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Dior is set to launch its latest men’s sneaker later this month.

Dubbed the B33, the new relaxed sneaker silhouette was first seen as part of the French luxury brand’s men’s autumn/winter 2023 collection show in Egypt late last year.

Designed by Dior men’s creative director Kim Jones, the new B33 sneakers will launch in three versions this month. The first features multi-colored mohair detail on the sides of the upper, the second is covered in the Dior Oblique motif and the third is covered in denim as part of Dior’s upcoming Dior Tears capsule collection in partnership with Tremaine Emory of Denim Tears. Each sneaker is finished with the “Dior 30 Avenue Montaigne” signature on the heel in a shade of grey, the founding couturier’s signature color.

This release also features a Dior first – NFC technology embedded in the shoes. According to the brand, the popular authentication technology was placed in the sole of each right foot in order to act as a encrypted digital key for the shoe. When activated, the chip leads to a personal, secure platform offering dedicated services, Dior said. Within this platform, sneaker owners can access the shoes’ certificate of authenticity (based on technology from the Aura Blockchain Consortium), additional information on the different stages of the manufacturing process, as well as preview announcements for future sneaker launches.

The full B33 sneaker range from Dior, which retails between $1,000 and $1,100, will officially launch on July 13.

As a sneak peek, the French house will release a limited and numbered edition of 470 pairs of the B33 sneaker in turquoise Dior Oblique mohair and brown suede – along with the shoe’s digital twin collectible on the Ethereum blockchain – on July 6 at Dior.com. This sneaker will retail for $1,350.

Throughout the company’s earnings call on Thursday, Nike president and CEO John Donahoe offered several insights into the health of its basketball business. While delivering a long list of accolades, the executive also confirmed Nike would soon relaunch NBA icon Kobe Bryant’s brand.

The Kobe brand relaunch, Donahoe stated, would take place in advance of Kobe Day on August 24. (The date represents the two jersey numbers Bryant wore during his NBA career.)

Although details of what the relaunch will include were sparse, the announcement was enough to get both industry insiders and fans of the Nike Kobe sneaker franchise talking.

Matt Powell, an advisor at Spurwink River consultancy, offered a bit of Nike Kobe sneaker history to FN, and detailed the shift in consumer behavior following Bryant’s untimely and tragic death from a helicopter crash in February 2020.

“It’s important to understand that before Kobe died, his shoes were not that popular here in the U.S. They were wildly popular in Asia, but not popular here,” Powell told FN. “After he passed, the opportunists out there thought they could get a shoe that would have high value because they weren’t going to make any more of them and people commemorating his life would pay a high multiple.”

Darryl Glover, famed collector whose collection is dominated Nike Kobe styles, has confirmed this massive shift in a fan’s ability — or inability — to purchase the styles at retail.

“Prior to 2020, I could generally get my hands on every Kobe release. Now, it has been nearly impossible,” Glover said. “With the help family and friends, I have been able to get my hands on few pairs, but without them I would have been unsuccessful.”

Not long after the athlete’s death, his wife Vanessa Bryant publicly expressed a desire for his fans to have more access to his Nike shoes. Specifically, she addressed this on Instagram Stories in December 2020 following the launch of the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Grinch.”

In the time since, the contractual agreement between Nike and Kobe Bryant came to an end in April 2021, and a new partnership between Nike and Vanessa Bryant was announced in March 2022.

With the upcoming relaunch, although the Bryant family had once called for better access, Glover isn’t confident Nike will deviate far from its scarcity model when it comes to the athlete’s shoe releases.

“Considering those who were not historically Kobe fans might now want his sneakers because of the legacy and wanting to be associated with that, I don’t anticipate an increase in availability because that scarcity model is what drives sales,” Glover said. “From a typical and general business standpoint, making more sneakers could be a risk for Nike. No company wants leftover inventory or product that will then need to be discounted, but I don’t think that would be the case with Kobes.”

He continued, “Even if they do make Kobes slightly more available, it still has to make business sense for the company. I’m sure they don’t want an iconic shoe in a discount or outlet store.”

Powell disagrees.

“It was very clear from yesterday’s call that Nike is scrambling here for business. Their business is not good and they’re trying to figure out a way to right that ship,” Powell said. “I have a feeling they’re going to put a lot of pairs of shoes in the marketplace.”