Image via Getty/Mike Coppola
Nike held its quarterly earnings call for Q2 of fiscal year 2019 yesterday, and the big news was its revenue increasing 10-percent to $9.4 billion over the last quarter—a feat that can be attributed to various factors including successful new footwear models, big-name collaborations, and monumental ad campaigns. While much of the talk was aimed at investors and bragging about big successes, the conference call also provided some notable product-related announcements from the global sportswear brand.
Among other highlights, Nike CEO Mark Parker and Executive Vice President Andy Campion touched on a little bit of what consumers can expect in 2019. The React line will continue to be expanded upon with new hybrids, as well as the introduction of the Epic React 2.0. The Air Max 720 is another brand new silhouette that the Swoosh will be pushing in the coming months. In an effort to increase its eco-friendly production methods, its Flyleather leather substitute will also be implemented across one million pairs by Summer 2019.
These were not the only noteworthy announcements worth paying attention to either. Here are four of the biggest things we learned from Nike's latest earnings call.
'Concord' Air Jordan 11s Were Its Most Successful Sneaker Launch Ever
The "Concord" Air Jordan 11 is arguably one of the most popular sneakers to ever be released. So, it was no surprise that Nike would pull out all the stops for the 2018 retro version. The pair even featured its OG "45" branding on the heel and "Nike Air" on the insole to make it truly resemble the pair worn by MJ back in the '95 NBA Playoffs. Nike's CEO confirmed rumors that the 2018 "Concord" was the most successfully launch in the company's history.
"The Concord shows that the Jordan Brand yet again has the power to drive launches with incredible volume and create energy for the brand," said Parker.
HyperAdapt Technology Is Coming to Nike Basketball
Tinker Hatfield originally ignited the rumors of an auto-lacing basketball shoe back in 2017, and the model was finally confirmed to be arriving in 2019. According to Parker, the HyperAdapt Basketball will arrive at a $350 price point—a much more accessible level for the futuristic technology than the HyperAdapt 1.0's $720 mark. Campion later confirmed that that new model would be debuting at retailers in Spring 2019 with a continued push going into the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
LeBron James Has Increased Lakers Apparel Sales
LeBron James signing with the Los Angeles Lakers was one of the biggest sports stories of 2018. While the signing has been met with some criticism from certain die hard fans and Kobe stans alike, the historic purple and gold franchise acquiring one of the best athletes in the entire world obviously has had a positive impact on Nike's sales numbers. The lifetime Nike athlete's move to the west coast has resulted in three times more Lakers apparel being sold this year.
In other King James news, Parker also shared the brand's excitement in the second annual LeBron Watch, set to kick off on Christmas Day, that will account for 25-percent of LeBron 16s that hit the market this year.
A New PSG x Jordan Collection Is Coming
This past year, Jordan Brand released a range of successful apparel and Air Jordan retros in collaboration with Parisian soccer club Paris Saint-Germain that resulted in worldwide sellouts. Parker announced that the line would be continuing for 2019.
"Sell-through of the Jordan and PSG collaboration exceeded expectations and we’ll come back with a refreshed collection in January."
