Frank The Butcher's Top 25 Sneakers Of All-Time

Frank says: "A childhood shoethat meant the world to me. I believe I was in 5th grade when they dropped and I remember lacing them and hitting the block proud. My dad had me on weekends and bought them for me on some divorce pity shit. I was the talk of the town (or 4 block radius)!"

Frank says: "Arguably the first official sneaker of hip-hop culture. You can’t be a Puerto Rican my age and have never danced with Suedes on. #RicanShit"

Frank says: "Look mom, no laces. Sophomore in high school rocking a Columbia jacket to match & pumping Gangstarr’s ‘Hard To Earn’ album. “Aight chill”."

Frank says: "Another shoe I never climbed a mountain in. Rugged sole and fly colors. Just add a North Face."

Frank says: "No matter how much age refines my taste, I will always have a place in my heart, and closet, for the royal blue Foamposite. Dropped the year my daughter was born and it was one of the most unique shoe designs to date. Nothing looks better with a pair of sweatpants."

Frank says: "Duh. Couldn’t avoid it."

Frank says: "I would never wear a silver sneaker… until these dropped! They were dope because they looked nothing like the previous Air Max. Another shoe I wore with camo pants. Ain’t they all though??"

Frank says: "This shoe is as important as the Air Force I to me. Rich with heritage but the message was lost over time. They were pricey in the '80s so if you were rocking them you had paper — or were from Boston!"

Frank says: Ultimate drug dealer get up. As a kid I was in awe of the Fila velour and original fitness uniform worn by the older gods. Might as well been Gucci at the time."

Frank says: "I swear these shoes and mountain bikes got hot in the hood around the same time. A sneaker feel and color but built for a winter night of aerosol adventures."

Frank says: "This shoe, when done right, is a perfect 10."

Frank says: "The one that started it all. This was one of the sneakers I would draw as a kid. I would sketch this joint with a super-exaggerated air bubble and would be in awe when older kids had them on. Fly as hell."

Frank says: "I don’t like the AM90 in any other colorway. I tried. Colabs and all — nothing compares. The way the colors are arranged it give the shoe a certain look and feel. Color is a major factor in this decision."

Frank says: "When they dropped I was in middle school and thought they were the most futuristic shoes ever. The holes in the rubber tongue, the lace toggle and the translucent section of the outsole were enough to have me obsessed and solidify my passion for Air Jordans."

Frank says: "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit. Sneaker lover and hip hop head = wearing shells. I always loved the OG white version with black stripes and gold print. If Run-DMC received points off the sales of this shoe, Run’s house would be… I guess it would look the same because he’s pretty paid as is! Definition of classic."

Frank says: "My tastes had to mature a bit to appreciate the simplicity of this shoe. I didn’t grow up wearing them because I pretended I wasn’t broke by buying expensive shoes. Plus the stories of my grandma taking my dad to a surplus spot as a kid to dig through bins searching for the least irregular pair didn’t help. Today it’s something I wear on the regular. Late bloomer SMH."

Frank says: "This is the first pair of Air Jordan’s I seen in person. Someone in my neighborhood had them. We would all crowd around him and talk about Michael Jordan. Oh yeah, I’m talking first go round in 1987, not retro release. I have a thing for how these look with shorts. MEAN."

Frank says: "Don’t tell me they don’t count, son! Fuck that. I wear them like sneakers! #Timbs"

Frank says: "The New Balance factory in Flimby, England has been turning out “Union Jack” branding hits for 20-plus years. They were well made, in most cases hard to get in the U.S. and you looked like an intelligent “sneakerhead” wearing them. Glasses not included."

Frank says: "Reflective odd shaped tongue? Sign me up! The greatest thing about seeing the early J’s evolve was having no idea what was next. Every shoe looked different enough from the one before to be unique but always felt like Jordan. It didn’t hurt that you would see the man himself perform miracles in the shoe you were wearing. Not the case anymore."

Frank says: "I’ve always preferred high Forces more than any other style. Was hooked after seeing the Eric B & Rakim ‘Don’t Sweat The Technique’ cover."

Frank says: "So mean man. So mean. Nike created one of the most-bitten color combinations in sneaker history. The gradient design and Air Max technology was amazing at the time of release. If my memory serves me right, at least in my city, they were more popular 2nd go round. Flawless with some camo."

Frank says: "Possibly the most perfect shoe… at least for the night."

Franks says: "I would place this shoe above the black/cements it wasn’t for the sentimental value. Plus 3x Dope, the rap group from Philly, wore them on a 12” cover."

Frank says: "This was my first pair of J’s. I was in fifth grade when they first dropped. I was obsessed with them. Wore them for a year straight. This was the era of watching the All-Star game to catch a glimpse of next years J’s. VHS game was on lock. Plus KRS rocked them in the ‘My Philosophy’ video."