The 50 Most Influential People in Sneakers Right Now

by Matt Halfhill (@MattHalfhill)

You would have thought that we learned our lesson the first time. Yeah, right. Seeing that we'd already tackled the most influential people in sneaker history (thank you, jeff staple), it was high time we focused on The 50 Most Influential People in Sneakers Right Now. And who better to turn the job over to than Matt Halfhill, founder, owner and boss of Nice Kicks, the most influential sneaker site on the web (and quite the shop as well)? Matt declined to include himself on his own list—which he certainly would have been entitled to do, not least because his entire working life has revolved around sneakers—but to see who he did include, just click on through.

Follow @ComplexSneakers

Who And Why: NikeTalk founder

NikeTalk just might be the most important online property in the history of sneakers and the internet. Though not the absolute first forum about sneakers or more specifically, Nike, I would go as far to say that probably everyone on this list has logged onto NikeTalk at least 10 times looking for organic reactions to products. This was and still is the place for unfiltered reactions to Nike products, the business of shoes, and the sneaker community. #NT

Who And Why: Designer, teacher

D was the Footwear Design Director at Brand Jordan when he hatched the concept of a footwear design competition for high schoolers. Future Sole gave thousands the chance to compete, but his latest project, Pensole, a footwear design school is preparing the most talented youth interested in footwear design the proper training to design tomorrow's sought after kicks.

Who And Why: Sneaker community organizer

Years and years ago, the first H-town Sneaker Summit was a small get-together of friends from Niketalk in a local sports bar. Today, the H-Town Sneaker Summit is the largest community-focused sneaker show, drawing over 6,000 attendees per show. You can thank Bryan Angelle for that.

Who And Why: Founders and performers, Obsessive Sneaker Disorder

Each and every week thousands tune in for this dynamic duo's live talk show about kicks. Obsessive Sneaker Disorder has been running for an impressive five years and has been downloaded more than one million times in iTunes. Tune in Wednesday nights to hear unfiltered and uncensored talk about sneakers.

Who And Why: Writer and editor

Sole Collector has evolved over the years like many publications, but while print titles were dropping like flies, Nick had the foresight and took the initiative to get Sole Collector published for the iPad. Known on a first name basis by pretty much every footwear designer and product line manager at Nike, Nick is often seeing the big news break long before any of it ever makes it to the public.

Who And Why: Retailer

This humble dude from a humble area of Detroit has been on a roll lately, including three collabs with New Balance, a phenomenal Reebok Question, and a host of other special projects that even include playing cards. You will see more from him and Burn Rubber in the near future.

Who And Why: Nike designer and remixer

Marc has been the go to guy in Beaverton for mashups, remixes, and hybrids of classic silhouettes. Turn a running shoe into a basketball sneaker? Yup, done that. Create a shoe for Lil Penny? Done that. Design a signature shoe for a line that has been dormant for more than a decade? Yes, he can do that too. High pricepoint releases from Nike Sportswear such as the 1/2 Cent, Zoom Rookie, and Penny V are all creations from this guy.

Who And Why: Under Armour CEO

When relative newcomer Under Armour chose to enter the Nike-dominated performance footwear market, they didn't do it quietly. As befitting the college football player he once was, CEO Kevin Plank took a smashmouth approach, going directly at the business's alpha dogs. So far, so good.

Who And Why: Hypebeast founder, blog pioneer

Hypebeast has been a term for years, but Kevin Ma dedicated a blog to what it may or may not mean. As the head of a leading site in the streetwear, fashion, and sneaker space, Kevin Ma sees millions tune in every month for the latest styles and designs of goods.

Who And Why: Writer, storyteller, historian

For more than 10 years at Crooked Tongues (along with many other outlets), Gary has been providing great insight to new products as well as storytelling of the historic rereleases—which he also delves into on his esoteric blog. Recognized face-to-face and known on a first name basis with execs at top level brands, Gary has more influence than his humble nature will allow him to admit.

Who And Why: Actor, musician, entrepreneur, founder and owner, CLOT

If we wanted to talk about influence and relevance to culture, it would take a few wiki pages just for Edison's entertainment work. But we're here to talk kicks. The Vancouver-born entertainer and entrepreneur is a co-founder of CLOT, and has cooked up head-turning footwear concepts for years.

Who And Why: Brand innovator

You might know him as an ALIFE OG, but his latest work involves bringing Supra to the next level following the plateau and slight decline the brand saw in 2010. With a new signature line for Weezy, things are definitely on the up for the brand.

Who And Why: Writer and editor

A sneaker writing OG. We grew up reading Russ's pieces in SLAM and the first mass-market American sneaker magazine, KICKS. Today he leads the charge on the sneaker channel at Complex a.k.a. the second most important sneaker outlet. ;-)

Who And Why: Designer and retailer

Frankmatic is that guy who seems to always have his hand in something at any given time in the sneaker world. Responsible for some of the most well received collabs in recent years, Frank has built up a strong following. After a number of years at Concepts, he has since gone solo and started up Boylston Trading Company along with Selkoe, continuing his legacy.

Who And Why: Retailer

New Jersey's Packer Shoes has been supplying New Jersey with footwear for over 100 years and has been selling Nike since, well, before they were Nike. Today, Mike Packer (at left) leads the very influential store with special projects and releases that have involved NBA greats including Larry Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and Patrick Ewing.

Who And Why: Founder and editor of Sneaker Freaker

Just starting a sneaker magazine was accomplishment enough—the fact that Simon "Woody" Wood has been able to turn Sneaker Freaker into a resounding success (from Australia, no less) speaks not only to the thirst and strength of the market, but to Woody's passion and drive. Earning the cover of Sneaker Freaker is as prestigious as it gets for a sneaker.

Who And Why: Secret agent men

Getting sneakers before the official release date has been going on for ages. Go to that shop you have a good relationship with or that dodgy spot with some extra cash and—bam!—you have the latest shoes a week or two before they drop. But what about getting them four months early? That, my friend, is going to cost you. $350 or so and you can have any shoe a few months out. What this has done is set the pre-release price at something much higher than the box price, taking the perceived value higher than the MSRP. You know that the folks at the big brands are annoyed by this market, but until factories are locked down to where B-grades can't be slipped out the back door, this business will exist.

Who And Why: Special ops

While at Converse, Ian brought a great amount of energy heading up special projects for the premium line as well as building Converse First String into a great brand within a brand. While at Converse, Ian worked up special projects with Damien Hirst, Missoni, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Comme des Garcons, Undefeated, Parra, and Clot to name a few. Now at Nike to lead footwear special projects for Nike Sportswear, one can only imagine the great things we will be seeing shortly.

Who And Why: NBA scoring leader

Since KD's first signature with Nike, personal touches and storytelling have been a part of his shoes, but with the KD IV, consumers were given the opportunity to get to see more personality through such releases as the Nerf and Weatherman editions. Kobe and LeBron have seen great success in their signature lines with Nike, but now the shoewall-trifecta is complete with KD for Nike Basketball.

Who And Why: Sneaker collector, web pioneer

A blogging OG, YM launched Freshness in 2003 followed by Sneaker News in 2007. When not keeping us at Nice Kicks on our toes more than any other blogger, Yu-Ming is darting across the country setting up the next Sneaker Con, for which he is one of the founders.

Who And Why: All-Star point guard

Times surely have changed. Used to be if you won MVP, the deals followed. Now the deals come first and expectations are sky-high right from the start. For former No. 1 pick Derrick Rose, expected to carry a family, a city and a brand, those expectations were higher than most. He may be rehabbing a torn ACL now, but at just 23 he's already won an NBA MVP, led his Bulls to the NBA's best record, and stood strong as adidas Basketball's most prominent endorser. So far, so good.

Who And Why: Designer

Taka's work with Vans has been so awesome and unique that he has built a following of consumers collecting his product. From new design concepts from the ground up to completely revamping existing heritage silhouettes, Taka Hayashi has been bringing great things to Vans Vault season after season.

Who And Why: Downtown kid, creative director for Stüssy and adidas Originals

For years, Paul Mittleman was the creative director at Stüssy and was a responsible party for some of the greatest Stüssy collabs between Nike and Vans. Today, he resides in Germany as the Global Design Director of adidas Originals.

Who And Why: DJ, sneaker connoisseur, designer

The most official unofficial ambassador of the Nike Air Force 1, but that would just be playing him short. Clark was an integral part of the Nike AF1 25th Anniversary, a helping hand in the 21 Mercer concept complete with the Bespoke lab, and designed countless shoes you do and don't already know about.

Who And Why: Streetwear godfather, stylist

The "H" in HTM along with Nike's Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker, Hiroshi Fujiwara is the king of understated design—perhaps why he's remained relevant for so long. Always a fan of simplicity, Hiroshi is often a part of the plan to introduce new silhouettes to the market with as clean of a look as possible.

Who And Why: Rapper, influencer

Two words. Eggplant Foamposites. Since that LRG ad in 2009, much attention has been placed on the shoes that Wale has on his feet. A strong relationship with important folks in Beaverton, and the lifetime benefit of being sample size makes Wale the first in line for just about every major release. Add his influence in music, his engagement to his fans (and haters) through Instagram and Twitter, you can do the math.

Who And Why: NBA champion, NBA All-Star, demanding athete

Kobe Bryant isn't exactly a young man anymore—those legs have logged a ton of NBA minutes—but while he may not be at the forefront of the NBA anymore, his footwear sure is. During his time with Nike he's worked with designers like Eric Avar and Tom Luedecke, pushing as hard as anyone for a minimalist, lower-cut basketball shoe straight from the soccer pitch. You're welcome.

Who And Why: Designer

In recent years, adidas has emerged with a definite story, pushing the boundaries of lightweight with their "adiZero" products and Derrick Rose's signature line. Robbie Fuller is one of their young, innovative designers that is keeping adidas strong and relevant in the global basketball market.

Who And Why: Brand builder

Why is Reebok back? Why is Swizz Beatz the creative director? Why does Reebok still have a great relationship with Allen Iverson and Dominique Wilkins? How did they land Rick Ross? Ask this guy. He gets it done.

Who And Why: The man behind The Man

Out of the gate, Jason Petrie (above, not LeBron) was changing the look, shape, and feel of the Nike LeBron line. Prior to Jason taking the lead, the LeBron line had many great shoes, but year to year, the shoes lacked a consistent look. With the Nike Air Max LeBron VII, that all changed. The LeBron started a new chapter under Petrie that has garnered more interest than any other signature basketball shoe including Jordan. (Nike, call me for the stats, we log this type of stuff.)

Who And Why: Influencing the influencer influencers

Gentry spent many years laying the foundation for what Jordan Brand is as we know it, but his current work with Nike Sportswear has turned things up big time for the line. Penny trending much lately? Talk to G about that.

Who And Why: Buyers and sellers

Hate it or love it, resellers have had a major impact on the game, especially as of late. When there is a dollar to be made, there is a hustler there to make it. When people are willing to spend more than retail plus tax for a shoe, resellers are there to fulfill the demand. On the positive side for heads, resellers make any exclusive attainable no matter what corner of the globe it releases or where you reside.

Who And Why: Designer, entrepreneur, collaborator

Six years ago, I met Ronnie Fieg at David Z on Broadway. He was the lead buyer, but had something special (to say the least) in the works. He gave me a first look at his upcoming Gel Lyte IIIs that were to release in the spring of 2007. Fast forward to 2012, no telling how many special projects later, Ronnie Fieg is killing it. Not just with great collabs on shoes, but with NY made clothing, family made jewelry, and two shops, both called Kith, in Manhattan and Brooklyn. With each release Ronnie stressed the importance of quality and to think outside the box from what gets thrown to the market. Coincidence that now more than ever sneaker boutiques have the most diverse shoe walls? I think not. Be on the look out for more great things that he has coming.

Who And Why: Influences the influencers

As the Global Director of Entertainment and Influencer Marketing at adidas, Jon Wexler (right) has been responsible for many of the celebs you see representing the brand officially and unofficially. Trust me when I say this, Wex will rank even higher on this list in about a year's time.

Who And Why: Nike product innovations

You might not have heard his name before, and that's ok, but his work is changing the shape of the sneaker industry—literally. All great brands have great products behind them, but behind every great product comes a new level of innovation in not just what the product does, but the way that it is produced. This is what Tony does.

Who And Why: Supreme NYC

Supreme represents the ultimate collision of culture: skate, hip-hop, streetwear, bikes, art, sneakers. James has shown the sneaker world that elephant print does belong on shoes other than Jordans—and it looks great. Nike SB and Vans have teamed up with them on nearly an annual basis to create their most sought-after pieces along with a host of other brands. Up next? Nike Sportswear. It WILL be interesting to see where this relationship goes.

Who And Why: UNDFTD, Union, designers and re-designers, L.A. style pushers

Just this month, Eddie Cruz (at right) and James Bond (second from left) celebrated the 10th anniversary of Undefeated. This shop/brand/idea force has brought the market many exciting releases since 2002 and has kept consumers and brands on their toes with anticipation of what is next to come. With a widely sought after and distributed brand and a network of five stores in the U.S. and chapters across the Pacific in Japan—not to mention distribution of their collabs in mainstream stores like Foot Locker—Undefeated is making its impression on the market globally. Can't think of too many sneaker spots doing that.

Who And Why: Reebok creative director, artist

As Creative Director at Reebok Classics, Swizz Beatz has made it his mission to bring back the legends of yesteryear and to tell the consumers the story behind the significance of the athletes and designers who created the shoes. Swizz isn't just overseeing the return of vaulted Reebok gems, but ensuring they are brought back with the context they deserve.

Who And Why: All-NBA first teamer, Lil Penny's big bro

Penny may never reach the halls of Naismith, but in the sneaker world, he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Today, Penny is more relevant than ever with the sneaker market and youth. He stays active in the promotion of his line and can hang his hat on being the only guy to have a signature shoe made for him more than a decade after the prior model dropped.

Who And Why: Skater, head designer at Vans

Overseeing design for Vans Classics, Cali, and Vault is something only a very select few could manage let alone lead from good to great. Today Vans is far more than just the original skateboarding shoe, but an icon for many different styles, and Warren is the driving force behind that change.

Who And Why: Designer, spectacle creator

Controversial as he may be, Jeremy is a trendsetter through and through. Can you think of anyone who has made sneakers as fun, enjoyable, and youthful as Jeremy has? From stuffed animals, to wings, to many playful textures and colorups, Jeremy's adidas Originals line is pushing sneakers in a totally different direction than anyone else.

Who And Why: Director, actor, Mars Blackmon

There are only a few celebs who can catch the attention of mainstream media for their shoes. Spike is one of them. Years of sneaker cameos in his films and his own line within a line at Jordan Brand shows the influence that comes with decades of hard work invested years ago.

Who And Why: Nike designer, innovator

Eric Avar was named Footwear Designer of the Decade (2000s) by NiceKicks.com for a number of reasons, but his greatest influence on sneakers at this moment is the way he's changed the appeal of performance basketball sneakers. In the summer of 2008 a renaissance in footwear design occurred: Nike introduced both Flywire and Lunar at the same time, the first time Nike had released two game-changing technologies concurrently that complemented one another in footwear design. Kobe jumping over an Aston Martin and taking home a "Redeem Team" Gold later, Avar again changed the way we looked at basketball shoes when he unveiled the Nike Zoom Kobe IV, debunking the myth that you couldn't play the highest level of basketball in low tops. Each subsequent year, the Nike Hyperdunk and Kobe line have been elevated to new heights, building their own legacies.

Who And Why: Runner, Nike founder

As co-founder and chairman of Nike, we could list everything he has done for the business of sports, but I think a Naismith Hall of Fame induction just proves to any and all doubters how much of an influence Phil Knight has had on the business.

Who And Why: Rapper, producer, designer, an actual real-life influencer

Yeezy jumped over the Jumpman? That's up for debate I suppose, just not in annual sales volume. What we do know is that his shoes have been searched for and talked about more than any other releases since the first Yeezys. Don't believe me? Google Analytics numbers don't lie.

Who And Why: NBA MVP, singular physical talent, the King

MVP. NBA Champ. Current top selling signature shoe model. What else needs to be said? The LeBron 9 was an overwhelming success, and the high-tech LeBron X is sure to follow, regardless of price point.

Who And Why: The greatest sneaker designer of all-time

Tinker is a man with a legacy that is better fit for a book (with a hard cover), than just an appearance on any old list, but even if you pretend that he didn't create some of the greatest shoes from 1987 onward, you can't ignore the role he plays today in sneakers. As head of the Innovation Kitchen at Nike, Tinker's creative mind influences some of Nike's best to think of new ideas and approaches to shoes. On top of all of this, Tinker is a very, very active player in today's sneaker world, making himself available for interviews and appearances at sneaker community events. One of the most humble guys in the business.

Who And Why: The greatest basketball player of all-time

The greatest of all-time is driving more kids to the malls to buy his shoes than ever before. All of that and he hasn't touched an NBA court as a player in almost a decade. MJ is turning 50 in February—how many 50-year-olds do you know influencing 16- to 35-year olds the way he is? Thought so.

Who And Why: Runner, designer, Nike CEO

Let's pretend that you don't already know who Mark Parker is for a moment. As CEO of the world's largest footwear and sportswear apparel company, he not only influences change in the business, he directs it. While consumers are focusing on the wonderful, groundbreaking product they have just purchased, he is planning the future of what footwear will be and the relationships that consumers can have with it.

Who And Why: The buying public

Now more than ever, consumers—yes you!—have more power than ever to influence and direct the products created. Every dollar spent (or not spent) on shoes is essentially a vote. With every purchase, consumers are voting for what they want to wear, what they want to see from brands in terms of corporate responsibility, and what they expect from a shoe. Beyond the power of voting through buying power, consumers have never had so much choice in terms of brands to choose from and the channels of distribution where they can purchase (mall stores, independent boutiques, online stores, eBay).