The 20 Best Saucony Collaborations of All Time

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Sneaker: Extra Butter x Saucony "Space Race"
Year: 2014

The most recent of all collaborations on this list, Extra Butter's "Space Race" pack with Saucony is not yet complete. But its first two offerings— an "Aces" Grid 9000 and "Space Snack" Shadow Master—are a huge reason why Saucony has become a buzzword amongst 'heads as f late. The "Space Snack" dropped this week, and sold out in less than a minute. There's debate on whether the mostly orange "Aces" was better than the "Space Snack," but there's no doubting that these rank amongst some of Saucony's all-time best collaborative work to date. 

Sneaker: Offspring x Saucony Shadow 6000 "Running Since '96"
Year: 2014

Most—if not all—Saucony collaborations are for the fellas. Luckily, London's Offspring changed that unfortunate distinction. It worked on two pairs of the Shadow 6000 for the "Running Since '96" collab, and both pairs came in unisex sizing. They also met in the middle of the sneakers' colors: There were hits of pinks that women would feel comfortable in, and guys couldn't say to no. The collab also made sense, because Offspring's brick-and-mortar store is nearby Saucony's London pop-up shop. It's nice to have good neighbors. 

Sneaker: Pick Your Shoes x Bait x Saucony Shadow 6000 "Blue Apples"
Year: 2012

Eric Cheng is the owner of BAIT and Pick Your Shoes. Although BAIT has been in the spotlight lately for its "Cruel World" Saucony sneakers, Cheng's best work with the brand comes via a dual PYS x BAIT collab. Toying with the concept of "bait," the idea behind the Shadow 6000 was the world's O.G. bait: The apple that Eve gave to Adam. If you're not one for religious undertones, you were still blown away by the combination of blue and red suede on a white midsole. 

Sneaker: Solebox x Saucony Jazz
Year: 2008

The Jazz is Saucony's best-selling sneaker of all time, but it doesn't get as much shine through collaborations. Maybe that's because not as many stores know how to do it right. The Jazz has a thinner sole than the Shadow 5000s or 6000s, but Solebox had a plan for this retro runner. Giving a tan and brown suede--a combination not normally used on collaborations--to the runner that first released in 1984, Solebox continued to show that it gets how Sauconys work.

Sneaker: End Clothing x Saucony Shadow 5000 "Burger"
Year: 2014

Who doesn't love a good burger? England's End Clothing channeled the rise of the burger pop-up shop and draped the Saucony Shadow 5000 in suede that looked buttery enough to eat. This collaboration was met with a huge international response. The release crashed End's website, and the other stores that received pairs sold out almost instantly. Maybe it was the social media backing of collab--there was a burger contest on Instagram--or, more than likely, the sneaker was just that good. It was just End's second sneaker collaboration and its first with Saucony. Here's to hoping there are more projects coming in the future. 

Sneaker: West NYC x Saucony Shadow 5000 "Cabin Fever"
Year: 2013

The Saucony Shadow 5000 has a considerably rugged outsole, but not many collaborations have taken this feature so literal. For its "Cabin Fever" sneaker, West NYC took the Shadow 5000 and outfitted it for a trip to the woods--complete with a more outdoor-appropriate interpretation. The insole had a scene straight from your local state park, but the best detail on the "Cabin Fever" was its red-splattered midsole. To get in the mood for the collab, West NYC shot a geocaching video to coincide with the sneaker release. 'Heads from all over trekked to the shop's Upper East Side location, as there was a mob scene outside on release day. 

Sneaker: Solebox x Saucony Shadow 90
Year: 2010

Usually, a collaboration means a store or brand gets add color to a preexisting silhouette, but Saucony gave Solebox special access to rework and mash-up two of its most popular silhouettes. It took the Shadow 5000 sole and put it on the Shadow 6000 upper. When the shop mocked up the sneaker in black, orange, and white, it had something special on its hands.

Sneaker: Bodega x Saucony Elite Grid 9000
Year: 2011

The Grid 9000 is a lot different than the Shadow series. For starters, it has much more technical look to it, and takes on a different vibe than most retro runners. That can leave collaborators with the idea that the sneaker needs to given drastic styling. But Bodega slowed its roll, and took the sneakers back to basics. That's because they resurrected the silhouette. According to Bodega: "The Grid 9000 was the second model that Saucony let us bring back from the dead, and it is my favorite by far. A '90s-era runner with tons of technology and a neoprene liner, I don't know why this shoe ever got dropped, but I am very glad we got to bring it back."

Sneaker: Premier x Saucony Shadow 6000 "Life on Mars"
Year: 2014

Michigan's Premier hadn't worked with Saucony before it designed two pairs Shadow 6000s. With its speciality being vested in the skate scene, it was an interesting choice for the shop to work on a retro runner. But the result far exceeded expectations. Premier took the Shadow 6000 and brought it on a trip to the Red Planet with its "Life on Mars" pack. Available in all-red and red/grey, the collaboration used the simplicity of the Shadow 6000 to its benefit and didn't try to do too much. And the "Premier" logo on the tongue made everything come together.

Sneaker: Solebox x Saucony Shadow 5000 "Three Brothers"
Year: 2011

Just last year, Solebox worked with Saucony on the second "Three Brothers" pack. But if you dig back to 2011, the first installation of the "Three Brothers" saga is where the collection's gold's at. Like the more recent "Three Brothers" collection, the first series also uses bright tones. But whereas the second release has each sneaker with a different color palette, the original "Three Brothers" pack manipulates a combination of blue, grey, and black. The mastery of Solebox's collaboration expertise comes in handy, and the Berlin shop is able to connect a similar theme through three sneakers that makes each pair stand out. The sneakers range from a mostly black upper with just a hit of blue, to a mostly blue upper with just a touch of black. 

Sneaker: ALIFE Rivington Club x Saucony Shadow 6000
Year: 2008

Before other shops caught the Saucony collaboration bug, New York City's ALIFE made 'heads turn when it released a collection of three Shadow 6000s in 2008. At this time, Saucony collabs were rare, and ALIFE's next move was even more shocking: It colorblocked the silhouette to look like the Air Max 1— complete in white/red, white/blue, and white/green colorways. The concept of the sneakers came out so great that it was followed by a second round of the collaboration with darker hues. Amongst runner 'heads, there can be strong brand alliances. This collection, however, crossed lines and proved that a great colorway is a great colorway. 

Sneaker: White Mountaineering x Saucony Courageous
Year: 2012

High-fashion sneaker collaborations have picked up steam in the past few months thanks to adidas and Nike. In 2012, Saucony entered its ongoing partnership with White Mountaineering, a Japanese label with a #menswear following. WM's work with Saucony has been different than its other high-fashion counterparts. Instead of taking an extreme approach to sneaker design, WM keeps its sneakers true to Saucony's vision. When it worked on three pairs of the Courageous, the collab formed a crossroads that benefited both those searching for jawnz and die-hard runners addicts. The three pairs exhibited subtle colors and could easily be interchanged with any outfit. Sometimes, that's all you need. And the quality was definitely there. 

Sneaker: Sneaker Freaker x Saucony Grid 9000 "Bushwacker"
Year: 2012

For years, Sneaker Freaker has been the authority on all things runners and hard to cop. It also does grade-A collaborations when it finds the time between publishing a magazine and putting content on the web. SF's best-known work would be its Puma or New Balance collabs, but it has also worked with Saucony on a Grid 9000 that pays homage to its Australian roots—but only through coincidence. Called the "Bushwacker," the black, mint, and tan sneaker was designed to be a different take on camo print, but ended up being given its nickname after it was complete. This collab was part of SF's 10-year anniversary, and are slightly less rare than coming across a kangaroo in the States. 

Sneaker: Bodega x Saucony Shadow 6000 Elite and Jazz 91
Year: 2011

Buttery suede best describes this Bodega x Saucony collaboration. But according to Bodega: "We started mixing uppers and midsoles which allows us a lot more freedom in designing interesting models. The Jazz 91 is still one of my favorites."

Sneaker: Foot Patrol x Saucony Shadow 6000 "Only in Soho"
Year: 2013

If Foot Patrol's "Only in Soho" Saucony Shadow 6000 was about New York City, it might reference streetwear kids running around in tanktops and camping out for Supreme. But it's not. It's about London's "Soho" district, which is infamous for debauchery. It's also where Foot Patrol is located. To draw a connection with its shop and the area's seedy behavior, its collaborative sneaker with Saucony had a bright blue upper against a black backdrop, with 3M hits to round everything out. It represented the glowing neon lights that illuminate the pornography and sex seekers. If that doesn't get you randy, you're doing sneaker collecting wrong. 

Sneaker: Bodega x Saucony Shadow 5000 Elite
Year: 2010

Two-toned or all-red runners aren't a new idea. Just ask Bodega. Its best Saucony collab to date, three pairs of Shadow 5000 Elites, came out in 2010. It's hard to go wrong with a grey/turquoise, grey/blue, or all-red sneaker, and that's not even taking into consideration the materials. Add a white midsole and a gum outsole to the equation, and you've got a powerful runner. This pack showed that Bodega knew what it was doing with a Saucony silhouette, and it executed its concept from start to finish. Putting the Bodega logo on each tongue tag makes 'heads wish that jogger pants were the trend when these dropped—so they wouldn't have to worry about #ntdenim. Some things, like this collab, are just ahead of their time. 

Sneaker: Acht Amsterdam x Saucony Shadow 6000
Year: 2011

It's no shocker that Europe has a thing for runners, and that a European shop would have been part of the best Saucony collaboration of all time. It might, however, be a surprise which shop created one of the most-coveted Sauconys ever. Acht Amsterdam's "Invictus" Saucony Shadow 6000 was crazy limited, and that's an understatement. Only 150 pairs were made, and 10 of those were given to friends and family. The sneaker's color scheme kept things toned down, but it had a partly denim upper. The biggest kicker, on top of that, was the shoebox. When opened, it played "Tulpen Uit Amsterdam," a traditional Dutch song. It's that extra attention to detail that makes a collaboration worth investing in.