As 2009 comes to a close, Complex will be releasing a series of lists recapping the year's best, from albums to girls. To kick things off, we put together a celebrity panel of sneaker heads to help us determine the best kicks of 2009. We recruited Matt Halfhill (Nicekicks.com), DJ Clark Kent (God's favorite DJ and sneaker connoisseur), Mayor (AF1 king), Chris Vidal (ALIFE manager), and Wil Whitney (Founder of Nom de Guerre and Nike 21 Mercer Head Coach), along with Complex sneaker experts Bradley Carbone and Joe La Puma. Nothing's getting by this team.
Before we drop the panel's official top 10, we asked each of our trusted contributors to tell you about their personal favorites. Today we're taking a look at 21 Mercer Head Coach Wil Whitney's Top 10 Sneakers of 2009...
#10: Nike Air Force 1 "Jones Beach"
WIL SAYS: "LONG ISLAND STAND UP!!!! How 'bout that map on the bottom son!!! I can see my crib!!!"
CLICK HERE TO SEE WIL'S #9 SNEAKER!
#9: Nike x Uniform Experiment SFB Chukka
WIL SAYS: "Boot? Yes, but one you can run in and jump in, constructed of Nike innovative materials."
CLICK HERE TO SEE WIL'S #8 SNEAKER!
#8: Air Jordan 6 Doernbecher
WIL SAYS: "Great cause, excellent shoe."
CLICK NEXT TO SEE WIL'S #7 SNEAKER!
#7: Nike Air Max 1 OG Colorway White/Red
WIL SAYS: "O Geeeeeeee. Nuff said."
CLICK NEXT TO SEE WIL'S #6 SNEAKER!
#6: Patta X Converse X Le Le Anniversary Collaboration Chuck Taylor
WIL SAYS: "Super creative design on the Chuck Taylor... . Not just your everyday Chuck color up."
CLICK NEXT TO SEE WIL'S #5 SNEAKER!
#5: Nike Air Max 95 "Try On"
WIL SAYS: "Subtle, monochromatic, along with original AM95 material make this a great limited shoe."
CLICK WIL'S #4 SNEAKER!
#4: Bruin SB Supreme White Suede/Red Swoosh
WIL SAYS: "The Bruin coming back into the sneaker world has been long awaited and such a great example from Supreme."
CLICK NEXT TO SEE WIL'S #3 SNEAKER!
#3: Nike x Patta Air Max 1 Tier Zero Grand Purple
WIL SAYS: "The Patta AM1 collection as a whole was a thing of beauty with the Grand Purps being my personal favorite."
CLICK NEXT TO SEE WIL'S #2 SNEAKER!
#2: Nike Air Max 1 Dizzee Rascal
WIL SAYS: "Definitely the best AM90 to drop this year with its premium materials. A definite looker... ."
CLICK NEXT TO SEE WIL'S #1 SNEAKER!
#1: Nike x CLOT Air Force 1
WIL SAYS: "This to me is a perfect example of a beautiful shoe paired with excellent packaging. This collab also lets the lucky owner show their own creativity in the way they customize their individual pair of CLOT AF1s."
RELATED:
• Matt Halfhill of NiceKicks.com's Top 10 Sneakers of 2009
• DJ Clark Kent's Top 10 Sneakers of 2009
• Mayor's Top 10 Sneakers of 2009
• Chris Vidal's Top 10 Sneakers of 2009
• Complex's Top 100 Sneakers Of The Decade!
