Saucony's New Era
It’s no secret that the sneaker world is changing.
But what’s more interesting than anything is that the change doesn’t seem to be driven by generational taste or trends as much as it is by fatigue.
It seems like people are tired of the top dogs.
And there are a ton of (valid) reasons why: On one hand, they heavily rely on false scarcity to create buzz around their drops. When you factor in botting & the resell market, it’s harder for everyday consumers get shoes. They either have to pay resell prices or move on to something else.
Moreover, dupes are on the streets like never before. Who knows what’s real and what’s not.
In short, the game is f*cked up.
It gets to a point where consumers are looking for something different. With that in mind, there’s one brand having a meteoric rise in recent cultural conversation’s and that is…
Saucony.
As a brand, they’ve always had a strong presence within the running community, but in recent years, they’ve carved out a space for themselves —particularly in streetwear.
Those partnerships have helped the brand reach new audiences, put them on the top of sneaker lists, and have consumers on social media saying that Saucony is officially “back.”
Some of you reading this may not be familiar with Saucony, and that’s okay—today’s piece is dedicated solely to it.
Y’all know the vibes…
Let’s get into it.
THE STORY IS A TALE OF TWO BUSINESSES…
The first business was started in the 1890’s by four men from Kutztown, Pennsylvania, who set out to create a running shoe company.
As for the company’s name?
It came from the Creek near the company’s original headquarters. More specifically, it was derived from a Native American word, saconk, which meant "where two rivers run together."
They called it Saucony.
These rivers also inspired the “S” like logo that Saucony shoes would be known for.
As for the other business…
A Russian immigrant named Abraham Hyde came to America in the early 1900s, and soon founded an athletic company: Hyde Athletics.
According to Sneaker Freaker, Hyde initially made its mark with their “carpet-slippers,” but experienced another level of success with their “Spolt-Bilt” shoes which became a hit after World War II.
It was this success that would lead Abraham Hyde to cross paths with the four businessmen from Kutztown.
Shortly after, Hyde would acquire their company, Saucony, and roll it under Hyde Athletics.
In the decades to come the brand would go on to experience a ton of success via a few models that quickly became favorites in the 80s, 90s, and beyond including:
The Jazz trainer
Shadow 6000
The Omni 9
The Matrix
Around 2005…
Saucony, like many apparel/shoe companies around that time, experienced a series of acquisitions that altered its trajectory.
A lot of changes occurred, but here’s what happened in a nutshell:
2005: Stride Rite acquired Saucony for $170 million.
2007: Payless acquires Stride Rite for $800 million — According to the NY Times, Payless planned to roll out the shoes in all of their locations, but only two years later they closed 4,600 locations.
While the impact this had on Saucony isn’t explicitly stated, one can infer that such a chain of events affected their growth.
Despite the hiccups surrounding the 2007 acquisition, Saucony later found a 3rd and final home in 2012 with Wolverine Worldwide — another parent company with deep roots in the shoe world.
Under Wolverine’s leadership, the Saucony brand continued steady growth in the early 2010s.
Now, with a major shift happening with competitors like Nike, Saucony is primed to take the lead, not just in the running category, but in lifestyle too.
IT’S THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
The Saucony team has been very intentional about charting a path forward for the brand, and part of that vision has been re-establishing their position in the sneaker world via collabs.
Below are some of the marquee collaborators they’ve had in the past two years, and each party has been met with the acclaim necessary to get them a seat at the table of the next wave of sneaker leaders.
I. JAE TIPS
Perhaps their biggest collaborator of the year, Bronx Rapper Jae Tips has been in the sneaker world since he was young — first as sales associate at Foot Locker, and then as a reseller in the sneaker world.
He’s worked with Nike several times, with the most recent pair dropping in 2020, and now all roads lead to his work with Saucony (whom he says he’d like to do 15 pairs with).
Saucony and Jae Tips connected via Jason Faustino who is a long-time marketing manager for Saucony, and a streetwear aficionado that once owned a sneaker store named Extra Butter.
After connecting Jae with Saucony, the new partners made their debut in 2023 on a pair of Saucony’s Grid Azura 2000 which Jae dubbed “Remember Who Fronted.”
This pair proved to be the first of a fruitful partnership, with several more shoes coming into fruition since then.
Their most recent effort, a two-pack of Progrid Omni '9’s, has Jae Tips on multiple Sneaker of the Year lists (and for good reason too). And, if that wasn’t enough, another Saucony collab is on the way.
This time Jae and Saucony are giving us a Cranberry-colored Matrix (currently available for raffle on Jae Tips site Savior Worldwide).
II. BODEGA
Boston-based streetwear store Bodega is home to some of today’s best brands, including their own apparel.
They’re no stranger to collaborations, and they often do drops with brands including Nike and New Balance.
As for this year though, their Saucony shoes have carried the wave. Below is one of the coveted pairs that dropped earlier in 2024.
III. GRISELDA
Westside Gunn of Griselda is not only a prolific rapper, he’s a fashionista.
His co-sign brings a great deal of cache to the Saucony brand, and whether his partnership with them is a general release or a limited edition drop, it’s sure to get a lot of buzz on release day.
Details on the actual date are scarc, but Westside posted on IG that he and Saucony have something in the works. He even gave a preview of the silhouettes and colorways that are currently in the works (including Progrid Omni 9’s, and Progrid Triumph 4’s).
2025 can’t come soon enough.
IV. TRINIDAD JAMES
In 2021, Saucony announced a new collaboration in partnership with Atlanta rapper & multi-hyphenate Trinidad James.
For those who don’t know, Trinidad had a massively popular song in the around 2012 (All Gold Everything), and since then he’s been on the creative scene as a songwriter and a creative director with his own agency.
Their first collaboration used the Jazz 81 silhouette in partnership with Hommewrk.
More recently, Saucony and Trinidad James announced another shoe.
This time there’s a deep cultural significance as the inspiration for it is Lusia Harris — affectionately called “The Queen of Basketball.” And, if you didn’t know, Lusia Harris is the only woman to ever be drafted by an NBA team.
The SKU Trinidad leveraged for this collab is also a callback to Saucony’s heritage, and the shoe that effectively built Hyde Athletics: The Spolt-Bilt.
WHAT NOW?
Only time will tell what 2025 will bring but if nothing else, it’s safe to say that Saucony is on a roll with no signs of slowing down.
Personally, I’m gonna be adding some more Saucony’s to the closet. They look dope and I heard they’re comfy. And if I win the Jae Tips raffle I just entered they should be here by December.
If you wanna know what the temperature is of the sneaker world, pay attention to what they do going forward — I have a feeling that Saucony is gonna have an incredible year.
One.
Been wearing saucony for years, SUPER COMFY. A definite cop