Is a big-hype woman release enough to recover from years of injustice and undisputed pink? The sneaker game is a place for women too

Among all the hype, lost raffles, desperate purchase attempts through the SNKRS app and crazy resell prices, the recent release of the Air Jordan IV Off-White conquers a place as one of the most awaited and exclusive releases of 2020.

Sneaker enthusiasts do not make the market, but they certainly have the power to influence it. Many times over the last few years, brands showed that they care about the ideas of these opinion leaders and that they model their offer based on their preferences.

Their purchase choices are bound and dictated by the major brands in the industry, but at the same time they maintain an autonomy that makes them the ideal testers. Through limited releases, brands have the opportunity to understand what the final consumer wants, what to release in the form of a general release for the next 24 months, or even more.

At the basis of the doubts about the effectiveness of the limited releases and the real value of sneakerhead/opinion leader for brands, however, many unsolved questions remain. Wouldn't it be simpler to have a single size chart, obviously wider, and for women to have the possibility to buy the same sneakers that men can buy? Offering a product that is once again different, albeit coveted and inaccessible to the much privileged male audience, keeps highlighting a rift within the market and the impossibility for women to choose what to wear.