How Eric ‘Shake’ James and Adidas Are About to Transform Milwaukee
Retail entrepreneur and philanthropist Eric “Shake” James is Milwaukee through and through. So it’s only fitting that he has pulled out all stops for 414 Day, a celebration of his beloved city that takes place on April 14 — a nod to its area code. To make sure this moment is special, James is getting some help from Adidas.
Specifically, James — owner of Milwaukee boutiques Clicks, Sneex and Black Market — is getting assistance from Adidas Cornerstone Community, the brand’s retailer-driven initiative focused on supporting BIPOC-owned businesses, to offer local events ahead of 414 Day. Prior to this moment, James, through his nonprofit organization J.A.Y. Academy, and Adidas Cornerstone Community have hosted more than 15 events since 2020.
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“They care and they listen. They are about trying to make a difference,” James told FN.
The first event leading up to 414 Day is a free footwear design workshop, which will take place Thursday. In partnership with Wood U, students at Siefert Middle School will be gifted footwear to customize. This is the second free footwear design workshop that James and Adidas Cornerstone Community have hosted, the first taking place in November 2023 ahead of the release of his Adidas Forum Low CL “Day One” sneaker.
“That one was so successful. The kids had so much fun, they did a lot of crazy designs. A lot of those shoes need to be made, they were that good,” James said. “Lots of parents around Milwaukee have come up to me, telling me how their kid enjoyed it and asked me when is the next one. I felt like I had to run this back. This will be an opportunity for them to take the shoes and show what community means to them, to show how Milwaukee looks through their eyes.”
And on April 12, James and Adidas Cornerstone Community will host a private, invite-only event that will performances by rap icon Lil Kim, emerging talent Brooklyn Queen and a live DJ set by Mr. New York. The event will celebrate both his philanthropic work in the city and an upcoming sneaker release.
Specifically, James will announce to Adidas execs in attendance, as well as family and friends, a long-term partnership between the athletic brand and the J.A.Y. Academy to better serve the Milwaukee community. Adidas said via statement that this will include wellness workshops and professional development programming, as well as scholarships to participating local youth and more. James said the partnership will cover at least 2024 and 2025.
What’s more, James said he will also reveal plans to open the first physical location for the J.A.Y. Academy at the event. “It has been a long journey, and this is the beginning of a beautiful thing,” he said. “I’m going to feel so good when I have that first kid that signs up for J.A.Y. Academy who graduates high school, who graduates college.”
James confirmed with FN that he has closed Black Market, which is located at 1935 W. Hampton Ave., and is converting it into J.A.Y. Academy. This location, according to James, will be learning-focused and will open on Aug. 31. He also confirmed he is looking at a new home for Black Market, and hopes to have the store open before November.
He is also in the process of securing a second location in the city’s North Side for another J.A.Y. Academy home, which he said will be sports focused.
Aside from the efforts of James and Adidas Cornerstone Community, the City of Milwaukee will also acknowledge his philanthropic efforts. The office of the mayor confirmed with FN that it will issue a proclamation to James declaring April 12 as J.A.Y. Academy Day. James will be presented with a plaque by Mayor Cavalier Johnson at Clicks, located at 1916 E. Capitol Dr., on Aug. 13 at 11 a.m. CT.
There is also a sneaker component to the celebration. James and Adidas have teamed up on a limited-edition, Milwaukee-themed iteration of the classic Rivalry Low. The storeowner said he chose to reimagine the Rivalry Low because it was a beloved silhouette of he and his best friend, the late rap icon Jam Master Jay.
“I wanted to make sure I had a good representation of Milwaukee because I saw all these other cities doing shoes,” James said, mentioning Adidas’ prior collaborations with retailer Snipes for Detroit (313) and Atlanta (404). “I was like, ‘Why is there not a 414 shoe?’ Adidas was like, ‘Because you never designed one,’ so I was like, ‘OK, well let’s get to it.'”
James’ take on the shoe is replete with nods to the Cream City, including textured “Cream City Brick” tongues, as well as food and beverages closely associated with Milwaukee. For instance, a block of cheese can be spotted on the right tongue and on both heels, and beer is on the left tongue.
What’s more, the colors used on the shoe — the cream featured on the upper and the green with red accents Three Stripes branding executed in suede — serve as a nod to the classic Milwaukee Bucks colors.
“I had to get the Bucks to sign off. I’m cool with the ownership so it was a good conversation. That was like a one-hour thing, they signed off immediately. They felt like it was good for the city,” James said. “The Bucks were so on board, they were like if you want to use the Bucks logo or put some deer antlers on it whatever, they were with it.”
Also, to commemorate his hip-hop roots, James once again will include his microphone keychains with the shoe, which he first did on his “Day One” Adidas Forum Low CL collaboration that released in November 2023.
The “414” Adidas Rivalry Low arrives April 13 The in-store release will take place at Clicks at 11 a.m. CT. An online release via Clickskicks.net will take place at 11:14 a.m. CT.
The first 414 pairs of the shoe will be numbered, and the collaboration will retail for $130.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at [email protected].
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