When Lyst published its ranking of the hottest men’s products for Q2 2019, the most surprising entry was the unassuming adidas Originals Beckenbauer All Around, which placed second ahead of products from YEEZY Prada, Off-White™, and Nike.
How did this seemingly unremarkable adidas sneaker became one of the hottest men’s products in the world? It likely comes down to three deciding factors: target audience, the price of the shoe, and its availability.
The adidas Originals Beckenbauer All Round retails for €100 (approximately $112) on JD Sports and can be found for as low as €50 (approximately $56) on other sites in a number of different colorways. This makes it much more affordable than the $815 Off-White™ ODSY-1000 in spot five (which is admittedly more fashion-focused) or even the $220 YEEZY Boost 350 V2 just ahead of it in top spot.
In addition, the Beckenbauer All Round is sold at a larger variety of retailers than the other sneakers on the list. From boutiques like HHV to mass retailers such as Amazon or JD Sports, the sneaker being stocked on more shelves means more eyes on them and potentially more sales. In comparison, the reflective “Black Static” YEEZY Boost 350 V2 was highly limited and only available through Yeezy Supply, adidas, and select specialty retailers, which drives hype but doesn’t translate into many sales (as stock is limited).
Finally, its no-frills, vintage design probably plays a part in its popularity. The sneaker is a simple leather trainer with overlays at the toe and heel and adidas’ signature Three Stripes branding running down the sides. It comes in a myriad of colorways and its heritage design likely attracts a wildly different consumer than the YEEZY Boost 350 V2 or any of the other sneakers on the list. Whereas that target demographic is younger and more fashion conscious, the Beckenbauer lives up to its All Round name as a shoe any type of person could enjoy. It’s not too dissimilar from the adidas Samba or Stan Smith, two shoes that blue the line between fashionable and basic staple. The 350 V2, on the other hand, is a niche product, worn by specific people that want to be part of a particular subculture and may be too entrenched in the sneakerhead bubble to see the bigger picture.
Those three factors —price, availability, and consumer base — combined could be the reason it features so high on the list. There are certain parallels that can be drawn between the Beckenbauer All Round and 2017 and 2018’s best-selling shoe according to NPD, the Nike Tanjun. The Tanjun also retails for close to $50 and is available at retailers such as Sports Direct, Amazon, and Walmart. It isn’t a high-performance shoe but allows those with a smaller budget or less interest for shoes partake in athleisure’s boom in popularity.
For what it’s worth NPD does not have the Beckenbauer in its top-selling shoes for the first half of the year and analyst Matt Powell disagrees with its inclusion in Lyst’s ranking. “This is not a commercially important shoe. I can’t imagine why it made the list,” he tells Highsnobiety.
Highsnobiety reached out to adidas for comment regarding the sneaker’s place on the ranking and has yet to hear back.
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