Is it a bit gimmicky? Yep. Is it way too futuristic to wear casually? Kind of. If you can’t rock it casually and athletically doesn’t it fall short? Not one bit. The moment I saw the 33 I knew it would be the best shoe to release this year. I know that the cushioning and…
Once you get around the silly spelling of Next Level, there is some real substance here. One of the primary reasons I argue with analysts who promote that brands should focus on athleisure and leave performance products alone is because unlike most analysts, I live and breath sneakers. Sneakers are my primary source of income….
source and images via: https://www.sneakervision.com/2019/01/03/hncok-company-x-sneakervision/ One of the best things about LinkedIn is the sense of community that is fostered around the sneaker industry. I discovered Sneakervision.com, a sneaker site owned and operated by a lady for the ladies and I’ve been an avid reader of the site since. Kenya Heard, the founder of Sneakervision,…
The LeBron 16 hasn’t really striked me as a one of the best designs of the year. It has released in several colorways that I thought about adding to the list, in particular the LeBron 16 King which featured a leopard painted fabric, but ultimately none of the styles resonated with me and made me…
Jerry Lorenzo’s FOG series made the list last year and I never had a chance to hold a pair in my hands. This year thanks to @dasouthmemphian who is crazy popular on IG, allowed me to check out a pair of the coveted shoe while we were shipping at the UPS store. He had 8…
While collabs typically dominate these type of lists, there is one shoe that I know for a fact had the best resale value of every shoe dropped this year as a General Release. It was even better than the Air Jordan 1 in many instances. This shoe also shows that resale dictates brand heat. The…
Every Lift, Rep and WOD starts from the ground up. Check all of the boxes in the new UA TriBase Reign training shoe. Source: Introducing the UA TriBase Reign There has been a constant refrain on this site about Under Armour and their underutilization of their athletes in niche sports. During their recent Investor’s Day,…
Puma cracked the top 10 for more than one reason. They made a bold reentry into the NBA and at the same time delivered a shoe that was like everything else, but wasn’t like everything else. The first drop was bright and way to loud for me. Then a few weeks before I had a…
via Kith Back to Back for adidas with a model that didn’t receive a large drop and rightfully so. I would assume this shoe doesn’t show up on any end of the year lists. To be honest its minimalist design on the upper is upset by possibly the boldest outsole delivered in 2018. The one…
adidas fell off in 2018. In 2017 I noticed a trend in the design of adidas footwear that I stated would be an issue for the brand beginning with their Black Friday releases. From that point on the resale value of adidas footwear began to drop. The brand made an absurd pivot to basketball and…
Casbia has become a staple in my lists because of the design and materials. The luxe brand was the first to really jump on the Champion train before everyone else decided to take Champion from Target to Footlocker. This shoe is a chukka styled model with a sweeping closure that is laceless and made to…
Storytelling. That’s why this shoe is on the list. It is also one of the sentimental favorites for me. Dr. J. was one of my favorite players. When I had a chance to go to Harlem this year I made sure I also got to Rucker Park. I drew incredible posters of Dr. J. As…
Remember when I said the list would consist of shoes chosen because I sold a ton of them? The Epic React was one of the shoes that helped to turn Nike’s fortunes around. The incredibly bouncy React foam arrived from basketball and changed the way a lot of people felt about Nike running shoes. A…
via UBIQ I didn’t get a pair. I went to Clarks and there were two older ladies working and they had no idea what I was asking for. I didn’t want to order anything and I very rarely buy Clarks without trying them on because the suede creates different fits. I already have pairs with…
via UBIQ LC23 was born in December 2010 from the idea of Leo Colacicco, a Management Engineer with the vice of e-fashion, born and raised in Gioia del Colle (Bari), who, after a period of study and work spent in Milan, returns home and decides to create his own brand and an e-commerce site where…
Reebok has in its pocket a shoe that I consider in many ways just as important to sneaker culture as the Jordan 11. While the Concord made probably every end of the year list, it didn’t make mine although it is the biggest shoe released in 2018. Why would I keep the Concord off and…
No.One is a company that appears to pride itself on a less is more level of information. This year the brand removed all information from social media and relaunched with a countdown. The countdown refreshes each time the Bespoke design crew out of Los Angeles makes another batch of handmade footwear. Now with handmade footwear…
Filling Pieces made a concentrated effort to create a classic basketball silhouette from the 90s although the brand wasn’t around at the time. They created a chunky soled premium leather version of a basketball shoe that if it was on a wall next to a classic Jordan it would definitely give a retro a run…
This addition is all about the materials. I made the statement that my Greats Pronto was the best luxury sneaker to release this year. I was wrong. I had the Pronto Robin Hood in this position until I took a second look and realized that suede is a much more supple material and it makes…
The Delta from Brandblack made the list last year. This year Brandblack was basically on blakout mode as the website was down for the majority of the year and the brand seemed focused primarily on helping out Big Baller Brand. Towards the end of the year the site came back on track and actually launched…
NOBULL has earned solid reviews from Crossfit athletes and in my opinion, the shoe that I’m most likely to buy for my workouts this upcoming year will be the City Lights Trainer. I can see myself hitting the heavy bag looking like a scene out of Creed (minus the Jumpman). The shoe is a rugged,…
images via KITH, size?, Packer and brand websites Last year I created the standards below for my Top 40 Sneakers of 2017: 2017 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…
