The 25 Best Artist Collaboration Sneakers of the Past Decade

Sneaker collaborations have become tremendously popular over the past decade. What was once reserved for a handful of well known artists and boutiques, has become a sea of creations from creative types from around the world. Simply put, there is a ton of artists using sneakers as a canvas for their creativity and a means to share their abilities with the world. Looking back at the last ten years to find the best artist collaborations, we took a couple of things into account. The first is obviously the creative element, while the second consideration is how well the design conceptually aligns with the design of the sneaker. Also noteworthy, it may be hard to believe that collabs like the Stash x Air Force 1, fall just outside of the last decade, and others like the Zaha Hadid for Lacoste collection, may have been completely overlooked when they initially released. With that said, check out The 25 Best Artist Collaborations Sneakers of the Past Decade.

Released: 2005

In 2005, Reebok gave NYC based artist Kenzo Minami the chance to design his own version of the Insta Pump Fury. Limited to just 500 pairs and presented as a part of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign, the design was described by Kenzo himself as "schizophrenia with precisely organized structure and self-contained tailor made logic," which couldn't describe the design any better.

Released: 2007

It doesn't get much bigger for a sneaker customizer than having the opportunity to work directly with a brand on a collaboration. In 2007, SBTG was called upon by Nike SB to create a limited edition version of the Dunk Low. Sabotage created a production run variation of the timeless sneaker that had the feel of a true one-off customization, which is what makes the Singapore based designer one of the most respected customizers in the world.

Released: 2006

Graffiti artist Stash may be better known for his Air Force 1 makeups but in 2006 when he worked a colorway of the Air Max 95, it quickly became a must-have amongst sneakerheads. The simple combination of Harbor Blue, Varsity Royal and Midnight Navy and waterproof materials, to many is the perfect winter-ready version of the Air Max 95.

Released: 2006

Before Jeremy Scott had begun his Originals by Originals collections that we're all familiar with, he created one of the most tasteful tributes ever to honor artist Keith Haring. Haring's work has inpired many and to see another creative mind like Jeremy Scott take the opportunity to acknowledge Haring's influence is a very powerful statement. Tip of the cap to Jeremy Scott for this one.

Released: 2003

Surfer and artist, Chris Lundy, turned to his favorite element for inspiration on this variation of the Nike Dunk Low. The ocean waves were transfered from underneath Chris' surfboard to the laser etching on this clean pallete of the Nike Dunk. The result was as nearly impressive as the ocean itself.

Released: 2006

Before the Barry McGee designed adidas collaboration with HUF even released, they were surrounded by controversy. The portayal of Ray Fong, a charachter created by McGee, which happens to be inspired by a photo of McGee as a child, was deemed racist by a number of people. The name Ray Fong was a tribute to Barry's uncle who had passed away. Clearly McGee's intentions were not racially based but as with any great art, it ruffles feathers, and this adidas creation will not go forgotten.

Released: 2004

Futura 2000 made a name for himself in street art and transitioned into working with major brands to take his creations mainstream. In 2004 he teamed up with Nike Skateboarding to create the "For Love or Money" Dunk High. Futura used the imagery of currency from around the world to create one of the most memorable Dunks of all time.

Released: 2009

Rolland Berry's creative inspiration was lent to a number of silhouettes from the Reebok line in 2009. The Graphlite model was one of the chosen palettes for Berry's pop culture overtaking of the Pump trainer. The monochrome makeup has a distinctive Rolland Berry element that can't be mistaken.

Released: 2008

The Nike Air Force 1 is often chosen as a blank canvas for collaborations and Krink's paint drip style was applied to the classic sneaker perfectly. The silver drip pattern covers the fully 3M base layer of this unique AF1. A gum outsole was then added to give the design all the right elements to make it street worthy.

Released: 2007

Ruslan Karablin, better known to most of the world as SSUR, brings his Russian roots and New York City residence for this 2007 collab with DC Shoes. The blue graphics strewn across the white upper come from a centuries old manufacturer of ceramics in SSUR's homeland. While the outsole designs feature elements inpiried by his past, a ship, a nod to the port town he comes from, and a ferris wheel, a nod to Coney Island, a fixture in the place he now calls home.

Released: 2005

Pushead's hardcore punk and heavy metal background can be seen in the gorified design of his 2005 collaboration with Nike SB. The red hues tying to the "blood ang guts" type of creations that are so commonly known to be a part of Pushead's work.

Released: 2007

John Maeda's artwork is one of the more unique approaches to ever hit sneakers. Maeda takes his love for numbers, mathmatics specifically, and creates pieces like the Reebok "Timetanium" from 2007. The silhouette is the classic Reebok Ventilator that resides underneath a mix of clear overlays, and meticulously placed mathmatical inspirations. Appropriate for the MIT professor who also has graphic designer, computer scientist and mathematician on his resume.

Released: 2007

The Simpsons VANS collection featured a great range of talents-Geoff McFettridge, Mister Cartoon, NECKFACE, STASH, Tony Munoz, and more. KAWS, through bored-in-class style drawings on lined paper, turns the chukka into the most dynamic of the bunch. He gives the characters trademark x'd out eyes and the final product has a real street art feel which ultimately separates it from the typical toss-a-graphic-on-the-side-panel approach that many other kicks in the series suffer from.

Released: 2006

Consumed in conjunction with the full packaging, Michael Lau's collaboration with Nike on the Dunk SB Woodgrain boggles the mind. It's sort of like tromp l'oeil, appearing as if literally carved from a felled tree. There's real beauty in the conception of this idea.

Released: 2008

McNett-who gained notoriety with graphics for Anti Hero-crushes sneaker collaborations. While the simple move would be applying graphics via screen print, McNett's work with Vans pushes his signature woodcut animals and skulls to near 3D form. Note the stitching, note the DIY aesthetic to the application, this allows the art to pop-off and demands attention.

Released: 2011

Zaha Hadid isn't award-winning for nothing. The same inventiveness this London-based architect brings to building, she brings to shoes. Originated as a digitized interpretation of Lacoste's iconic crocodile, this shoe debuted at London's Frieze Art Fair and aim to "expand and contract to negotiate and adapt to the body ergonomically." Layman's terms: Functional art meets footwear.

Released: 2010

Subtle Parra graphics and a tour-de-force of texture make this one of the finest AM1s of all time. It was COMPLEX's favorite shoe of 2010. It bucks trend of artist collaborations by truly minimizing the artist's signature-no birds or busty broad line drawings here-and allows new materials to force us to rethink the power of the original design.

Released: 2005

L.A.-style on an East Coast favorite. Mister Cartoon gives the Uptown a cholo twist on this one and turns lasering into the perfect tool for filling in otherwise dull sneaker panels. A perfect merger of personal artistic style and reverence for the chosen sneaker silhouette.

Released: 2008

The ubiquity of KAWS-face it, he's all over all sorts of shit-often obscures his genius. Stripped of pop culture artifice, this AM90 Current (then a brand-spanking-new model) succeeds in celebrating a variety of material in monochromatic glory (connecting to some of the artist's finest pantings) and allow the trademark Original Fake "XX" to really pop. These are a true classic.

Released: 2008

In artist collaborations, simplicity goes a long, long way. Here, a perfect color scheme gets a neat little accent in form of a tremendous black and gray rose. Betts, known primarily for his handstyle and typography, draws from his expertise tattooing the body to ink the flowers on the absolute correct portion of the underrated Ciero Mid.

Released: 2007

In 2007, Vans teamed up with Robert Williams, who had made a name for himself as an underground underground cartoonist. Williams' creations take inspiration from the California hot rod lifestyle, film noir and carry a certain level of psychedelic feel. Williams, not the typical type of artist that brands collaborate with, made such memorable creations with Vans Vault, he returned a few years later for a second series.

Released: 2010

Say what you will about Hirst-he is a douche-but this 2010 collaboration with Converse marking his Other Criteria Publish House's exhibition at colette is a winner. The Butterfly print is based on the artist's "All You Need is Love," which was sold in 2007 in benefit of the same (PRODUCT)RED cause as the shoe. It is quintessential Hirst, and (big positive) the only art of his acceptable to kick about in anger.

Released: 2007

Rather than fall for graffiti cliche, the IRAK crew do it proper: Let the colors pop and get up on the most visible portion of the whole thing. Dating them-there was a 2007 and a 2008 version of the EQT Support Running-was a strong individual twist on the adidas Remix project.

Released: 2003

Remember when Vandals were all the rage? Of course not, the hype only lasted 2 months. However, Geoff McFetridge's game-changing tear-away first layer was pioneering and brought much needed fun to the artist collaborative landscape. For introducing surprise, McFetridge lands here at number two.

Released: 2004

Most "collaborations" do little more than apply selected colors and some graphic flourish to preexisting silhouettes. Mr. Stephen Powers (aka ESPO) took things a step further, making the first clear sneaker-sparking a very odd, thankfully short-lived craze-and proved that art collaborations could yield true art objects. Signature typographic messages offer a bit of humor and an not-so-subtle reminder of just who it was that made you suddenly want Air Force IIs for the first time ever.