images via KITH, size? and brand websites

The compilation of anything is difficult. You have to be acutely aware of more brands than the average person. The list has to try and not be biased, which is impossible, and the reason you’ve chosen shoes has to be clear or the list is just something you feel represents your beliefs only…

Which is exactly what this list is. My list will not be your list. It will however give you some shoes you know and some shoes you don’t. I already know my list will not have certain shoes that have already reached mythical status in the sneaker world this year. That’s okay because variety makes life much better right?

Let me give you my qualifications for why the shoes listed have made my Top 40. There won’t be any honorable mentions because it was difficult enough chopping a list of over 500 shoes dropped this year down to 40 pair. Give me a small break. Here are the guidelines:

Top Sneakers of the Year Qualifications based on M.A.P.P.S.

Materials – Premium materials are important to me… very important.

Aesthetics – the way the shoe looks, colorway, cut… some of the shoes that could have made the list didn’t because I’m officially calling empty toebox/forefoot designs LAZY.

Price – Premium materials = a high price, but sometimes a company keeps it premium and cost effective and this will rank them higher.

Packaging – When a company follows through and delivers you a pair of shoes and the packaging is dope along with the shoe itself, it’s a win-win.

Storytelling – What was the creation process and why was the shoe developed? What’s the shoe’s story?

Important Note: I tried to avoid shoes that were re-released or retros that have been done over and over again. This means that while you could have a thousand Jordans on your list, this list doesn’t have many, but I couldn’t avoid adding some retros because they simply connect with me from a historical aspect. I also applied a rule that will shape the list based on my own personal style and the ability for a pair to move into several areas of fashion. I gave serious consideration to whether you could get away with wearing the shoe to work on casual Friday and if the shoe is age appropriate. In other words I chose shoes that an OG could wear and a Young Person could rock. The shoe had to be able to cross demographics. If it couldn’t it didn’t make the list. With that said here is number 40. There will be a link added for each shoe below the pic as I update you on each shoe.

View #40