As the year 2016 comes to a close we’re reaching out to members of the community that we respect to get their take on the year in sneakers. First up is Complex's Russ Bengtson.
Just so you know where I’m coming from, no straightforward retros here. Either new models, new colors, or, in the case of No. 8, updated innards.
As the year 2016 comes to a close we’re reaching out to members of the community that we respect to get their take on the year in sneakers. First up is Complex's Russ Bengtson.
Just so you know where I’m coming from, no straightforward retros here. Either new models, new colors, or, in the case of No. 8, updated innards.
Palace x adidas Consortium EQT Support 93
TWO skate collab running shoes? Damn right, blad. Palace has done a tremendous amount of dope shit in a very short amount of time, and these PrimeKnit EQTs are right up there with the best of it. Keep it coming, lads.
Nike LeBron Soldier X
Nike didn’t get enough attention for making their first laceless basketball shoe, for a 270-pound force of nature, no less. LeBron himself chose them over his high-dollar LeBron 13 Elites in his run through the NBA Finals, perhaps to distract everyone from the fact that the Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead despite having the unanimous MVP.
Vans Caballero Pro
Without the Vans Caballero there is no Half Cab, and without the Half Cab—man, I don’t even know. As part of their 50th anniversary celebration, Vans flipped the classic wine and elephant-print grey suede Caballero as a Pro model, with modern-day skateability thanks to drop-in Ultracush sockliners. Pay homage.
Supreme x Nike Air Max 98
Sure, Supreme can do running shoes. Flipping the Air Max ‘98 in the style of Prada America’s Cup shoes from the early 2000s is something only Supreme could pull off, and man, did they ever.
Cam’ron x Reebok Ventilator Supreme “Fleebok 2"
I really wanted to hate these, but the buttery-soft suede, the hits of camo and the subtle embossed “DIPSET” on the heels made them the best Ventilators of all time. KILLA!
Air Jordan 31 “Space Jam
The Space Jam 11 is a timeless classic—the 31s will be. The patent leather on the heel was clutch, and the dark grey to black front-to-back fade on the weave is almost unnoticeable. The 31 in general was a great homage by Jordan to the 1, making it a double homage which should have been messy. But it wasn’t.
Quickstrike x Adidas Superstar ‘80s
Yeah, yeah, so they’re a shoe I helped put together alongside my partner DJ Clark Kent. Of course I think they’re great! The star-perfed leather worked perfectly, as did the mismatched inner (gold) and outer (camo) stripes. Thank God I have plenty of these.
Fragment x Converse Cons One Star ‘74
Hiroshi Fujiwara didn’t do much to the One Star, which is why it’s so good. Suede uppers, a thin barely-padded tongue, rough canvas star inserts, Lunarlon drop-in soles, and minimalist Fragment branding on the sides. Basically the best Nike SB shoe this year was a Converse. Honorable mention to the Stüssy One Stars which were sick too.
Adidas NMD PK “Pitch Black”
Forget that Adidas only made 500 pairs of these—this isn’t about rarity. The “Pitch Black” NMDs were the perfect incarnation of the NMD, the sneaker that ran 2016. All-black PrimeKnit uppers with no stripes, black Boost, and all black hardware make them NMDs fit for a ninja. Assuming said ninja has a plug.
Acronym x Nike Presto Mid
Errolson Hugh accomplished the impossible—he took something simple and made it complicated without making it terrible. His high-tech re-imagining of the Presto is as brilliant as the original concept. A must-have.
