The 10 Most Iconic Sneaker Designs of All Time

Image via Complex Original

Originally Released: 2012

The most modern shoe on this list is the most important shoe for the future of footwear. Good design is sustainable. Not only in how it withstands life and its relevancy but also its footprint on the planet. Nike created a production process that is centered on the athlete, is purposeful, has integrity, is original, beautiful, spirited, well beyond expectations and is sustainable for the environment. I am confident that 30 years from now that we will look back on this shoe as the one that changed everything as we are still lacing them up and waiting in line to get the newest limited release of them.

Originally Released: 1985

The Air Jordan 1 was the birth of the modern day sneaker. Everything before that was important to it but none of them had progressed footwear in the way this single shoe would. It redefined what a basketball shoe was and proved that design can have an opinion. It showed the NBA and retailers that people wanted more expression. The Air Jordan 1 ushered in a new spirit to footwear and the shoe has never lost that spirit. Something about that shoe always says revolution. Maybe it's the mentality and bold take it represented or maybe it's simply just Michael Jordan. But whether its 1984 or 2013 that shoe speaks for itself and it says something new is coming and you need to get the hell out of the way.

Originally Released: 1995

Nike Air had been around for over a decade by 1995. We had seen iterations of it being completely internal, to be exposed through a small window in the heel, to be a full heel piece that wrapped around the back of the shoe. But never had we seen Nike Air be full length. Until the Air Max 95 that is, as it took what we visually knew to be as just a heel technology and stretched it out through our whole foot proving that you can now run completely on air. While the full-length air is the technology story, I think what makes this shoe so successful is its confidence in its look. I have heard stories that there were major fights that went on behind Nike's closed doors about the size and position of the Swoosh on that shoe. Up to that time the Swoosh had always been the dominant feature on almost every product. You had to always put the brand first. But someone had argued that the air was more important and that distinct look alone was enough to register with the consumer. That person obviously won out as the Swoosh became minute in a design that was overtly Nike. This shoe was also one of the first times to have color be one of the distinguishing focal points. You could argue that the 95 was more remembered for its use of electric green than even the full-length air. No matter what, all of these elements came together to create a shoe that was well beyond expectation.

Originally Released: 1988

The Air Jordan III is a hard shoe to describe for me because I don't consider it the most functional design, but in a way it is the most important basketball shoe ever created. Nike was in a bad spot in the mid 1980s. A lot of the shoes that had sold well had been overstocked because they were selling so well which led to them making too many shoes that didn't bring back nearly enough profit. On top of that their budding star, Michael Jordan was on the verge of signing with some German company. Then comes some architect that builds the perfect foundation for what would become the greatest sneaker product line ever. That architect went by the name of Tinker Hatfield and he had the mentality to create a highly stylized product around function. So in essence the shoe would exceed at performance but look like nothing else the world has ever seen. The Air Jordan III ushered in a complete revolution for what sneakers would become and still manages to look current 25 years later. What makes this shoe great is that there are so many reasons as to why it is important to so many people. For some, it's the nostalgia of MJ jumping from the free throw line and scoring the perfect 50 to give him his second consecutive slam dunk title. For others, it was one of the first shoes with a window to allow them to see the infamous Nike Air. For me, it's the first shoe to capture my imagination. To make me think, "you can do that to a shoe?! It doesn't just have to be white?" It is those feelings that make this shoe so iconic and allow it to live forever.

Originally Released: 1983

It is said that only one percent of businesses exceed 20 years of operation. Which is understandable when you think of how many people create and lose businesses every year. It is rare to find any business or product that is consistently confident in what they have created and is willing to keep progressing and evolving that product. Often times companies ditch the product before it has the time to take off but Nike has done the exact opposite with the entire line of the Nike Pegasus. They have had 30 different iterations over 30 years. By creating a product that doesn't lose its heritage but learns from it, it allows the Pegasus line to be an inevitable solution to the tech running market year after year and will continue to do so into the unforeseeable future.

Originally Released: 1965

I might be wrong, but I am pretty confident that the Stan Smith is the first athletic shoe to ever have an athletes face printed on it. Forget a Jumpman, this was the original athlete logo. What is beautiful about this shoe though is how pure it is. It serves its function by providing all the necessary elements to be a great tennis shoe but instead of overbranding the Three Stripes that are synonymous with adidas, the stripes were subtly executed with perforations on the lateral and medial side. Which had to have been a very tough decision for adidas, as this was one of the shoes that helped usher the brand into America. The shoe has gone on to sell more then 23 million pairs and is a staple in the adidas line. There is no question that it's a silhouette that will live forever for them.

Originally Released: 1988

Sneaker culture is huge. There are many different genres with subgenres that branch off of them of what people buy and collect. The 574 is the perfect example of how large the culture is. To me the 574 represents what New England is all about and what it offers to the world of footwear. It bridges American craftsmanship with performance. As much as the 574 has been successful in the lifestyle market, back in its initial release it was a dominant running shoe. It's one of the only sneakers that I actually think looks better with chinos than denim. It is the perfect prep shoe and with the right material plays and colorups it will always be the perfect prep shoe.

Originally Released: 1995

The Air Jordan XI seems to have the general consensus as being one of the most beautiful shoes to ever grace the court. It was a shoe that was beyond expectations. It was beautiful and useful. It was original. It was purposeful. Most importantly though, it was human centered or, to be specific, Michael Jordan centered. There isn't an element on that shoe that wasn't designed to help Michael Jordan excel at the game of basketball. The clear rubber provided better traction while the grooves allowed for articulation. The carbon fiber shank plate absorbed the extreme torsion that Michael was placing on the shoe while cutting. The midsole contained a full-length encapsulated air cushioning system and the shape of the midsole followed the contour of the foot. The patent leather, the most visual element on the shoe, was used for its stiffness to keep Michael from blowing out over the top of the midsole. The Cordura nylon fabric upper removed weight and added flexibility to the upper while still being durable. This shoe literally changed how basketball shoes were designed and 17 years later it still does.

Originally Released: 1982

To me the Air Force 1 is the shoe that created "sneaker culture." It wasn't the first sneaker but it was the first one to be the king. The Air Force 1 has stood the test of time for over 30 years and it is not going away anytime soon. It is one of the only shoes that Nike has managed to evolve with modern technologies that haven't changed the identity of the shoe. The foundation of the Air Force 1 was built on the basketball court, but its soul belongs to the streets. It is the definition of a culture and can't be denied as being a shoe that will still be here in 20 years and another 50 after that.

Originally Released: 1917

The Chuck Taylor is arguably the most important sneaker of all time. Without it performance footwear never exists. It was created out of a means of necessity for basketball players. The patch on the ankle that highlights the logo is not there simply for branding; it is there because that area was a point of high wear and instability. Players would rub ankles and cause the material to wear down so Chuck Taylor solved for the issue with the patch that bore his name. But what may be most important about this shoe is not its functionality but how it has come to be a representative of some many different cultures. From athletes, to rockers, to rappers, to moms and to youth the shoe can be found anywhere. It provides the most style for the best price and has been doing it for nearly 100 years.