25 Sneakers That Influenced Other Sneakers

Influenced By: Vans Chukka

Greedy Genius dropped their version of the Chukka, a popular style that has been around for ages. The only thing about Greedy's version, is that it was damn near the exact same thing as the Vans Chukka. Maybe that's why their not around anymore?

Influenced By: Air Jordan I

The Air Jordan I was a game changer all the way down to the colorway. Pony took note and dropped the City Wings. Aside from the elements that could be seen from the Air Force 1, everyone knew exactly where the idea for the City Wings came from.

Influenced By: Nike Air Mag

The Nike Hyperdunk was groundbreaking and became one of the most popular sneakers on the basketball court. However, a lot of 'heads may have been so impressed with its performance that they overlooked the fact that Nike emulated the Nike Air Mag's design with the Hyperdunk. Then they threw the Air Mag colorway and 2015 tag on the tongue to make it even more apparent.

Influenced By: Nike Air Trainer

Savier may be one of those brands we'd like to see return but many of their silhouettes were nowhere near revolutionary. The Savier Trainer was essentially a Nike Air Trainer 1 aithout the Swoosh or John McEnroe affiliation.

Influenced By: Nike Bruin

The Bruin may have been intended for basketball initially but it was adopted by Nike as a skateboarding silhouette in recent years. Lakai also adopted the style of the Nike Bruin when they created the Manchester silhouette. When you see a similar colorway, the influence is very apparent.

Influenced By: Clarks Desert Boot

Clarks has been around for a lot longer than most brands, so it isn't really surprising to see them influencing younger company's designs. The Desert Boot is a timeless style (one that likely was around even before Clarks) so to have someone like ALIFE take the silhouette and flip it into their own, gives a classic style to a new generation of sneakerheads.

Influenced By: Nike Air Force 1

The Greedy Genius Phantom stepped up the influencee game by taking two different classic silhouettes and combining them into one sneaker. The Phantom featured the midsole design of the Air Force 1 along with elements from Nike Training and the Alpha Force that was made famous by Charles Barkley.

Influenced By: Prada Americas Cup

A pair of Prada Americas Cup will set you back a significant amount of cash, so when Fila unveiled the Helmsman a few years ago, the penny pinchers stocked up. The Fila Helmsman is clearly influenced by the Prada Americas Cup, right down to colorways. Fila mixed it up slightly by removing some of the straps, adding laces and coming in at a price point that more people could afford.

Influenced By: Nike Air Force 1

You can't really blame anyone for imitating the Nike Air Force 1. It's one of the most iconic sneakers in history, which makes it an easy choice to follow in terms of style cues. Ari Menthols took the Air Force 1 style and added a bit of, well, menthol inspiration. These have become somewhat legedary in their own right, considering the only place you are likely to ever see them is on the Internet.

Influenced By: Air Jordan IX

It's no secret that Sal Barbier is a big fan of Michael Jordan, so when éS Skateboarding dropped the éS SLB Mid, the influence of one the classic Air Jordan models was fitting. éS took the typical simple skate shoe design and then added stitching detail inspired by the Air Jordan IX and it made for a unique look.

Influenced By: Clarks Wallabees

iPath dropped their Cats silhouette a few years back but the style looked all to familiar. The Clarks Wallabees have been around for years and plenty of brands have used the popular model for inspiration. The iPath Cat just received a different midsole and outsole design, setting it apart, ever so slightly.

Influenced By: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star

The Converse Chuck Taylor is hands down a classic. Not that The Hundreds is the first to take influence from Chucks, but their Valenzuela silhouette definitely took style cues from the West Coast staple, which is fitting considering The Hundreds' Los Angeles roots.

Influenced By: Tom's Shoes

Tom's took a unique approach to marketing their sneakers by offering to donate a pair of shoes to the needy for every pair purchased. The simple style may be an easy one to duplicate but Skechers must have thought the marketing aspect was genius as well. Skechers launched their BOBS sneakers and offered to to use the one-for-one approach as well. They even got a little help from the beautiful Brooke Burke, move over Sally Struthers.

Influenced By: Nike Dunk High

One of the most popular models in the ALIFE footwear lineup is the Everybody. This should come as no surpise after taking a look at some of the design elements and realizing that the Everybody is essentially a Nike Dunk High without the Swoosh branding.

Influenced By: Air Jordan V

A few years back, luxury brand Bally of Switzerland created the Rener silhouette. It's not hard to tell that the mesh side panel was clearly influenced by the Air Jordan V. Especially considering that even the shape of the mesh design was almost identical to the V.

Influenced By: New Balance 574

Louis Vuitton got a little too "influenced by the New Balance 574 when they dropped the Minstrel in 2009. In fact, New Balance took them to court to put an end to the Minstrel.

Influenced By: Nike Air Force 1

A Bathing Ape, aka Bape, created the Bapesta years after the iconic Nike Air Force 1 had become a staple in the sneaker game. The extremely limited editions from Bape quickly became one of the most sought-after sneakers of the early '00s despite having so much in common with the Air Force 1s they were influenced by.

Influenced By: Air Jordans

Gourmet basically took the inspiration for a number of Air Jordan silhouettes for their catalog during their early days. By taking out all of the technology and details from the upper, they were able to create a very mature style that found a niche for the Jordan 'heads that were getting older.

Influenced By: Reebok The Pump

Reebok's Pump technology had everyone in the game trying to figure out how to keep up. Take your pick of the timeless Reebok Pump basketball silhouettes and you can see the "inspiration" that LA Gear found to creat their Regulator system.

Influenced By: Supra Skytop

Levi's has a number of collabs with prominent sneaker brands, including Nike SB and Jordan. In 2009, they decided to make an entry level sneaker that had strikingly similar details to the Supra Skytop. Not a bad idea, considering the Skytop was one of the most popular silhouettes of 2008. The Levi's joints were priced at $65, almost half of what the Skytop retailed for. These ones didn't stick around long, though, and Levi's is back to collaborating.

Influenced By: S Koston

éS Skateboarding laced now-legendary skateboarder, Eric Koston, with his very first signature sneaker. The éS Koston released in 1997 and when Koston left éS for Lakai, they paid homage to his first pro model with a remake of sorts. Koston's short stay as a skater for Lakai proved that they're are some people that care about the history of skatebaording, and that not all "influenced" designs are a bad thing.

Influenced By: Gucci

Jay-Z was already used to sporting the high end Gucci sneakers when he signed an endorsement deal with Reebok. Hov basically had Reebok make him Gucci sneakers with the RBK logo instead. Needless to say, the 'hood rejoiced.

Influenced By: Air Jordan IV

LA Gear dropped the MVP not long after the Air Jordan IV launched in 1989. Thankfully, the retro versions of the Jordans outlasted the LA Gear comeback.

Influenced By: Nike Air Tech Challenge II

Andre Aggasi had everyone on his jock back in the day. It's a good possibility the guys at Jordache who designed the Street Legend were rocking the mullet and Canon Rebel camera, because clearly they were checking Andre's Air Tech Challenge II before they made these. Check that "splatter" paint job for evidence.

Influenced By: Air Jordan IV

Not gonna lie, the Cruizer is a dope silhouette. Supra pretty much created the ultimate "traditional" skate shoe but added all the iconic details of the Air Jordan IV. On top of that, they hit the Cruizer with a number of classic Jordan colorways. If you're gonna be influenced, you may as well honor the legend.