Explore and buy the Fragment Jordan Women’s ‘Apparel Collection’. Stay a step ahead of the latest sneaker launches and drops.
Source: Jordan Women’s ‘Apparel Collection’ Release Date
I’m dropping the source link for the Fragment Jordan collection right here to get it out of the way and to give you a reference point for this title. The first Ivy Park drop arrived in January 2020. This came after the first drop from Fragment Jordan Brand in its new women’s collection with this Flight Suit on January 14th:
There wasn’t any noise about this flight suit. adidas pretty much carried the week leading up to Ivy Park by delivering all of the product to famous women. All of these famous women had one thing in common, they looked like Teeyana Taylor in the picture at the header for Fragment Jordan Brand at the header. Do you see those abs? I could move into a discussion on plus sizes for both Fragment Jordan and Ivy Park, but that’s not where I’m headed.
Here is the back though. In 2017 Reebok had a full on marketing campaign with Taylor around the time that she was still steaming up glasses after Kanye’s “Fade” video. So the connection kind of made sense since Ye is an adidas guy and Reebok is an adidas company, but I wrote this post explaining that the influencer marketing route by Reebok was extremely flawed:
Reebok’s New Global Flagship Store in Boston has Three Stripe Flavor | Is It Enough?
In it I stated that Reebok was trying to chase cool and that their story was cloudy. Now in 2020 Teeyana Taylor is with Fragment Jordan Brand. Her husband, Iman Shumpert who was one of the faces of adidas’ best marketing campaigns in “Future” is out of the NBA and is a struggling rapper and the video above of Teeyana Taylor with over a million views is irrelevant because Taylor’s IG is loaded with pictures of her flexing and in any picture with sneakers she’s rocking 11s, 1s and AF1s… which takes me back to the fact that brands are continuing to seek alignment with entertainers as opposed to finding their foundation in sport and product.
Honestly, I had an article ready to post this morning on retail, but I always browse sites and when I saw that the Fragment Jordan Brand collection photo, which I used for the discussion on Foot Locker being ahead of its time with Lady Foot Locker stores, Condition Teeyana Taylor… my mind shifted right back to her collection with Reebok which Condition her in a Fade like Air Fragment Jordan 4 x Union Desert Moss:
Which takes me all the way back to the title. Ivy Park is a partnership which isn’t the same as influencer marketing. Ivy Park was going to resonate more because Nike doesn’t do partnerships with entertainers. They do sponsorships. What’s the difference? Nike is a brand synonymous with sport. They are also the epitome of cool. Nike doesn’t need you, you need Nike. adidas needs Beyonce and Kanye and Pharrell because like Reebok and Under Armour and New Balance and (insert sneaker company) these companies never went all in on sport and fitness and the athlete. These companies never established an identity, so they have to manufacture identity.
1 Air Fragment Jordan XXXIII.
Nike will take your influencers because it’s basic bully ball. I don’t need your entertainers, I just don’t want you to have them.
I’m starting to feel like this is all over the place. It’s not though. I was asked last week if I really thought Under Armour’s pivot to an in-house marketing campaign was really good?
Nike air Fragment jordan 1 mid coconut milk particle grey white ta
I responded that Under Armour finally has a direction. In previous campaigns they attempted to utilize branding and marketing companies to create catchy slogans and the company failed to invest in its athletes. Fragment Jordan Brand launched a collection for women and while adidas didn’t invest in an athlete, they created a partnership. A partnership is stronger than asking an entertainer to wear these clothes for a check. While I think that building on a foundation of athletes first is the best route in sportswear, a partnership is a long term investment and carries value, but ultimately it doesn’t drive legacy.
Sportswear is about moments. In the short term Ivy Park won. In the short term Fragment Jordan missed, but financially which of these companies will continue to win? Fragment Jordan. Why? Because even though Fragment Jordan Brand grabbed Teeyana from Reebok, in the picture at the lead of this story Teeyana is wearing a Fragment Jordan Retro worn by Sheryl Swoopes the first woman to have a signature sneaker with Nike/Jordan. That will remain true forever. While Beyonce will last forever, it will be as a diva and a performer who recreates herself every few years making anything she’s doing now based on fashion temporary, and fashion fades.
I guess that’s what this is about. Fragment Jordan Brand missed, but didn’t pay much to miss. adidas hit, but overpaid because the partnership is with entertainers is for the moment. Unless Beyonce moves the needle on other adidas product they probably paid too much for the arrangement. Under Armour pivoted. Kept their marketing in-house and made it about the athletes. They have a chance to win, but that is yet to be seen. Reebok has adjusted and they are focused on the everyday athlete and their pros, but it’s a slow burn. The world keeps turning.