Image via Complex Original
Sneaker collaborations are everywhere now. It's hard to imagine sneaker blogs existing without the hype and attention that's given to the products that streetwear brands, artists, and rappers design for sneaker brands. But obviously there was a time when there were no collaborations at all. And over the years, some collabs have been more significant than others.
There are so many collabs nowadays that some are often instantly washed from our memories after they release, if not earlier. But then there are ones that do more than move units at sneaker stores—they change the way the entire sneaker culture operates. Here are 10 Collaborations That Changed the Sneaker Game.
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Junya Watanabe x Nike Zoom Haven
Year Of Release: 1999
Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci is finally preparing to drop his Air Force 1 collection with Nike. But that's old hat to Junya Watanabe, who's been designing athletic sneakers for a while. In 1999 he worked on a Nike Zoom Haven, an eccentric trainer that's unlikely to see a retro any time soon. It proved that high-fashion or menswear designers weren't too cool to design a performance sneaker. It also showed the obvious intersection between fashion and sneaker culture, which is ever too apparent now. If it weren't for Watanabe crashing down barriers, it's tough to see Nike unveiling the Hyperfeel during New York Fashion Week—even though it's a serious athletic sneaker with an avant garde design ethos.
Stüssy x Nike Huarache
Year Of Release: 2000
Streetwear and sneaker culture have formed an inseparable bond. Streetwear brands regularly collaborate with sneaker brands on sneakers that quickly sell out. The first streetwear brand to collaborate with Nike, no surprise, was the O.G. streetwear brand, Stüssy. The brand, however, didn't work with Nike on a sneaker that easily lent itself to skate culture, but mocked up two color schemes of the Huarache runner. Stüssy didn't make the Huaraches loud and eye-catching, but they were different in their own right. The combination of non-athletic design with a serious sports-driven silhouette is what helped define streetwear in its modern form. It also opened the door for a lot of sneaker collaborations that have been drooled over in the past 10 or so years.
Stüssy x Mad Hectic x New Balance MT580
Year Of Release: 2003
New Balance would still be producing quality sneakers if it didn't do collabs, but the brand's usual palette of grey, blue, and black can get bland. Although New Balance is known as an American brand that also makes high-quality sneakers in England, a lot of New Balance's limited buzz started in Asia—Japan to be specific. Thanks to a licensing deal in Asia, New Balance tried new and challenging designs for that market.
The New Balance MT580 hadn't caught on in the U.S., but Stüssy and Mad Hectic collaborated to give the sneaker a streetwear edge. The Asia-only, Mita-influenced MT580 silhouette helped break New Balance away from its decree of old-man running sneakers. The collaboration's colors, brown and green, weren't much different than usual New Balance colors, but the sneakers were made hip-hop through putting "Mad Stüssy" on the heel. New Balance had been worn by hip-hop heads before, but this connected the heritage brand to the budding wave of sneaker culture.
Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low
Year Of Release: 2003
The elements that make Air Jordans great are closely guarded by sneakerheads, but Supreme was able to pay tribute to the Air Jordan III in 2003 and make the sneaker world love it. The Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Lows were important for several reasons. The shoes borrowed elephant print from the Air Jordan III, but they also introduced a legion of sneakerheads to Supreme. It also helped establish Nike SB, which was still in its early stages, as brand that had credibility amongst a fickle skate crowd.
The Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Lows would become some of the most sought-after Nike SBs ever to release, and would set the stage for the Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Hi pack (and every other Supreme x Nike release that would follow). But it showed that brands could pay homage to classic sneakers and not make them corny or in poor taste. Instead, the Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Lows made the Air Jordan III accessible to a skate crowd that might have skated the Air Jordan 1, but didn't want to ruin their coveted Jordans that served as "chillin' shoes."
ESPO x Nike Air Force II
Year Of Release: 2004
In the mid-2000s, sneaker collaborations featured street artists who were able to transfer their artwork over to classic sneakers. Nike pursued this concept several times, but none were more influential than what ESPO did to the Air Force II. The sneaker was produced for charity, but it made a much bigger contribution to sneaker collaborations. From that point on, Nike made see-through Air Force 1s and Vandals, and, before you knew it, clear sneakers were a staple of the fake market. It might be one of the sneakers that doesn't hold the same reverence as it once did, but it's an example of what can happen when an artist has free run on the design of a sneaker.
Diamond Supply Co. x Nike SB Dunk Low
Year Of Release: 2005
Nike SB hype existed before Nick Tershay was given the chance to design a Nike SB Dunk for his streetwear and skate brand, Diamond Supply Co. But the insanity that would transpire for the "Tiffany" Nike SB Dunk Low was next level. Around the time of its release, tie-in color schemes had become popular for sneakers to tell stories. After the sneaker's release, literally everything that was Tiffany blue and black would be considered a "Tiffany" sneaker—even if it wasn't. If the Tiffany Dunk needs any further backing that it changed people's view on Nike SB collaborations, take a look at its 2014 incarnation, the "Diamond" Nike Dunk Hi SB. It caused people to lash out against non-skater sneakerheads, and even convinced people to buy, and lose their minds over, a sneaker that they didn't even know the backstory on. Some color schemes are just that good.
Undefeated x Air Jordan IV
Year Of Release: 2005
Jordan Brand doesn't collaborate with many brands or people. In fact, until 2005, Jordan hadn't worked with anyone other than its in-house collection of designers and athletes. That is until Undefeated was given the opportunity to work on one of the holiest Air Jordans of all-time: the Air Jordan IV. The collaboration was only limited to 79 pairs, but it's held up as one of the best Air Jordans ever, as Undefeated gave the sneaker the shop's now-signature flight jacket look. There are plenty of purists who only want to see Air Jordans done in their O.G. colorways, but the Undefeated IV proved that, if done right, an Air Jordan can be tastefully worked on by an outside party. Vashtie and Drake can send their thank-you cards to Los Angeles for making their sneakers happen.
Jeremy Scott x adidas Originals
Year Of Release: 2008
There's a huge interest in the high-fashion adaptation of athletic sneakers, and no brand is doing that bigger right now than adidas Originals. Some might say that this trend started when Yohji Yamamoto collaborated with adidas on the Y3 collection. But some would say that Jeremy Scott was the one who made eccentric adidas sneakers desirable. His adding of wings, teddy bears, and huge logos to otherwise classic adidas silhouettes lured in trendsetters such as A$AP Rocky. Rocky was eventually did his own sneaker with Scott and adidas, but Scott's earliest designs showed that adidas was ready to cede creative control to artists and fashion designers.
Rick Owens, Raf Simons, and Mark McNairy would all join adidas after Scott had reinvigorated the brand. But the biggest asset of Scott making it cool to be weird at adidas was the successive signings of Kanye West, Nigo, and, potentially, Pharrell. Adidas would still be functioning without Jeremy Scott ever working with the brand, but he helped make high-fashion available at a relatively affordable price.
David Z. x Sneaker Blogs x ASICS Gel Lyte IIIs
Year Of Release: 2009
ASICS GEL Lyte IIIs weren't first released in 2009, but it was the first time a new generation of sneakerheads started to pay attention to the split-tongue silhouette. Ronnie Fieg, who was still working at David Z. at the time, pulled off a three-part collaboration with ASICS and blogs Nice Kicks, Highsnobiety, and Culture Shoq, that helped launched Ronnie into the spotlight. It was such a pivotal move for all parties involved. Nice Kicks, Highsnobiety, and Culture Shoq were able to attach themselves to an up-and-coming retro sneaker silhouette, and Fieg was able to integrate himself into a mainstay of blog culture. From that point on, the Gel Lyte III became more than just a sneaker on Foot Locker's 2 for $89 wall, and everyone waited for what Ronnie Fieg would do next. This collaboration would serve as the springboard for Fieg to drop the Coves in 2010, and have his sneaker collaborations lusted over by 'heads.
Kanye West x Louis Vuitton
Year Of Release: 2009
It's almost impossible to escape a discussion of the current sneaker industry without a mention of Kanye West. Before he bolted Nike to design for adidas, he already had worked with another label: Louis Vuitton. If people think Kanye West x Nike was an insane idea, the thought of him designing multiple sneakers with Louis Vuitton was fucking crazy.
Thanks to a friendship with Marc Jacobs, Kanye was able to design three different silhouettes—the Dons, Jaspers, and the Mr. Hudson—that were all named after his close circle of friends. This collection didn't just give well-heeled Kanye fans footwear to rock, it integrated the concept of a rapper being able to design a high-fashion sneaker. Hip-hop had long adored expensive sneakers, but Kanye put forth a handful of sneakers that could be worn by streetwear kids that retailed at true hype prices. Kanye was able to produce a purchasable product with the high-fashion world that had been totally skeptical and dismissive of hip-hop.
