There’s more parity in sneakers than ever before. With more opportunities for labels small and large to shine, FN reveals the looks from this year that did not miss.
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FAT JOE X NIKE AIR FORCE 1 “TS”
Image Credit: Flo Ngala Once an ultra-limited look exclusive to Terror Squad members, rap legend Fat Joe and Nike teamed up this year to bring this historic Air Force 1 “TS” to the masses. The retail release from the “Lean Back” hitmaker and the sportswear powerhouse included two colorways of the shoe, a black and white iteration and another in white and light blue. Both looks have the iconic “TS” logo on the uppers and “JC” stitched into the heels — a nod to his “Joe Crack” moniker.
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BAD BUNNY X ADIDAS CAMPUS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Adidas Since the start of their longterm partnership, which began in March 2021, Bad Bunny has reimagined several Adidas silhouettes. After releasing multiple colorways of the Forum Buckle Low and the Response CL, the “Titi Me Pregunto” hitmaker opted to give the classic Campus sneaker a new look. Bad Bunny’s iteration of the shoe includes several notable elements, such as the double tongue adorned with his “El Ojo” eye logo, suede uppers, plush padded leather collars and pronounced mudguards.
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ASICS GEL-KAYANO 14
Image Credit: Courtesy of Asics Asics is breaking its own sales records this year, and its Gel-Kayano 14 is punching well above its weight in a sneaker landscape perpetually increasing with options. Like several others on the list, it’s an archival running sneaker from earlier in the millennium with a healthy mix of materials and a status bolstered by smart collaborations. Call it a dad shoe, call it an underdog, but most importantly call it a sensation.
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TEYANA TAYLOR X AIR JORDAN 1 ZOOM CMFT 2 “A ROSE FROM HARLEM”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Jordan Brand For her first Jordan Brand collaboration, Teyana Taylor reimagined the cushioned-focused Air Jordan 1 Zoom CMFT 2. To create her look, dubbed “A Rose From Harlem,” the songstress used overcoming struggle like a rose rising out of the concrete as a theme. She dressed the shoe predominantly in white and the brand’s Gym Red hue to pull the theme off, adding black to the oversized lateral Swoosh branding, brown to the heels and green thorns to the right shoe. What’s more, her sneaker comes with custom rose lace locks with her initials at the stem.
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ADIDAS GAZELLE
Image Credit: Courtesy of Adidas The less is more approach to construction is proving true to Adidas with both the Samba and Gazelle reinvigorating themselves amongst the zeitgeist, but the Gazelle has also benefited from going more maximalist when it comes to colors. Keeping in line with its heritage, as the sneaker originally used color to denote its intended use, the Gazelle has seen an array of high-contrast color schemes release this year — and that’s even without including collaborations with Gucci adding its “GG” monogram and Sean Wotherspoon bringing floral corduroy into the fold.
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NIKE SABRINA 1
Image Credit: Courtesy of Nike Nike revealed the Sabrina 1 in March, the debut signature shoe for WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu. At the time, the athletic giant also announced the New York Liberty baller was the first women’s basketball player in Nike Inc. history to have a unisex signature collection. The Sabrina 1, which was designed for accelerating and cutting with quickness, features full-length React cushioning and a Zoom Air unit in the forefoot. Aesthetically, Nike incorporated nods to Ionescu’s heritage in the form of embroidery patterns on the forefoot and eyestays, which are an homage to Romanian art and architecture.
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PUMA STEWIE 2
Image Credit: Courtesy of Puma How do you follow a stellar debut? By releasing another hit, of course. After dropping the Stewie 1 in 2022, Puma delivered its second signature shoe for New York Liberty baller Breanna Stewart in May. The brand equipped the Stewie 2 with its latest performance tech, including responsive Nitro midsoles and Pwrtape on the uppers for durability and support. “Ruby” was the first colorway to release, an all-red look dedicated to her daughter of the same name. Although great on its own, Stewart’s on-court prowess made them a must-have for sneaker-focused hoops fans. Her first time wearing them on her home Barclays Center court in Brooklyn, she scored a career-high 45 points.
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ADIDAS SAMBA
Image Credit: Courtesy of Adidas Nearly 75 years after Adidas debuted the Samba, the sneaker is once again having a moment. Although built for the soccer pitch, the silhouette has found new life among the style conscious, whether they discovered the shoe on TikTok or spotted them on the feet of their favorite celebrity. Collaborations, too, have helped elevate the Samba in 2023. This year, Adidas has teamed up with Pharrell Williams, Wales Bonner and Sporty & Rich, among others, to deliver must-have collabs. However, the hottest was revealed in March, when Kith leader Ronnie Fieg partnered with Adidas and Clarks Originals for a universally loved three-way pairing.
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JAE TIPS X SAUCONY GRID AZURA 2000
Image Credit: Courtesy of Saucony The year’s boldest sneaker is also one of the best. In May, Jae Tips — a rapper turned collaborator from the Bronx, N.Y. — delivered a fresh take on the Saucony Grid Azura 2000. Named “Remember Who Front – ed,” the silhouette was reimag – ined with an eye-catching color palette, replete with bright pink, purple, blue and green hues. The colors were paired with visually compelling, yet dramatically different patterns — including a floral print and another resem – bling zebra — on mixed-media uppers. The result of Jae Tips’ work is one of Saucony’s most daring collaborations to date.
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JARRITOS X NIKE SB DUNK LOW
Image Credit: Courtesy of Nike Nike SB is the historical staging ground of weird and wonderful collaborations, and the spirit is still alive with the likes of the Jarritos x Nike SB Dunk Low. Rough canvas overlays borrow from the bags used for harvesting the fruits that inspire many flavors of the Mexican soda. And when worn down, they reveal bright orange sublayers to match the custom marks appearing throughout the sneaker. With so much detail, it should be no surprise the drop created so much thirst.
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ACTION BRONSON X NEW BALANCE 990V6 “BAKLAVA”
Image Credit: Courtesy of New Balance Action Bronson may have named his New Balance sneaker after the Ottoman dessert, but his explanation for its makeup sounds like he consumed a more potent baked good. The idea was to “capture everything that makes us up as beings,” according to Bronsolino himself. Water, earth, electricity — actually two different conceptions of electricity — the moon. They all get their own corresponding color. Then there’s some stuff about pistachios and vehicles if you let him break down his 990v6 further, but you don’t need to dive into his head to be taken in immediately by the shoe’s appearance.
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CORTEIZ X NIKE AIR MAX 95
Image Credit: Courtesy of GOAT Sneaker releases largely go down behind computer and phone screens these days, but London-based streetwear label flexed its power to draw a crowd with its New York City Nike Air Max 95 release. A horde of people crowded the corners of 34th Street and 7th Avenue just to find out the actual location for the sneaker release. Soon after GPS coordinates lit up a billboard, cyclists and pedestrians began a mad dash all the way down to the Lower East Side — more than justifying Nike’s decision to tap Corteiz for the very first time.
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HOKA ROCKET X 2
Image Credit: Courtesy of Hoka Designed with elite and long-distance runners in mind, Hoka believes it has set a new standard for road racing shoes with the Rocket X 2. Looked at internally as a “game-changer,” Hoka revealed the Rocket X 2 in March, a shoe equipped with dual-density, responsive PEBA midsole foam underfoot. The foam is paired with a spoon-shaped offset carbon fiber plate with the brand’s early stage MetaRocker, which was done to enhance propulsion. Also, Hoka utilized its ProFlyX two-part midsole construction, which pairs a soft top layer of foam with a responsive bottom layer to create an energetic and stable ride.
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VANS KNU SKOOL
Image Credit: Courtesy of Vans With consumer demand for nostalgia at a high, Vans brought back the Knu Skool in February, a chunky low-cut look the brand originally debuted in 1998. Available in a range of colors in unisex sizing — with an accessible $75 price tag — the newest iteration of the Knu Skool features Vans’ oversized 3D-molded Sidestripe logo on the suede uppers, as well as its familiar rubber waffle outsoles, and puffy tongues and ankle collars.
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AIR JORDAN 3 “WHITE CEMENT REIMAGINED”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Jordan Brand Hardcore Air Jordan devotees are easy to appease. All they want are the sneakers Michael Jordan played in, proportions true to the originals, and high-quality materials. With a “Reimagined” treatment, the latest Air Jordan 3 “White Cement” retro delivered all three qualities while adding a faux-aged midsole to emphasize the history of the sneaker Jordan wore for the 1988 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest.
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AIMÉ LEON DORE X NEW BALANCE 860V2
Image Credit: Courtesy of New Balance As New Balance has made a significant dent in Nike’s chokehold on sneaker culture, Aimé Leon Dore has established itself as the brand’s most important and consistent partner. The red-hot NYC label may as well be NB’s official arm for reviving old models, and its primary color trio for the 860v2 may just have done the best job yet of saying, “Allow me to reintroduce myself” with a voice as boisterous as Jay-Z’s.
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JJJJOUND X SALOMON XT-WINGS 2
Image Credit: Courtesy of JJJJound JJJJound is known for taking a light-handed approach to its collaborations in the name of minimalism. Often, this leads to criticism arguing too little has changed— but no one poked holes in the creative studio’s take on the Salomon XT-Wings 2. Select hits of blue pop just right amid the otherwise white-on-white look, and the branding is kept even more subtle. If it really were so easy to do this much with so little, someone else would be doing it, too.
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ON CLOUDSURFER 7
Image Credit: Courtesy of On As On continues to grow at a rapid pace, the brand has sharpened its focus on innovation. In March, the Swiss footwear brand delivered the Cloudsurfer 7, the latest update to its acclaimed neutral running shoe franchise. With the shoe, On revealed CloudTec Phase, a new iteration of its signature CloudTec cushioning technology that includes computer-generated Clouds aimed at offering the wearer optimal cushioning and a smoother heel-to-toe transfer. As for sustainability, On employed a dope dyeing process for the shoe’s yarn that requires 90 percent less water than standard techniques. Also, the brand removed its plastic overlays and increased the shoe’s total recycled content to 30 percent.
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AMINÉ X NEW BALANCE 610 “MOOZ”
Image Credit: Courtesy of New Balance Aminé’s debut sneaker collaboration also marks the biggest moment yet for the New Balance 610, a retro trail running sneaker getting a new push in 2023. The banana look nods to the artist’s Club Banana label, while “Mooz” is the word for the fruit in Amharic, an Ethiopian language. Most fun of all, though, is a fluid “jewel” with a banana graphic that moves inside like a snow globe.
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NIKE SB X AIR JORDAN 4
Image Credit: Courtesy of GOAT Skateboarders have repurposed Air Jordans for their own sport since they sat on discount in the ‘90s, before retro models were more coveted than brand-new ones. Nike SB and Jordan Brand have celebrated this unexpected connection through a handful of Air Jordan 1s since 2014, but this year brought forth the first Air Jordan 4 retooled specifically for skaters. Thicker materials made them ideal for the punishment wrought by skating, and careful reconstruction of the original 1989 proportions satisfied the Jordan purists to leave no one unsatisfied with the end product.
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NIKE ZOOM VOMERO 5
Image Credit: Courtesy of Nike Call it the New Balance effect. Nike still sits atop the sneaker market, albeit by a distance continuing to decrease as New Balance rises. A large part of the latter’s success has been in reviving archival runners fixing a mixture of mesh, suede and reflecting piping. Lo and behold, Nike had one of those, too, in its Zoom Vomero 5 from 2011. While many may have come for the now-trendy look, the astonishing level of comfort has kept the Vomero 5 in many rotations.
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SANDY LIANG X SALOMON SPORTSTYLE XT-6
Image Credit: Courtesy of Naked Copenhagen Following hit fleece after hit fleece, Sandy Liang’s penchant for glamorous gorp continued with the Salomon XT-6 trail running shoe. The lush pink kicks with sparse green accents were sized exclusively for women, but that didn’t stop men joining in on the rush and making them one of the most valuable Salomons ever on the resale market. Although the broader fashion landscape may move on quicker, sneakerheads’ appetite for gorpcore isn’t slowing down.
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NEW BALANCE 2002R PROTECTION PACK
Image Credit: Courtesy of New Balance The 2002R “Protection Pack” backstory may sound convoluted to outsiders, but the story of its success is simple. The 2002 came and went with few appreciating its $250 price tag in 2010. Then it returned in 2020 with an “R” suffix and midsole borrowed from the 860v2. For the most recent alteration, denoted by “Protection Pack,” it gave an unofficial answer to the question, “What if Daniel Arsham made a New Balance shoe?” And that’s the one New Balance just can’t seem to keep in stock, the one that looks like an artifact from today.
