I REALLY LIKE SNEAKERS.
But more than that, I’ve spent over two decades inside the business of them.
I started wear-testing shoes for Nike back in 2001. I built Eastbay’s first blog, bringing those iconic catalogs into the digital age. I led Complex Sneakers as it established itself as a standalone channel within Complex Media. I was employee #9 at StockX, where we launched the very first LeBron James retro, the Air Zoom Generation, in partnership with Nike.
I’ve had a front-row seat to this industry for a long time. The Sneaker Newsletter is where I write about what I actually see.
What this newsletter is.
You won’t find relentless release calendars or over-hyped product recaps here. What you will find is industry analysis, cultural commentary, and stories about the people who actually build this business... the designers, the buyers, the brand employees, the boutique operators, and everyone in between.
My editorial philosophy is simple: people are more interesting than products. The shoe is rarely the whole story.
The newsletter publishes four times a week. Tuesday analysis is free. Thursday “From the Vault” stories, Friday exclusives, and Sunday long-form deep dives are for paid subscribers.
Who reads this.
The Sneaker Newsletter reaches footwear industry professionals, including buyers, brand employees, boutique operators, and people at every level of the business. If your company touches sneakers, there’s a good chance someone here is paying attention.
A paid subscription is a legitimate business expense. Many of my readers expense it as industry research and competitive intelligence.
Beyond the newsletter.
I co-founded Sneaker History in 2015, the website and podcast that has become one of the longest-running independent voices in sneaker media, with nearly 600,000 podcast downloads and a growing archive at SneakerHistory.com.
My first book, Small Luxuries: Sneakers, publishes October 2026 via Quarto/Motorbooks. You can pre-order it now at Bookshop.org.
Work together.
If you’re interested in reaching this audience through a sponsored series or editorial partnership, get in touch nick@sneakerhistory.com. I don’t work with every brand that asks, but when the fit is right, I build content that actually serves my readers instead of interrupting them.
Keep building.
-Nick
