15 Great 2013 Sneakers You Couldn't Get Because They Were Sold Overseas

Air Max 180 collaborations are best when they're minimally evasive. Size? made sure its Urban Safari pack kept the OG colorblocking intact, but mesh and textile patterns made everything connect. But the sneakers surely were bright. However, when an Air Max 180 comes--and in this case, two--true heads need to snatch it up quickly. Except, for these, they had to pay in pounds.

The U.S. is considered the hub for Air Jordans, but the brand showed love to another spot on the map that has a huge basketball following: Shanghai, China. Making American heads jealous, the result was a Laney-colorway'ish pair of Air Jordan Vs that had a black upper. Pairs were still obtained in the U.S., but the people getting their hands on them were, more often than not, influencers who were seeded the pairs.

Camo print has seen a huge resurgence and some think it isn't going away soon. Atmos kept this military-influenced pattern to its Tokyo customers, and didn't show the U.S. any love with two pairs of Air Max 1s. The difference with this pack is that atmos mixed camo with animal print, and even used tiger stripe camo, which is way more advanced than standard U.S.-issue fatigues.

JD Sports is a retail chain that's known for some of the best exclusive Nike sneakers. Usually, JD designs Air Maxes, but this year, its best release was a pack of Air Pegasus '89s. JD treats the original sneakers with respect and slightly tweaks the designs to better fit its aesthetic. The Pegasus pack was great because they came in dark suede, had mesh toe boxes, only slight hits of color, and sat atop white midsoles. Someone needs to franchise a JD Sports in the U.S., please.

The Air Max 93 experienced a long hiatus. The last time the sneaker received a proper release was in 2006 with the History of Air pack, but size? brought the neglected runner back. The U.K. retailer released a pack of the sneakers, and the 93s were killer. It's daunting to pick between blue and lime green or pink and orange, especially when they're complemented by quality suede.

Nike re-introduced the Free this year with Flyknit technology. They looked like a sock, and fit like one, too. The Flyknit Frees were available everywhere, but when the sneakers first dropped, Nike released individual color schemes that connected with corresponding cities--which weren't in the U.S. Yes, there was a sneaker for New York City, but London, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo all received exclusives, and they were doper than what was available stateside.

24 Kilates is a chill boutique in Barcelona that doesn't take a reserved approach to collaborations. For starters, it's located in Spain, and wants to represent its unique heritage that other shops can't lay claim to. That brought about a two-sneaker pack with Saucony titled "Mar y Montana," meaning ocean and mountains--two things that Spain is known for. The sneakers are Shadow Originals, and represent the bounties that each geological feature offers. These kicks were inspired by lobsters and Iberian ham, and they were dope. We're hungry just looking at these.

Sneakersnstuff holds Stockholm down. The shop has reached world wide-acclaim because of its angles on sneaker collaborations. This year, the shop collaborated with Reebok on several sneakers, but its NPC II came in camo with a Gore-Tex upper. Sweden isn't the warmest or driest place, and a waterproof sneaker makes camo cool and useful when others are using it just as an aesthetic.

Crooked Tongues are the British maintainers of sneaker cool. The shop keeps everything low key, and makes Americans wish Brits didn't always get the best sneakers. The Reebok Classic was designed by a ton of shops this year, but Crooked Tongues' snakeskin joints were complete with a gum sole. Some say too many sneakers have gum soles, but when Crooked Tongues is in charge, expect the shop to do things correctly.

Air Max 1s are tough to design. Not because they don't look great, but the crowd that appreciates them is a fickle bunch. Beams isn't exactly a sneaker-oriented label, but its Air Max 1s were mind-blowing. The brand got it right with a tan suede upper, white midsole, and orange outsole. It didn't hurt that the suede was so hairy. Sadly, these only dropped in Japan.

Foot Patrol has long been associated with the most limited sneaker releases, and 2013 didn't see that change. Foot Patrol, however, has offered some of its sneaker collabs abroad, except a pair of Reebok Classic Mids that were more similar to a hiking boot. The sneakers had a brown leather upper with a purple tongue and icy sole. They're not like anything else in the outdoors market, but still street certified.

Berlin's Overkill is a lesser known sneaker boutique and Kangaroos isn't a top-tier brand. But it's what made their collaboration this year so good. Overkill proved that you don't have to take a popular sneaker to make something great. The shop was able to transform the Coil R1 into something sought after by runner enthusiasts with a sneaker that had a buttery navy upper and branding that resembled a letterman jacket. Too bad these were such a limited release, they could have become a cult classic in the States.

Nike Flyknits, undoubtedly, have become the go-to sneaker for style conscious heads. It's the latest in Nike innovation, and flat-out looks dope. It's not too hard to come up on Flyknit technology at the local mall, but the Flyknit Racers in a multi-colored, rainbow-like weave were exclusive to Milan and London--two fashion capitals in their own right. Still, pairs of these were being proxied from overseas, and seen in New York, too.

Taking a look through Sneaker Freaker is an archival trip through the annals of sneaker history. But it's not just a magazine created by sneaker nuts, the publication designs insane sneaker collaborations. The Puma Blaze of Glorys came back this year, but the real gem was the "Tassie Devil." One could make an argument that it's one of the best New Balances of all time. They're that good. The black and purple colorblocking, and splattered midsoles are so original that it completely morphs the 998 silhouette.

If Solebox's name is attached to a sneaker collaboration it means two things: It's going to be limited and it's going to be paradigm for the sneaker game. The Berlin shop no longer collaborates with New Balance, but they're still designing dope runners. The Saucony Lucanid collaboration was amazing. The collection featured two pairs of Shadow 5000s, and they were mostly black. But each pair either featured green or orange hits and rounded everything out with a white midsole.They weren't the most concept-shattering sneakers, but the degree of execution is what makes them exceptional.