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Related: The Best Sneakers of 2017
The 25 Best Sneakers of 2010 (So Far)
It's the middle of the year, so Complex is looking back at The Best of 2010 (So Far) with a series of features that highlight our favorite stuff from the world of entertainment, fashion, art, and more.
Ask anyone about sneakers in 2009, and you get a rather wet napkin-y response: "Ehhhh. There were Kanye's releases and the Space Jams, and then a bunch of 'nice' sneakers that came out." The new year has been quite the opposite, with high-quality heat drops and good spacing between releases. From the debut of Converse First String to great Jordan VIs to the Air Max Attack Pack, the theme of 2010 has been more about good shoes than limited 50-pair releases. We took a close look at the blogs and a lot of the actual sneakers that were released BEFORE July 2010 to come up with the straight-up 25 that we can co-sign with authority. Check it out.
Converse First String Chuck Taylor
Release Month: February
• When you put Ian Ginoza on a shoe collabo, he kills it. When you give the man who started Kicks/HI and St. Alfred a whole division of your company to body, he goes in. Converse sneakers are always in style, but Ian's work with First String has made the brand hot beyond the standard black/white Chuck. 2010 is only the beginning for the resurgence of Converse.
Asics x Ronnie Fieg Gel Lyte III "Super Reds"
Release Month: May
• Some people work their way through industrial design school and then labor away as designers at the large sneaker brands, never seeing the top of the design food chain. If you're Ronnie Fieg, you take the role you have (buyer for David Z.) and leverage your contacts to get shop-exclusive collabos and turn yourself into an e-household name. Infrared works, always, as seen by this Asics' sell-out rate. One day.
Supra Skytop "Wino"
Release Month: May
• Just when you thought Skytops were over, the brand comes through with a materials/colorway combo like this and says, "What was that? Wait, what? I couldn't hear you? Yeah, that's right. Nothing."
Air Jordan I Retro KO Hi
Release Month: March
• The Jordan 1 always has been and forever will be a classic for sneakerheads. The KO canvas makeup turns it into a super summer shoe and gives another reason to go buy more of them. If you search hard enough, you can probably still get yourself a pair.
adidas Consortium Gazelle OG "Unforeseen"
Release Month: April
• If the tag in the back of your pants is 35" or higher, these probably aren't for you. Buuut if you are part of the skinny jean/track bike/"I call it football" set, you are probably kicking yourself for not getting these when they dropped. A perfectly executed color-blocking on a great O.G. sneaker.
Supra Skytop "St. Louis Rams"
Release Month: January
• Muska is one of the bawses over at Supra, which is why he's allowed to make his signature shoes look like this. Could you skate it? Sure. But why would you want to? The Rams colorway shows the potential of the silhouette: nothin' but good things.
Vans Versa
Release Month: May
• It's funny how things come full circle, isn't it. Common Projects takes Vans and makes them fancy and expensive. Pro skateboarder Alex Olson dates Chloe Sevigny, hangs out at Opening Ceremony, sees Common Projects, and tells the designers, "I want my shoe to look like this." Vans designers make Vans again. Better, again.
Nike SB - Stefan Janoski White Perf
Release Month: May
• Stefan Janoski's shoe hasn't seen a miss since it launched last year, and this white perf version took the silo into the stratosphere of casual summer skate kicks. That is all.
Air Jordan Spizike Black/Red
Release Month: February
• Every time we knock a hybrid, we just take out the Spizike. "See, see, see?!?" It can be done. Hybrids can be awesome. Give it that Jordan IV colorway, they'll be lining up.
Nike Foamposite "Copper"
Month Released: February
• In 2009, we saw some pretty cool colors of the Foamposite, and rumors were rampant about a copper Foams release. February saw it, and fans of the shoe went nutso. The copper Foam release was also our introduction to Franalations. Our world has not been the same since.
Nike x Fragment Air Footscape Motion
Release Month: May
• Nike tapped the can't-miss-cool-guy Hiroshi Fujiwara and his Fragment Design squad to turn this sneakerhead O.G. into a Flywire superstar. This Footscape also incorporated a new outsole inspired by the Nike Free to make looking cool that much more effortless. (We didn't know you could be more effortless, but apparently you can.)
Nike Air Max 1 Air Attack Pack "Football Blue"
Release Month: March
• Five different colorways of this special-edition Air Max 1 dropped, and the powder-blue colorway came as the Complex favorite. As dope as they are, the widely-released sneakers were severely slept-on and managed to even hit Nike outlets around the country. If you were one of the lucky ones, you scooped these up for $70.
Sperry Topsider x Band of Outsiders A/O Chukka
Release Month: June
• It's hard to stand out in the boat/deck shoe market nowadays, unless of course you collaborate with the fashion powerhouse Band of Outsiders to merk the preppy-boy world. Not only is this chukka awesome because it's a mid, but the upper was constructed using sweatshirt material. Yeah, like the kind you wear. Win.
Nike x F.C.R.B Rejuven8 Mid
Release Month: April
• Ugh, sick of the Japanese always doing it better? Sorrrrry. Nike Sportswear collaborated with Dr. Romanelli-by-way-of-Japan label F.C.R.B. for this stealthy offshoot model of the Rejuven8. If the sole was off-white, these probably would've cracked the top 10, but nonetheless that camo-ization makes for some sweaty fire.
Air Jordan XI Retro Silver Anniversary Edition
Release Month: May
• Jordan dropped a batch of all-white-everything retros for its "Silver Anniversary," with this XI being the standout. It's an XI, and it's crispy white. You either get it, or you don't.
Nike Air Max LeBron VII "All Star"
Release Month: February
• The NBA All-Star Game is good for three things: getting an STD, getting your chain snatched, and getting a chance to see all the sick new P.E.s. At this past year's show, Bron Bron's blue-raspberry bangers took top billing. The VII was already a favorite amongst the industry elite, and this colorway sealed King status. The fact that they actually released it makes it that much better.
Nike All Court Low "Birch"
Release Month: March
• Nike took direct shots at the Vans Authentic/Era paper when they brought out the All Court with A.P.C., and this spring/summer we've seen navy blue, pink, and neon colorways drop. The cleanest and most-wearable out of the bunch was the Birch, and we're still feeling it. Expect to see the silo as a GR mainstay next year.
Vans x Supreme Era
Release Month: May
• Supreme x Vans is never a letdown, and to kick off this summer the two brands cranked the summer staple Era with acid-wash denim. Awesomeness. Duh.
Nike Air Max 2010 Air Attack Pack "Volt"
Release Month: May
• Holy hell. If you thought the Air Max Attack Pack couldn't get better, or that Nikes couldn't get brighter than the "Tennis Ball" Hypermaxs...you were wrong. Nike gave a big "fuck you" to the toned-down sneaker trend with this Volt colorway of the Air Max 2010. If you were looking for guaranteed neck-breakers, these were them.
adidas Consortium x DQM Rod Laver
Release Month: March
• It's tough to make a classic better, but getting the heads at DQM to color sneakers is the equivalent to using Game Genie on an 8-bit Nintendo. The store pumped out three different colorways (including green and lemon), and the navy/white receives top billing.
Nike Air Max 24-7 "Neon"
Release Month: May
• Sneakerheads have had a love/hate relationship with "fusions" and "hybrids," but we dare you to find someone who doesn't acknowledge the crack-ness of the 24-7 "Neon." A take-off of the classic Air Max 95 colorway combined with the ultra-comfortable Air Max 2009 sole brought the two classic models together and makes for one of the best running shoe mash-ups of all time.
Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1
Release Date: March 13
• Reputable sneaker blogs dubbed these "one of the hottest '87s ever" and to be honest we find that nomenclature a bit pretentious for the Internet. Whatever you want to call them, there is no disagreement that these are the Air Max 1s of the year. Parra and Patta know how to color sneakers and the burgundy suede is extra crispy on these 1s. Tinker has to be proud. Score another W for the Dutch.
Nike SB Dunk High "Thai Temple"
Release Month: June
• We knew Koston was going to do a lot for Nike SB when the brand announced his deal, but fucking gold highs? Amazing. Koston was born in Bangkok and used inspiration from the gold color scheme found in the temples of Thailand on this Dunk High. Hello Nike SB fans, it's Eric.
Converse x Number (N)ine One Star
Release Month: March
• Number (N)ine closed its doors a few seasons back, but Converse kept this little design gem in its coffers for the perfect moment to reintroduce the world to one of the coolest fashion lines ever. Don't know what Number (N)ine is/was? Don't worry about it. Just know that Converse rocks your world.
Air Jordan VI Retro "Infrared"
Release Date: June
• To the untrained eye, Varsity Red and Infrared are very similar. To the knowledgable sneakerhead, the slight variation between the two colorways makes all the difference. Jordan Brand dropped VIs in both Black/Varsity Red and White/Varsity Red before they dropped this pack, and the rumors abound about why. MJ actually wore Infrared, and that's why this pack is the grail. One of the few $310 packages that people had no problem parting with the paper for.
