The Best Sneaker Collaborations of 2019

Image via Complex Original

Jun Takahashi stayed busy this year with Nike. Capitalizing on the success of 2018’s React Element 87 project, Undercover and Nike linked up for numerous collabs in 2019, like SFB Mountain Boots and Air Max 720s.

The best work from the duo, by far, was Takahashi’s remix of the Daybreak. The renewed ‘70s runner remains largely true to the original makeup with a nylon upper, suede overlays, and a rubber waffle sole. Where it sets itself apart is the plastic fin jutting off the heel.

Unfortunately, Sacai’s similar LDWaffle took some of the spotlight off of Undercover’s Daybreak. Multiple colorways released and some even hit the sale section. A lot of people who wanted the Sacais and missed out probably opted for these as a consolation prize. But that shouldn’t be held against it. The shoe still deserves its props for standing out in a crowded year of collabs, so it is the perfect way to kick off the countdown. —Mike DeStefano

This is my personal favorite sneaker of the year. I’m biased, but hear me out. The Adidas ZX 1000s Series is great and has aged well. It was all designed by Jacques Chaissang and released in 1989. The shoes went from 1000 to 9000 and ended there. Adidas went back in time and wondered, “What would a ZX 10000 look like?” They brought the Frenchman in the room, got his insight, and designed an era-appropriate shoe. The outcome was great, and the first release was one of the most influential shoes of the year. Marc Leuschner, the co-owner of Berlin sneaker boutique Overkill, got the chance to debut the shoe and did it through a collaboration that featured two shoes, based off the O.G. ZX 8000s and 9000s. He’s also viewed as the biggest ZX collector in the world. The catch was that they were sold in one box that came with three shoes. You had to buy two pairs -- and they were only sold at Overkill -- to complete the set. Really smart idea. And other people in the footwear industry though so, too. Ronnie Fieg asked to debut the shoes on his Instagram. Leuschner was flattered but said no. Sean Wotherspoon loved them and posted them on his Instagram. Both of those guys, viewed as two of the most influential in the sneaker industry, have both worked on, working on, or are loosely associated with shoes that had a similar concept. I have both colorways in full sets, and they’ve been sitting by my door all year. —Matt Welty

Read the blurb before this one and let it sink in. If I had final say, I’d rank the Overkill shoe over this one, but that’s how it goes sometimes. With that said, Aimé Leon Dore did a great job on its two versions of the 997. They took a shoe, designed by the newly, and finally, anointed great Steven Smith and added just a touch of color. Seems easy, but many people overdo it. Make a New Balance out of grey suede, add a touch of color, and attach it to a clothing brand that’s been described as “Kith for dads.” Take a dad shoe, make it cooler. That’s what Aimé Leon Dore did. And they did it in two colorways, both are good. There was also another New Balance collaboration from the brand, which caused more hype. Proof that lightning can strike twice. All they needed was once. But this wasn’t a fluke. —Matt Welty

Straight off of discharge from the South Korean military, K-pop superstar G-Dragon collaborated with Nike on an Air Force 1. Branded with his Peaceminusone clothing brand’s flower logo on the tongue, the “Para-noise” sneakers featured a painted black upper designed to chip away with wear, eventually unveiling artwork by G-Dragon himself. Heavy on details, the collaboration also included pre-distressed midsoles and thick ribbon shoelaces. It didn’t reinvent the wheel—similar wear-away treatments have previously been featured on Nike’s work with the likes of Clot, Geoff McFetridge, and Lance Mountain—but the timing and added flair made G-Dragon’s collab one of the year’s best. —Riley Jones

Unlike many of today’s biggest collaborators, Cactus Plant Flea Market’s Cynthia Lu prefers to let her work do the talking, rather than trying to be the story herself. Her Nike VaporMax collab, introduced in celebration of Air Max Day 2019, helped set the tone for a year’s worth of projects that also included customizable Blazer Mid and Air Force 1 Low designs. As for the VaporMax, it acted as a perfect introduction to her retro DIY aesthetic for people just learning of the brand. For existing fans, it served up the amplified detailing they've come to expect from Lu’s label like its loosely anchored three-dimensional Swoosh, puff paint style lettering, and smiley face heel logo. It also helped bring some heat back to a silhouette that, outside of Virgil Abloh’s collabs on the model, had been quickly abandoned following its 2017 launch. —Zac Dubasik

Travis Scott’s Air Jordan 1s may get all the glory, but his collaboration on the Air Jordan VI is the one that came with the massive cultural moment. In the midst of the controversy surrounding his participation, Scott debuted the sneaker (along with an oversized Louis Vuitton belt designed by Virgil Abloh) at Super Bowl LIII during his performance alongside Maroon 5. This VI features the addition of a canvas pocket on the collar, and while it might not reach the level of customization as a shoe like the Sacai x LD Waffle, it is a level up from the simple material and color flips seen on typical collabs. It’s something that’s become a tradition with his projects, such as the backwards Swoosh on the Air Jordan 1, and interchangeable Swooshes and lace cover on his various Air Force 1s. Scott's massive popularity and place in pop culture undoubtedly adds to the hype of his many shoes, but the the fact that they’re creative and actually good gives legitimacy to his status as one of, if not the top collaborator, in the sneaker world. —Zac Dubasik

Compared to the two years prior, 2019 might have seemed like a light year when it came to Virgil Abloh’s Nike collabs. “The Ten” was no more, replaced by track-spiked runners like the Zoom Terra Kiger 5 and Waffle Racer as part of the women’s-focused “Athlete in Progress” collection. 

These still demanded attention cause of Abloh’s connection, but the bright blue Air Force 1 celebrating the opening of his “Figures of Speech” exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago that released back in July had all the hype surrounding it that we were used to from the multi-hyphenate’s sneaker collabs.

Like the white ComplexCon and black “MoMa” pairs before it, the “MCA” Air Force 1 release was extremely limited. A select amount dropped at the museum. Windy City residents also got a very slim chance via a random SNKRS Stash drop. It’ll cost you $1,500+ if you want a pair now given the exclusivity which means, like a lot of the best collaborations, these are far from easy to obtain. Most of us won’t get to ever say we own them, just that we want to. But that’s part of the allure. These aren’t just one of the best collabs of 2019. Many would rank them among some of Virgil’s best work overall as well. —Mike DeStefano

This is a late addition to the list and wasn’t even included on other lists, but fuck it. That’s how we run this ship sometimes. It’s good to see Clot in this story. Edison Chen is a boss and has been doing this sneaker stuff since before you graduated elementary school. He also fucks, is a real celebrity, and has done his share of good Air Force 1s over the years. Add this one to the list. The Clot Air Force 1 this year (pick your flavor, we’re going with blue) was obsessed over by aficionados of the shoe, and it’s good when people who love a certain sneaker co-sign a new model. It’s the proof that a brand is doing something right. Clot also tipped its hat, once again, to its Chinese heritage with the silk upper and designed it so you could cut a way and reveal a lasered pattern underneath. It feels like the best elements of 2006 came together for one last hurrah on a great sneaker, but in a more refined way that eschewed the mistakes of the past. There was also a gum sole on these bad boys. Hard to beat that. - Matt Welty

I’ve written so many blurbs about this shoe, you’d think I was tired of it at this point. But as Welty will joke just about every day in the office, I’m a cardy-carrying member of the rager army, so the beat goes on. 

For this blurb I’ll focus on the collaborator, not the shoe, so here’s a few words about Travis Scott. Simply put, he is the biggest name in sneakers right now. He has some stiff competition with Virgil Abloh, but Scott still takes the top prize, as just about everything he touches becomes an instant success (except maybe the Jordan 33). Like Abloh, Scott has worked on timeless classics the likes of the Air Force 1 and the Air Jordan 1 you see here. 

Not only is Scott the biggest name in sneakers, but he is also one of, if not the biggest names in all of hip-hop as well, lending more credence to his legitimacy as a collaborator. If 2019 was any indication, 2020 could be even bigger for Scott, Nike, and the Jordan Brand. —Ben Felderstein

We ranked Sacai’s LDWaffle as the best overall sneaker of the year, so it should come as no surprise that it’s popping up here, too. Released alongside sets of matching high-top Blazers, it was the ‘70s-driven LDV Waffle that stole the show. 

With its duality theme, the LDV Waffle not only combines the LDV and Waffle Daybreak models of decades past, but more obviously covers the shoe in two of literally everything. There’s double soles, laces, Swooshes, and so forth, giving the shoe a recognizable look that was seen plenty throughout 2019.

Sacai designer Chitose Abe’s collaboration has produced five different colorways thus far, with even more expected to release in 2020 including all-black and all-white versions. On the aftermarket, the pairs are priced somewhat more reasonably than you’d expect, with prices for the less expensive pairs right around the $500, but don’t be surprised to see them continue to climb. —Riley Jones