A Ma Maniére Is No Longer Special

A Ma Maniére used to be a premier sneaker collaborator. With a burgundy-centric palette, the Atlanta boutique would take classic Jordan silhouettes and refine them, adding details that made for coherent, elegant sneakers that looked like nothing else. But codes can become traps, and very quickly, their shoes went from coveted to overdone and predictable. Their initial Jordan 3 was received as a classic; their initial Jordan 4 was a bestseller; their take on the Jordan 5 was widely celebrated too. Their Jordan 1 and 2, though not as beloved, were appreciated by fans. But that was the end of it. Their second round of Jordan 3 and 4 were formulaic and sat on shelves. Their take on the Jordan 12 — one of the storied Jordan silhouettes — was exactly what fans expected, and sat on shelves too. It also fell short on quality, as the red used on the shoes would bleed dye. But at least those were remembered. In the anniversary year of the Air Max 95, they released multiple colorways, which were instantly forgotten on release; I didn’t even know their Jordan 6 had dropped.And so, A Ma Maniére is stuck. If they released another mauve, cream, and black sneaker, customers would yawn and move on — but they also have no other look. Case in point: their new V5 RNR pack. The Nike V5 RNR is a mesh running sneaker inspired by the Vomero 5, competing with the ASICS GEL-1130 and New Balance 530 in budget-friendly Y2K-aesthetic tech runner category. It’s not an interesting shoe, but it will sell well, and—perhaps to meet a commitment of their Nike partnership—A Ma Maniére is releasing seven colorways of it. Rather than their expected shades and materials, the “Light Carbon” colorway has a blend of beige, yellows, gray, and maroon on rugged mesh — which should be good, but together looks messy and incoherent. It’s an inferior version of what New Balance has done with its mesh runners for years. The other six colorways — Sail, White, Light Violet Ore, Fiberglass, Geode Teal, and Light Soft Pink — don’t fare better. Some lean too pastel; others just look generic. The marketing says that they have leaned “leaned into the rainbow” for 2026, but I don’t share their optimism. None of them look like A Ma Maniére, and none of them look good. They’ll be available for $95 a pair when they release this spring—but you won’t buy them at that price. Wait a month and you’ll be able to buy them for significantly less than that on resale sites.

A Ma Maniére Is No Longer Special

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