Your opinion matters. What you decide to spend your hard-earned money on is what influences what sneaker companies will make more of (or less of) in the following years. What you drop in our comments, as hurtful as it may be, also has an impact on what we cover. So, we put this year's best sneaker of the year in your hands. Check below to see the results of our Best Sneaker of 2016 poll and don't blame us if your pick isn't on the list; you should've voted.
Your opinion matters. What you decide to spend your hard-earned money on is what influences what sneaker companies will make more of (or less of) in the following years. What you drop in our comments, as hurtful as it may be, also has an impact on what we cover. So, we put this year's best sneaker of the year in your hands. Check below to see the results of our Best Sneaker of 2016 poll and don't blame us if your pick isn't on the list; you should've voted.
Solebox x Adidas Ultra Boost Uncaged
Release Date: 03/12/16
Retail Price: $180
Solebox's take on the Ultra Boost Uncaged took inspiration from the Berlin flag, which is highlighted in the shoe’s mix of grey, white, and red. It also used suede to wrap around the heel instead of the normal plastic heel counter. Riding the momentum of the highly sought-after silhouette, the shoe was only the second Uncaged Ultra Boost to release before the style saw mass production.
Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 “Glow in the Dark”
Release Date: 06/11/16
Retail Price: $350
Kanye West set off this summer with a Yeezy 750 drop in grey upper with a glow-in-the-dark gum sole. As expected with anything Kanye drops, the release sparked massive hype and the shoes were sold out in minutes, if not seconds, despite not exactly being summer-friendly.
Air Jordan 12 Retro “OVO”
Release Date: 10/01/16
Retail Price: $225
Drake and Jordan Brand’s partnership hasn’t yielded as many sneaker releases as many fans had hoped, but that also means there’s been more than enough hype to go around on the few occasions they have hit retail. The white 12s were no exception, and resell for multiple times their original price.
Pharrell Williams x Adidas HU NMD
Release Date: 07/22/16
Retail Price: $240
Pharrell Williams is no stranger to sneaker collaborations, but his initial Adidas offerings didn’t move the hype needle as expected after his 2014 signing to the brand. That all changed with the HU NMD—an updated take on the already hugely popular NMD model that was met with instant sell outs and high resale prices.
Acronym x NikeLab Air Presto Mid
elease Date: 09/15/16
Retail Price: $200
In one of the most anticipated collaborations of the year Errolson Hugh and Acronym brought their unique high-tech aesthetic to Nike’s hot-again Air Presto. From the clue-based unveiling, to the product itself, it was one of the most complete releases of the year.
Adidas Ultra Boost "Triple White 2.0"
Release Date: 05/12/16
Retail Price: $180
The Adidas Ultra Boost was Sole Collector's 2015 reigning Sneaker of the Year and its momentum held steady in 2016. Before moving on to the new Uncaged version, Adidas rekindled the love affair with the original model by dropping the "Triple White 2.0" Ultra Boost. A slightly tweaked version of the colorway that Kanye West famously wore, the sneaker featured a white gradient Primeknit upper atop all-white Boost.
Nike Kobe 11 FTB
Release Date: 4/13/16
Retail Price: $200
The "Fade To Black" edition of the Kobe 11 not only capped off the retrospective FTB Pack, it gave us one of the most memorable moments of the latter era of Kobe's career. On a night where the sneaker was worn league-wide in celebration of Bryant's final game, Kobe himself dropped 60 points, appropriately ending his time as one of the most dominant players in the game.
Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Beluga”
Release Date: 09/24/16
Retail Price: $220
It’s hard to say how the Trump-endorsing, Beyonce-dissing, late 2016 version of Kanye West will impact the future of the Yeezy line, but when the first V2 edition of the 350 dropped, it was met with open arms. While it wasn't exactly a new model, it was different enough to provide a fresh feel for fans who’d been craving something different.
Air Jordan 4 Retro “White/Cement”
Release Date: 02/13/16
Retail Price: $220
For the first time since 1999, “Nike Air” returned to the heels of the Air Jordan 4 when the “White/Cements” dropped in early 2016. And despite widespread availability, the shoe had no trouble selling out initially, nor throughout its many restocks.
Air Jordan 11 Retro "Space Jam"
Release Date: 12/10/16
Retail Price: $220
As one of the most popular sneakers of all time, any year a “Space Jam” Air Jordan 11 drops, it will be in contention for Sneaker of the Year. What made 2016 a particularly strong release for the shoe was its tie-in to the 20th anniversary of Space Jam the movie. It resonated with our readers, who anticipated the release all year, and have voted it #1.
