Travis Scott’s Jumpman Jack has sparked a lot of debate online recently in the sneaker community, with some drawing parallels to the iconic Nike Air Yeezy by Kanye West. Did Ye’s former sneaker inspire Travis Scott’s latest creation? Let’s take a look.
RELATED: Adidas Yeezy Slides Salt Have A Release Date
When it comes to pop culture, we all crave our fair share of spice- all manner of hot takes and anything that can shake things up and cause some excitement and controversy. It truly is a wonderful time to be alive. The sneaker game is no different, ladies and gentlemen. If anything, things can get more heated here than in most other communities.
Matthew Welty, a seasoned sneakerhead who is also the associate editor at Complex Sneakers, probably knew the storm he was about to walk into (or breathe into being, depending on how you look at it) when he put out a post on his Instagram post titled thus:
“It’s hard not to see a lot of the Yeezy 2 in the Jumpman Jack. Not a good or bad thing, but a clear thread in Nike’s lineage.”
At first glance, Welty’s observations can seem provocative and possibly even a little inflammatory. Depending on whether you’re in the Yeezy camp or the Jumpman Jack one, you might feel some type of way about what he said. Or not. Admittedly, Welty knew that he’d stirred a hornets’ nest and said so during a video podcast with colleagues from Complex. He sought to clarify and give context to his comments by saying:
“All right. You know, I think we had discussed a little bit… I put it out there saying, ‘Hey, looking at that Jumpman Jack sneaker… I don’t think it looks like an Air Yeezy, but you can clearly see how the Air Yeezy at some point made this shoe possible.”
The spirited but mature conversation continues with him stating that he never said the Jumpman Jack is a one-to-one copy but rather a reinvention, taking some of the Nike DNA archives and creating a new pair of sneakers. Again, he makes good points and contextualizes what he originally meant to say.
My take: I can see where he is coming from and even agree with his original post. The similarities are there for all to see – the straps across the upper and the midsole’s patterning, texturing and design. Then, going deeper, there’s the undisputable fact that Kanye West and Travis Scott were, at one stage, the two biggest entertainers working with Nike. In one of the most significant periods of Nike’s rise to dominance as a player in both the sports and lifestyle space, we had a shoe that symbolized that dominance in the Yeezy. So then, the argument is that they just ran a play from the same book to create Jumpman Jack. I ask: why not?
RELATED: This Travis Scott x Jordan Jumpman Jack Sneaker Collab Is Different
Here’s the thing: Inspiration and imitation, though they’re seemingly close, actually paint hugely different pictures, and this is where we’ve got to ask ourselves where the Jumpman Jack sits. Imitation is a copy with little or no originality and personal expression. Imagine meticulously but shamelessly copying someone else’s painting pixel by pixel. On the other hand, inspiration is about igniting a spark, a seed of creativity that grows into something unique. Think of it like admiring a painter’s colour palette and using it to create your unique, vibrant scene. Throughout history, artists across all disciplines have drawn inspiration from their peers. This isn’t something new. Someone else’s melody can inspire a musician; a writer can draw from another’s narrative structure, and a sneaker like the Jumpman Jack can pull from the Yeezy 2’s DNA archive in terms of texture, shape or overall design. Without getting too philosophical, it’s all connected, and honestly, if it results in something beautiful that art lovers (read: sneakerheads) can enjoy, what’s the problem?
If it’s true that the Jumpman Jack draws inspiration from the Air Yeezy, do you think it’s an issue?
