Sorry I'm late, I haven't slept or been home in days. The Kith Armani fashion show was special, but the Wi-Fi in Morocco? A little spotty.
Sneaker of the Year list. Did you calm down yet? Did you? Look, I'm the face, so I'll take the heat for it. It comes with the territory. Heavy lies the crown sort of thing.
A few things to start. Hand up. October, yes, it’s super early for a sneaker of the year list. The criteria, yeah, it's still a little messy. Lack of innovation. Should colorways count? Too many collabs. Some of the shoes you can't get. Ten years in, we're still fine-tuning it, but honestly, do you want a list full of Brooks and Hokas? Shouts to those guys. They're doing a great job. But come on.
Let's get to the shoes. Nigo, number one. He was ripping off patent Air Force 1s decades ago. If it's not a top one shoe, it's in the top three. Sue us. We're standing on it. Nigel’s “Brick After Brick?” Some said too high, some said too low. Victor Victor. You couldn't get it. The releases cause mayhem. Too simple. Should have had the VAA 1 over the Union Fragment one? Listen. All fair takes, but the dissension is minimal.
TDR Goadome? A lot of you had his number one. I love this shoe, but it's a shoe. Actually, it's a boot. Wale has a song from 2007 called "Nike Boots" that's based around this. Abdul co-signed it. Google and Spotify still exist. In a year when Nike stock is down? I get it. Sorry, Jeff Staple. The Mind was massive, but it's a slide, not a sneaker.
Not one Adidas on the list? Listen, the Jellyfish had a huge 2025, but the best Adidas of this year was the Evo SL, and that came out in 2024. What about New Balance? I had Bleue Burnham and the JJJJound 1890 on my list. They didn't make it. The Action Bronson shoe made it.
It's funny, it feels like a 20 versus one online, and none of your lists agree with one another. They feel like our list, with a lot of the shoes shuffled. Westside Gunn's Saucony? Maybe we have to have a closer look at it, but maybe not. Rage bait and trolling though? Never that.
Listen. We're 22 years in. I'm over a billion views on YouTube. The sneaker blog era? We helped build it. So save your out-of-touch headlines for your own clickbait, but more importantly, thanks for the feedback. The conversation is what keeps this community strong. As far as us providing the content, you're welcome.
