Technical Runners Are Experiencing Booming Trade Growth in 2023
A new report has been released exhibiting the movers and shakers in the 2023 sneakersphere. The biggest takeaway: technical running brands are experiencing surging trade growth, with and leading the charge.
seeks out the brands on the up in 2023 by using rankings from secondary market global trade data from January through to July, and comparing those figures to the same period in 2022.
, the Swiss premium performance running brand, experienced a whopping 15,357 per cent increase in trade growth as they cement their global presence in the burgeoning running market. Salomon continued to assert their newfound fame in fashion, up 202 per cent, while ASICS continued their upward trend, boasting a 72 per cent increase.
A common thread fuelling the three brand’s rapid growth has been collaborations with niche fashion brands and celebrity endorsements. Back in 2022, On made moves curating a collaborative collection with their superstar supporter and sneaker legend The two RFs working together across the fashion and performance zones, bolstering the brand to new heights. Doubling down in 2022, and were another two collaborators On crossed off their list, sharing the Swiss tech with their unique audiences. While On is a relative newcomer to the collaboration game, ASICS are seasoned veterans and over the past six months, have delivered an impressive array of linkups that sent resale values skyrocketing.
ASICS added , and to their ever-growing list of linkups, continuing to push their way into the lifestyle market. Salomon, another veteran of the collaborative space, continued its run of success as a figurehead of the GORP trend, tapping , and Celebrity endorsements and retros of fan-favourites also played into the trail-turned-lifestyle brand’s favour, with the triple red MM6 collaboration during her widely watched performance. Their pack brought back fan-favourites such as the , allowing punters another shot at the most desired colourways.
While collaborations have bolstered the three brand’s cultural cache, running has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially after the Covid-19 lockdowns, which saw a boom in recreational participants. Research published during 2021 by found that ‘across 10 surveyed countries, four in 10 people consider themselves to be runners and 30 per cent of those run at least once a week’. Across the globe, running clubs have formed that intersect with fashion and sneaker subcultures (some even collaborators), building an audience of fashion-savvy sprinters. On has cornered the market, positioning themselves as a premium option with superior tech. Following the Swiss brand’s Q2 earnings report, where they grew 67 per cent in North America, North American GM Britt Olsen said ‘On is a brand that has always over-invested in innovation,’ going on to state ‘I think the product is really speaking for itself’.
Salomon have continued their longstanding domination of the trail space, bolstering their surge in the lifestyle market. For ASICS, the Japanese brand record high net sales throughout the first half of 2023, with an overall revenue of $2 billion. That’s a total increase of 28.9 per cent compared to the previous period last year. While their lifestyle category continues to bump their appeal to sneakerheads, their performance category holds 50 per cent of their total net sales.
Technical trainers have been booming throughout the first half of 2023, not just experiencing success on a retail level, but in the secondary market too!