect from the Cadillac team this season?
Tommy: Fashion-tainment. It’s media, it’s sport, it’s fashion, all blended together. When we did the F1 movie, and we also worked with Damson [Idris] as our brand ambassador, it was really about opening new doors to a new world of fashion and entertainment via motor sports. We’re excited to join the ride. It’s become a cultural phenomenon. The sport, over the last three years, with the Netflix Drive to Survive, has now exploded. Being a part of it is super exciting. It’s just the beginning of where this sport is headed, but the beginning of where fashion-tainment connected to sports is really going to be paramount and people’s minds.
Buying What Nike Is Selling
Nike might still be at the top of the ladder in the footwear industry, but there’s no debating that the brand has been in a bit of a downward spiral over the last few years.
The state of play: Things have slowly begun to turn around as new company CEO Elliott Hill has implemented changes.
- The brand has prioritized athletes and beefed up its performance offerings across categories in recent months.
- It has also dazzled with interesting campaigns around its athletes, like its recent “Why Do It” campaign.
Nike’s stock is actually down to $74.33 from $78.40 year over year as of market close on Sept. 11. Hill’s appointment started nearly a year ago at this point, but the current stock price shows us that investors aren’t fully endorsing his plan yet.
Yes, but: There are signs that the buy in might be coming soon. Investment bank TD Cowen recently released a note upgrading its advice to investors on Nike’s stock to “Buy” from “Hold.”
The why: The firm identified three reasons for its confidence in Nike.
- First: It cited the brand’s potential to reach $4 in annual earnings per share and the potential for $6 billion in free cash flow.
- Second: Elliott Hill. TD Cowen says it’s confident in the new management team’s execution. It believes in the vision the new CEO and his team are putting forward.
- Third: The firm believes Nike is regaining its status with consumers, while other brands are struggling to keep pace with their highs from a few years ago.
Zoom out: Cowen isn’t the only firm that has expressed confidence in the Swoosh. Since the top of 2025, Jeffries, Williams Trading, HSBC, Needham and Argus have also upgraded Nike to “Buy.”
Don’t get it twisted: It’s pretty easy to advocate for buying Nike stock right now — the price is down! The company’s stock has fallen as low as $53.27 in 2025, partly due to uncertainty in the marketplace because of the presidential administration’s tariff policy. That’s usually the best time to buy.
But there’s still plenty of room to be skeptical about how things are going at Nike. It’s way too early to tell how things might shake out. Hill’s regime has only been in place for a year and the brand is still shaking things up. The company just completed another round of layoffs and also lost yet another top executive with the departure of Chief Sustainability Officer Jaycee Pribulsky.
Plus, as Stifel noted a few weeks ago, Nike’s sway among the youth seems to be dwindling day by day. That raises real long-term concerns about where the company might be in another few years as younger generations gain more purchasing power.
The bottom line: Nike has taken encouraging steps to regain its position as the unchallenged king of the footwear business. However, there are still several steps left to take before it actually arrives.
The Beautification of Basketball
Sneakers aren’t the only thing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is promoting these days. The NBA’s MVP just announced a new deal with Yves Saint Laurent.
The news: Gilgeous-Alexander is the newest face for YSL Beauty’s fragrance, Myslf Absolu. The two sides announced the partnership on Wednesday.
- Gilgeous-Alexander joins movie star Austin Butler as one of the spokesmen for YSL’s scent.
Why it matters: This isn’t necessarily the biggest deal on its own. Gilgeous-Alexander probably has more luxury pieces in his closet than points scored last season. He’s been seen in brands like Chrome Hearts, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Rick Owens and more. Luxury is part of his DNA, so it isn’t shocking that he’d be doing a deal with YSL.
Yes, but: What is fascinating to watch is the beauty space slowly integrating with the NBA.
- In 2021, the league launched a collaboration with ColourPop Cosmetics, creating makeup kits for six of the league’s most popular teams.
- In 2023, the league entered a partnership with Skims, making it the official underwear partner of the NBA and WNBA. Lo and behold, Skims has entered the beauty space.
- In 2025, 76ers guard Jared McCain launched an “MVP” nail polish collaboration with Sally Hansen.
The big picture: Most people probably wouldn’t think about the NBA when they think about their favorite beauty brands — luxury or otherwise. But times have clearly changed. Be on the lookout for more of this down the line.
#TheKicksWeWear
LET’S GET IT!!!
First, the homie Jone got us popping with these Kobe 3s. What a sneaker.
The homie Josh kept the party going with these Air Max Bo Jackson joints. Bo Knows, guys.
Then the homie Jess showed off with these AJ1 mids. We’ve got to collectively stop hating on mid Jordan 1s. They’re great!
The homie Dalton brought these incredible Air Woven joints out. Wow, man. These are sick.
My guy Rick Dubb came through with the A Ma Maniére AJ5s. These are money. Straight money. Cash.
Then the homie Hudson Hawk took us home with the Cherry Blossom Dunks. Can’t get enough of these.
Great stuff gang. Y’all killed it.
Thanks for reading today! I appreciate your time! Hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, reach out to me via email at michael.sykes@businessoffashion.com or shoot me a message @MikeDSykes via socials.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯