The Most Hyped Sneakers of the Decade

The most hyped sneakers that defined the 2010-2019 decade, including Red Octobers, Yeezy Boosts, and Nike Mags.

end of decade hype sneaker lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

end of decade hype sneaker lead

In 2019, sneaker hype is nothing new. Nearly every weekend has a sneaker release that causes people to rev up their bots, resellers to wait in online queues, and shops to implement raffles. This has grown over time. The 2000s saw a few shoes that helped build this reselling and hype economy, mainly Nike SBs and the first Air Yeezy. But it really grabbed its foothold in the 2010s. Brands got hip to the hype and have it down to a science. 

A lot of sneaker hype is calculated by the aftermarket price on a shoe. And that’s an easy way to look at things. But what about the anticipation that leads up to a sneaker, with blogs posting and would-be customers foaming at the mouth? So we looked into which sneakers had people going crazy before their drop, looking for every bit of release date info, and ultimately had a huge release. We broke down the 10 sneakers that caused the most build-up prior to their release. 

10. Air Jordan XI "Concord"

Air Jordan XI End of Decade

9. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 "Turtledove"

Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 "Turtledove" End of Decade

8. Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 1/97

Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Max 1/97 End of Decade

7. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1

Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 End of Decade

6. Off-White x Air Jordan 1 "Chicago"

Off White x Air Jordan 1 End of Decade

5. Nike LeBron 8 "South Beach"

Nike LeBron 8 "South Beach" End of Decade

4. Nike Air Foamposite One "Galaxy"

Nike Air Foamposite One "Galaxy" Best of Decade

3. Nike Mag

Nike Mag Best of Decade

2. Adidas Yeezy Boost 750

Adidas Yeezy Boost 750

1. Nike Air Yeezy 2 "Red October"

NIke Air Yeezy 2 "Red October" End of Decade