So I bought a new pair of sneakers for $50. Li Ning again. Wore them for the first time and one guy said they were Westbrook sneakers. I hadn't thought/realized that sneakers are almost all under some athletes endorsement these days.
But I just checked and they are BHM sneakers, Black History Month.
And indeed the same shoe in another color had I Have a Dream written on the side multiple times. I'm a little confused. I assume Li Ning makes these for the US market then also sells them in China, since they are made here. Not like BHM is gonna move sneakers in Shanghai.
Anyway, BHM kicks are better than Westbrooks, imo. I'm still waiting for Russ to come out. Seems like Li Ning and the Chinese brands (Peak, Anta) approach the market differently than their US counterparts, who go for flashy flagship stores on the main shopping drag, as a form of advertisement as much as retail. It took some effort to find a Li Ning store, on the fringe of Shanghai, across from a rather rundown Walmart, and with a small Adidas and Nike store a few doors down. Li Ning doesn't seem to have a store of its own within the ring road -- the main part of Shanghai. I guess they mostly rely on department store sales, maybe online (which i always thought was a particularly terrible way to buy footwear).
When I hit the big flagship stores Nike and Under Armour were mostly overpriced. Adidas had some stuff in my price range but not my size. Even when they have my Size 11's, Chinese sports shoes tend to be too narrow. I've learned to ask which pairs are wider and in size 11. Adidas had some TMac shoes with a cartoon TMac on the side towards the heel. Weird. I guess for kids. Though the Ralph Sampson shoes were the strangest.
Anyway, odd that I got Black History Month sneaks. The girl said they mark new editions down after six months usually. But these were obviously January/Feb sellers. They had nice aqua sneakers for $90, and the girl said come back in Nov/Dec and they'll be down to $50 sale price too. Which was good to know. An odd shopping experience, the first girl seemed like she thought I was infected and just wanted me out of there. So I called over the younger girl who was friendly and helpful. Even the pair I wound up buying, the first girl said they didn't have in my size, but the other girl said she'd check and went and got them. Weird.
Edit: Li Ning's two NBA endorsers are Dwayne Wade and RJ McCollum.
There in their 7th year of Way of Wade series shoes. I think the aqua pair I liked were McC's.
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