Good morning, friends! Welcome back to The Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for reading today. I appreciate you giving me a bit of your time. Hope you had a stellar weekend.
Today, we’re going to dive in a bit on Bad Bunny’s big Super Bowl performance. But, before that, I have to say I do feel great about calling this fashion’s biggest Super Bowl yet. Even before you get to the Benito of it all, there was Thom Browne showing off a new Asics collaboration at the GQ Bowl. Jordan Brand and Levi’s created a moment. Abercrombie had a huge presence through the weekend. The Super Bowl now feels on par with NBA All-Star weekend in terms of fashion culture, which was not the case just a few years ago. That’s a pretty incredible development.
Quick hits:
Alright. Let’s dive in on BB.
Bad Bunny Always Surprises
Take it from the sports guy here at BoF — Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance was the most exciting thing about Sunday’s big game. Most of the folks at my Super Bowl party were there for the Benito Bowl. Many of you reading this probably fall in the same boat, considering this was the most-viewed Super Bowl halftime show ever.
We were all waiting to see what surprises the Puerto Rican pop star had in store for us and he didn’t disappoint. Bad Bunny threw the world for a loop on Sunday — not with his song choices or not-so-subtle messaging in his performance, but rather with what he wore.
What happened: Bad Bunny’s two Super Bowl outfits were custom-made by Zara, the Spanish fast-fashion retailer. He and his team, including his creative director Janthony Oliveras and stylists Storm Pablo and Marvin Douglas Linares, worked with the brand to create these looks.
- He wore a cream-colored collared shirt with a matching tie and trousers for his first look. He also wore a cream-colored football jersey over it, with broad shoulders and the number 64 on the back beneath his family name, Ocasio.
- After ceding the stage to Lady Gaga for a spell, he returned for a duet wearing a broad-shouldered cream-colored suit and tie.
- On foot, he debuted his new signature Adidas sneaker, the BadBo 1.0, in a cream colorway. The color scheme of Bad Bunny’s Zara look was picked as a perfect complement to the new silhouette.
- To add a cherry on top, he added the classic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding watch to the look.
By the numbers: The Super Bowl is the biggest stage in sports. Billions of people watch this game, so whatever brands appear on that stage with the corresponding act get looks worth millions of dollars in advertising, even for the smallest appearances or references.
That remained the case for Bad Bunny’s performance. According to Launchmetrics, in the first 12 hours after the performance, Bad Bunny’s mentions drove 39 percent of Super Bowl coverage and nearly $170 million total in media impact value. Zara got $3.1 million of that from Bad Bunny wearing it on stage. This was a massive spotlight for the brand.
Between the lines: For some, the choice here was a letdown. For weeks, everyone speculated about what Bad Bunny might wear for his performance. He could’ve worn any brand in the world on that stage. Every fashion house in the world would’ve gladly sent him whatever he wanted for the occasion.
Instead, he chose a brand that you’re likely to find at a mall.
The other side: It’s fair to point out that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show was made to be accessible for everyone. It was a show about love, community and inclusivity. Wearing pieces made by brands that cost tens of thousands of dollars wouldn’t have matched that moment. Affordability has been one of Zara’s main value propositions. Thematically, it just fits.
To be clear, the outfits Bad Bunny wore won’t be sold at retail. A spokesperson for Inditex, Zara’s parent company, said the look was never intended to be sold commercially — it was simply part of the pop star’s vision. But, still, there’s no question that it’s easier to sell everyday people on a bespoke look from Zara than the same from a fashion house.
The big picture: Zara has worked to shift its reputation through the years. Like other mid-tier brands, it’s targeting consumers upstream in ways that it hasn’t before and producing more premium products. The brand is hoping that leveraging one of the highest-profile stars in the industry can help it continue to change its image. Considering the stage, it probably will.
In the end, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl moment is a microcosm of the larger moment fashion is having with the Super Bowl and sports overall. This isn’t a niche space anymore. It’s one for the masses, too. And, as all parties continue to go down this road together, expect to see more brands like Zara betting big on the action to reposition themselves in the marketplace.
Under Armour’s Slow Climb Begins
Can hitting rock bottom be a good thing? We’re about to find out.
CEO Kevin Plank delivered what might have been Under Armour’s most positive news since he returned in 2024 on the company’s third-quarter earnings call.
What he said: “The most disruptive phase of our reset is now behind us,” Plank told analysts as he answered questions about the state of the company. Basically, he’s saying things can’t get any worse.
Quite frankly, that’s extremely believable considering the state of the company over these last few years. Under Armour’s stock fell as low as it’s been since 2009 last year and it lost one of its biggest faces in NBA star Stephen Curry at the end of 2025. Interest in the brand couldn’t be lower.
The other side: While Under Armour was taking losses, it was also preparing for a major reset.
- It worked to normalise inventories and build out products to attract new customers.
- Plank told investors that the brand cut its product line by 25 percent and is now focused solely on premium goods.
We’ve seen a bit of that manifest here, specifically in its footwear. Remember the Under Armour HB-Lo? That’s part of that process.
The results: The company’s revenue is still falling, but not as badly as expected. It decreased 5 percent year-to-year, down to $1.33 billion in the quarter — slightly better than the $1.31 billion expectation.
That’s marginal, but it’s positive. And investors are drinking the Kool-Aid so far. Under Armour’s stock rose nearly 16 percent following the call.
Yes, but: When you’re at the bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up. Under Armour isn’t clearing a high bar here. The brand still faces an uphill battle to regain consumer trust in its product. Doing that won’t be easy.
What we’re seeing here at the top of 2026 is a start. Let’s see if UA can maintain momentum.
Nike Tailors its Athletes
In a surprising move, Nike launched a new division on Monday called “Nike Atelier.”
What it is: The sportswear brand is venturing into the world of bespoke tailoring. Nike is developing custom outfits for its top athletes. It started with Jannik Sinner, who worked with Nike chief design director, Martin Lotti and senior design director, Raffaella Barbey, on the head-to-toe ACG look.
- Sinner’s look comes with a custom-built jacket, an ACG insulated vest (made with the same tech as Nike’s new Air Milano jacket), tailored pants and footwear.
- The tennis star sported the look in Milan at an event in celebration of the “relaunch” of Nike’s outdoor ACG brand.
The why: This is smart marketing. Nike is using this moment to do two things:
- First, the brand is showing you a different side of Jannik Sinner, the athlete. He was a ski champion during his youth in Italy, which is not something the tennis star frequently talks about. That’s a good story to tell for one of Nike’s biggest athletes — especially during the Winter Olympics in his home country.
- Second, Nike is also flexing a bit with its gear. It wants to show you that while it is innovating for sport, its looks can also be styled for use outside of it as well.
The big picture: This is another way Nike is recentering sport around its brand again. A few years ago, this would’ve been a Travis Scott feature or a partnership with some other celebrity. Now, instead, the brand is featuring its athletes and telling their stories.
I’m looking forward to seeing who else gets this treatment.
The designer and frequent Adidas partner has a basketball shoe…kind of.
Wait, what? NBA star James Harden made his season debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday and showed off a new pair of his signature Adidas Harden Vol. 10 shoes. They were designed by Willy Chavarria himself.
This caught my eye — not just because of the great design, but because I thought it was an interesting spot for Chavarria’s work to show up.
- Chavarria has been a frequent collaborator with Adidas, but he hasn’t shown up so directly in sports like he did here with a performance basketball shoe.
- The closest thing we have to that is Chavarria putting his touch on the Adidas Jabbar and the Forum Hi ‘84.
A look back: Last year, during his Adidas Originals show last June, Chavarria showed off a ton of Adidas footwear. The Megaride, which has already been released, was featured in the show, as were some basketball shoes we haven’t seen yet.
Chavarria doesn’t usually dabble in sports — especially not basketball. But maybe the Harden Vol. 10 is a sign of what’s coming.
What’s Droppin’, Bruh?
This is a dedicated section detailing upcoming sneaker releases for the week, and sometimes other interesting drops I think you might care about.
There’s a pretty packed slate in February for sneaker releases. I won’t name everything here for the sake of time and space, but every sportswear brand is releasing some sort of NBA All-Star collection. Be on the lookout for that!
Thanks for reading, gang!
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 💯