Top 20 Sneakers of 2018

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 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?

This year’s Qualification 2018 F.I.N.S.

This year was a very different year for me. Last year I spent building the AHN (ARCH x Housakicks Network). This year I had to do a combination of things for the site. One of the biggest things for this year was my utilization of StockX as a sales platform to write a book on the third party marketplace and reselling. This investment of time into StockX paid huge dividends, but it also meant that I didn’t stay abreast of all of the shoes that were released. I did however make 446 videos of sneakers this year with another 40 that haven’t been edited.

Functionality – While this doesn’t rate as high on my list as it should, I few of the shoes here were designed for use and in creating the shoe for use the design stood out.

Interesting Design Elements – Last year materials were really influential. That remains true this year, but I know one of these shoes the everyday person, and even sneaker culture may not have ever heard about before. The shoe has to make you double take.

Narrative – There aren’t many retro models on the list. The models that are retro have a dope narrative around them. As a matter of fact all of the shoes have a great story attached. Storytelling in footwear is becoming a lost art as brands are relying heavily on Instagram and imagery primarily to sell kicks. That’s not a good thing when an image is the only thing to drive interest.

Sales – This year on StockX has been a revelation. In contrast to what many people think about the platform it actually does give you an interesting data set about shoe models that resold although they were general releases. A couple of shoes on this list are there because I sold hundreds of the style. I sold over 4000 pair this year (That’s as a one man buying, packing and shipping department).

The list this year won’t be as bold and diverse as last year, but it will certainly inspire dialogue. Instead of posting each shoe one by one, I will be working on every post individually and then adding a link when time permits over the next few days. Check back often as this link will be updated.