Despite the tumult of the year as a whole, 2020 has been an impressively solid year for the sneaker industry. From ice cream collaborations to shoes made entirely of scraps from the manufacturing process, 2020 has birthed some of the most unique and creative footwear to date. For sneakers, 2020 has been a year of revivals; New Balance’s consistent grind over the past few years has paid dividends with a slew of hot new silhouettes, collaborations, and athlete signings firmly planting them among the top brands in footwear. 2020 also marked the return of the Nike SB Dunk Low, which, much like during the height of their hype in the mid-aughts, have quickly become fan favorites leaving sneakerheads clamoring for new drops all year.
10. Stussy x Nike Spiridon Cage 2
Stussy has had multiple collaborations with Nike over the years but it was their latest crate-digging efforts that really shines. Like Indiana Jones dusting off a rare artifact, Nike and Stussy breathed new life into the mid-2000s runner.
9. New Balance Vision Racer
Were the sneaker industry the NBA, New Balance would be an All-Star and firmly in the running for Most Improved. Their stat-stuffing year can be partially highlighted by their new sneaker with artistic vanguard and philanthropist Jaden Smith, the Vision Racer. Made of partially recycled materials, the Vision Racer is the perfect fusion of past and present, blending the New Balance 1700 with the New Balance X-Racer for a pair of certified head-turners.
8. Travis Scott SB Dunk Low
It’s lit! In 2020, Travis Scott must have bought a home where the money reside. Despite a wildly unpredictable year, Travis Scott has been consistently creating and curating everything from McDonald’s collaborations to Fortnite virtual concerts, but none of his projects were more dazzling than his first Nike SB release. Coming off the heels of some of the most vaunted shoes in history, Travis avoided the fatigue of oversaturation with an eclectic design unlike any of his collaborative efforts to that point.
7. Nike Space Hippie 03
Nike took a big leap in their sustainability efforts this year with their Space Hippie collection. Forged from scraps left over from the manufacturing process, the Space Hippie collection is the epitome of circular design. While the collection was composed of four unnamed variants, it is the Space Hippie 03 that sticks out the most. A high cut basketball sneaker, the Space Hippie 03 evokes a futuristic look with its laceless-socklike construction and FastFit tightening system
6. Civilist x Nike SB Dunk Low
He’s heating up! With 2020 being the year of the Dunk, it seemed like each consecutive pair was an attempt to outdo the last release. From Grateful Dead’s fuzzy entries to Sean Cliver’s Winter Wonderland, each Dunk has been a splashy and standout affair, but Nike’s collaboration with the Berlin-based shop is a true gem. In cooler weather, the German-engineered sneakers appear as a understated black and white silhouette. When the heat is on, the shoes truly come alive, revealing a thermochromic colorway.
5. Off-White x Air Jordan 5
Keeping it 2 Virgils, for a while it seemed as if Off-White was stuck in a rut, recycling the same idea. But staying in line with the theme of revival, the folks at Off-White rejuvenated their hype with their take on the classic Air Jordan 5. Using Off-White’s signature branding combined with a series of translucent circles strewn over the upper, Off-White found a novel way to imbue life into one of the most treasured silhouettes of all time.
4. New Balance 992 x Joe Freshgoods “No Emotions Are Emotions”
What happens when two collaborative titans collide? You get one of the best sneakers of the year. Chicago’s Joe Freshgoods has been on Derrick Henry-esque run this year, dropping a slew of collaborations with everyone from New Era to Converse. Freshgoods’ redux of the classic 992, dressed in a variety of reds, is as heart-stopping as it is heart-inspired. Flipping the quintessential dad sneaker into one of the year’s most beloved sneakers is a testament to Joe Freshgood’s ability to reflect the spirit of the times.
3. Air Jordan 1 x Dior “Air Dior”
The Air Jordan 1 has seen a myriad of remixes and remodels even just this year but this foray into luxury alongside Maison Dior is relatively new territory. The Air Dior 1 blends streetwear and luxury goods in a way unseen since the Supreme X Louis V collab. Crafted with Dior’s exquisite fine calf-leather and dressed in the brand’s staple Dior Grey, both brands share the spotlight with all the standard Jordan branding being remixed to read Air Dior and the swoosh is dressed in Dior oblique jacquard. With only 85,000 pairs manufactured and the hefty price tag, the Air Dior will go down in history as one of THE grails in the sneaker world.
2. Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Grinch”
For nearly two decades Kobe Bryant was an integral part of Christmas Day. Nothing on Earth will ever come close to the feeling of opening a Playstation 2 in the morning and watching Kobe Bryant absolutely decimate teams at night. This year marks the return of one of not just one of Kobe’s best Christmas sneakers but one of Kobe’s best sneakers in general with the Kobe 6 Protro “Green Apple.” Inspired by the notoriously grumpy Grinch, seeing the Kobe 6 Protro after a disastrous year is sure to make anyone’s heart grow three sizes. RIP Kobe.
1. Ben and Jerry’s x Nike SB Dunk Low “Chunky Dunky”
In the Year of the Dunk, one pair reigned supreme, and they surprisingly aren’t the Supreme collab. You’d be surprised to hear that Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the Vermont-based duo known equally for their ice cream and their philanthropic and social justice efforts, brought their world famous Chunky Monkey ice cream carton to life with this syrupy-sweet yet serene collaboration. The calm pasture imagery and dripping swoosh are entrenched by faux cow fur, turning your favorite ice cream into a sweet treat for your feet.
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