#22 Fear Of God Military Sneaker High Pack images via KITH I thought long and hard about placing FOG into the top ten because of the multitude of shoes it has influenced. FP has a version, the Puma Parallel by the Weeknd is a take on this boot. Even Kenneth Cole has a version. When…
#23 New Balance M990V2 Distinct – Olive images via KITH Once you get past the politics of the brand, which I don’t really dig into, a shoe that is Made in the USA with the care and materials of NB is hard to surpass. At a time when a 200 dollar Jordan with glue issues…
#24 Adidas Bodega x END Patchwork Pack Iniki adidas may have tailed off at the end of 2017, but over the course of the last year there were some instant classics. While many aren’t fond of kicks with denim, I love the detail. I actually made an entire series of ARCH shoes from suede and…
#25 ASICS Ronnie Fieg Volcano 2.0 Gel Diablo images via KITH The Volcano by Ronnie Fieg has long been a coveted collector’s pair. The second installation arrived this year and as expected it was sold out in minutes. This time around though a long forgotten shoe was included in the collab, the Gel Diablo. The…
Source: adidas Invites the World to Create in New Global Campaign It’s no secret that I’ve been paying very close attention to adidas’ growth as a brand in the past year. It’s also no secret that I thought a lot of the success could be contributed to an ingenious campaign that made one of…
#26 Puma Tsugi Kori HAN KJØBENHAVN images via Puma You can look as hard as you want but you won’t find a doper gum outsole than on the Puma Tsugi Kori HAN KJØBENHAVN. The model from the Danish designer features a silhouette from Puma that I thought should have been launched with a dope ass campaign, because…
#27 Vans x The North Face MTE Black images via KITH The funny thing about living in California for so long is the perception that people outside of Cali have of the state. In most people’s minds if I say I’m from San Diego they will ask me a question about Oakland as if Oakland…
#28 Adidas Daniel Arsham New York Present images via adidas The choice of the Daniel Arsham New York Present is really a response to the storytelling. adidas endorsed the artist who has developed a three part story that is loosely based on his life, but in as an artistic representation of how the past inspires…
#29 Nike VaporMax Khaki/Anthracite/Pale Grey/Black 849558-201 images via Nike The unfortunate aspect of VaporMax is that the everyday person doesn’t understand how technically advance the shoe is. Based on the bonding technique it’s one of the first athletic running shoes that doesn’t rely on a traditional midsole between the upper and outsole. The price of the…
#30 Clearweather Cloudstryk Redspace images via Clearweather This is one of the few brands on the list that may not be as well known that I’ve been able to actually get my hands on. So this choice at 30 is less about speculating and looking at pictures and more about the actual fit and feel…
#31 No.One Alpha Desert Boot – Camel images via No.One This won’t be the last limited release shoe and I apologize for introducing you to brands you may not know and you won’t be able to cop, but if something is #grownmandope I have to be honest about the style and where I see the…
#32 Sonra Proto ‘Grasshopper’ images via Sonra This group of five has two shoes that completely break my rule of accessibility. First rule of Fight Club, there are no rules… or something like that. While I am trying hard to stick the rule of accessibility it’s obvious when a shoe is limited the likelihood of…
#33 Brandblack Delta Black/White images via Brandblack I’m like every ex ballplayer. If you walk by a court you want to hoop. The problem is I’m older now so I’m typically wearing something that isn’t quite suited for hitting the court at a moment’s notice. To be honest I very rarely hoop. The last English…
#34 VOR x Ayzit Bostan `EASY GOING.´ images via VOR I know, as much as a complain about the lack of design on sneakers, I drop a shoe here that appears to be straight out of a Star Trek episode. The minimalist Ayzit Bostan is an extremely limited shoe. Where the Rockdeep shoe made it…
#35 Rockdeep RD Rax 73-5C433 Chocolate images via Rockdeep I know this is another brand you haven’t heard of probably. I also know how hard it is to try a brand that isn’t as accessible and easy to try on. However… 87 dollars B. 87!!!! The Rockdeep is definitely on this list based on price,…
Originally posted on Housakicks The Nike Air More Uptempo fizzled like a volcano this year when Nike decided to treat the shoe like the Air Force 1 and release so many pointless colorways. It eventually led many folks to develop a disdain towards the sneakers . The Uptempo was a classic shoe of the 90´s that carried a…
#36 adidas Consortium Crazy 1 images via Kith and Shelflife This is probably the most adventurous model in the top 40. I’ve written on the site that I thought adidas releasing updated versions of Kobe’s first signature models was counterproductive. I thought, “Why release something from a guy who left your brand?” I was also…
#37 ARKK Eaglezero Braided S-E15 Off White images via ARKK This is not the Off White you were probably expecting on this list; and I have to admit the fact that the shoe is by a brand named ARKK and my shoe company was named ARCH was a slight influence on my decision to enter…
#38: New Balance 597 ‘Neotropic’ – size? Exclusive images via size? images via size? New Balance shows up a number of times on this list and rightfully so. The brand takes the times to recreate their classic stability trainers with premium leather and very often the shoes are Made in the UK or Made in…
#39 – CRDWN Wasson – Silver images via CRDWN A Cordwainer is a person who makes shoes from leather. With the abundance of shoes being promoted today at ridiculous prices for knit material, I like the idea that a brand is attempting to bring leather and premium materials to their fans. Like when I made…
#40 – ASICS GEL-Lyte III | KICKS LAB X ASICS TIGER “HIKESHI HANTEN” images via ASICS The Gel Lyte remains a classic and has been retro’d a number of times, but this colorway for the Hikeshi has almost flawless colorblocking and it is subtle enough that styled correctly the shoe could move from casual Friday…
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…
