This year has been packed with so many different sneaker collaborations and mind blowing designs. A lot of memorable events came from the year itself in the sneaker community. Rest in Peace Virgil Abloh, passing away late 2021; as some of his last designs released through Nike. Ye is no longer with powerhouse Adidas which means NO MORE yeezys. New Balance is diving even more into the Sneaker space with more and more exclusive drops. 2022 did not let up and neither did my pockets. This list is curated by me for our community. The shoes made their way to this list based on MY preference, liking and opinions. I put certain shoes on my list over others because I do believe it should be a diverse list. My sneaker collection is diverse and I think retros need to truly leave an impact if it’s going to be considered for a SOTY in 2022. With that being said, here’s my top 10 sneaker releases of this year.
1
Travis Scott x Air Max 1 ‘Baroque Brown’
Travis Scott is no stranger to making great stuff with Nike. This Air Max 1 is designed beautifully. Backwords swoosh is placed perfectly on the upper. Materials and details mesh well with each other. The colors represent the artist and the story very well. Cactus Jack branding not over the top but shown greatly in this piece. With a super soft mesh, premium nubucks and complimenting colors on the upper cause for a great sneaker.
This sneaker originally got packed in with another Air Max 1 (Saturn Gold) colorway, and two Nike Air Trainers. All a collaborative project done with the Nike Legend, Travis Scott. This sneaker remains the highest on the after-market out of the pack released. It was originally released on through a SNKRS shock drop at Minute Maid Park during Travis Scott’s fundraising event last year. The main drop was slated for later that year but was soon cancelled. In May; all four of the projects that were put on pause had resumed and released to the public. Even a friends and family version was made of this beautiful Air Max Model.
2
Zoom Kobe 6 Protro ‘Mambacita Sweet Sixteen’
The Mambacita Sweet 16 was a sneaker that was a tribute to Gianna Bryant to what would have been her sixteenth birthday. Protro’s were being retro’d the previous year but this is a new beautiful design for Gigi. This sneaker had an exclusive access pass for users who have missed out on Kobe’s on past releases. You can say it was the start of Nike trying to make sure the right consumers acquire the sneaker. I actually got exclusive access but the app was glitching and I was not able to secure my pair. I really wanted a pair when they first came out but prices have always been through the roof on the after market.
3
A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 4 Retro ‘Violet Ore’
This sneaker shook the internet as the collaborating brand usually does. A Ma Maniere does not miss! This time putting a spin on the Air Jordan 4 in a creative way. The ‘Violet Ore’ released in November for a retail price of $225. A lot of hype had accumulated around this sneaker but they surprisingly settled under $450 on the aftermarket. A Ma Maniere does a decent job at stopping bots and getting their sneakers in consumers hands. This sneaker has a lot of meaning within it and you can really tell the story being told is important.
This release included an online raffle through the website like usual. However, the brand gave an extra opportunity for consumers to make a video and speak up for something they believe in for a chance to purchase the sneakers. The pair also featured a drop on the SNKRS app as well.
4
Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG ‘Chicago Lost & Found’
Has been hyped upped all year long. It’s a Chicago Jordan 1 though so how could it not shake the sneaker world. This sneaker holds a great concept with the “Mom And Pop” shop inspiration. Sneaker was made to look aged to go with the story of the the shoe. Lost and Found a true meaning to what could of happened to a lot of early sneaker heads with this very silhouette.
This release was little rocky on the SNKRS app. It was crashing and a lot of people weren’t even able to enter themselves. A lot of different shoe stores did receive stock but there was an amount of retailer who received moldy or b grade pairs. Despite the hiccups and obstacles, there were about 500k pairs released to the public. A great number for such a coveted silhouette.
5
Concepts x Dunk Low SB ‘Orange Lobster’
Concepts is back with follow up to their smash hit collaboration the Lobster pack. Some of the most coveted Nike Sb’s of all time are in this pack and they go for over a thousand dollars on the after market. Concepts dropped a huge collection with these sneakers. Featuring 130 different pieces ranging from apparel to accessories. The Sneaker is special because it also pays homage to 20 years of Nike Sb. The special box pair features a Concepts Orange Lobster Bearbrick and special Lobster bands as a detail. Lobster pack is one of the best in the Nike Sb and this could be the best colorway to come out.
6
MSCHF x Tyga ‘Wavy Baby’
The Wavy Babys broke the internet and went crazy in 2022. MSCHF is always doing something to break the boundaries when it comes to fashion and streetwear. This sneaker looked like a classic low top old skool vans that a lot of people know and love. This pair looked so much like the original pair of vans that MSCHF was taking to Legal battle with the sneaker company about that sneaker similarities. They lost in court and they are not allowed to sell anymore pairs and were told to stop the production of any existing pairs. Pairs started delivering from the raffle a couple days after the announcement. Not listed on major sneaker reselling platforms.
7
Ishod Wair SB ‘Light Olive’
Ishod Wair is legendary skateboarder who had been teasing his first Nike pro model all last year. Wear testing many pairs and posting clips on Instagram is how people got to first see them. On January 7th, he released the first 4 colorways of this Pro Model shoe. This shoe blends streetwear fashion, classic skate structure and new technology in no way Nike has done before. I personally do own this pair and 5 other colorways of this model as well. Great for working out and skateboarding in.
8
Louis Vuitton x Off White x Nike Air Force 1
This pack that released by Virgil Abloh was one of the most legendary drops of all time. All colorways thought of and curated beautifully. The shoe released in a special raffle format and was worth more than two thousand dollars for a retail price! It’s hard to rank it high because every colorway seems unobtainable. The legacy that Virgil Abloh has left behind in the fashion space is very notable. I feel like this sneaker tied streetwear and luxury fashion in the most perfect blend possible.
9
Dunk Low SB ‘Sandy Bodecker’
The Ebay Dunk is specially designed Nike SB low that in a sense has been retro’d from the original auction from 2003. Ebay held an auction for this sneaker and price reached and sold for $30,00. This year, the Boedecker foundation is auctioning off 10 special box pairs. Nike is releasing this shoe to public in respect to Sandy Boedecker, as his picture is on the insole. Sandy Boedecker is the sole reason why Nike Sb is where it is today. He passed away due to cancer. This sneaker is a great tribute Nike SB and the Dunk Legacy. A creative release that can send a ripple effect of good intentions. We need more releases like this one.
10
Joe Freshgoods x 993 Made in USA ‘Performance Art
Joefreshgoods has been a powerhouse creative director in the sneaker space. Working with almost all major brands; but one of them sticks out in particular. New Balance gave a couple models to JFG, he’s remixed the 990 v3, 2002r, 992 and more. This year he cooked up a clean pastel pack for the 993. Which came in a rather quieter release; these releases are always done in a respectable fashion. Beautiful lookbooks are curated around his releases and the one pair with this one lived up to expectation. Each sneaker is selling for around or under $300 on the after market.
Actually just ordered the “Arctic Blue” Pair for the personal collection. Excited for my first New Balance 993. All three pairs of these great colorways and are great achieves to the JFG legacy.