The Best ComplexCon Style Drop Every Year Since 2016

Honorable Mentions: Anti Social Social Club x Undefeated, BAPE x Travis Scott Baby Milo T-shirt, VLONE

Before Greg Betty’s designs sparked a Vans resurgence in the 2020s, one of the best most hyped-up Vans releases in modern fashion came courtesy of Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God. The highly-anticipated pairs of Eras, strapped 147s, and Mountain Editions made their retail debut at ComplexCon ahead of their global launch through PacSun. They stood out, thanks to an all-over “Fear of God” logo print that mimicked the font used on Fear of God’s legendary Purpose tour merch for Justin Bieber. Pairs were extremely limited and commanded a line at the PacSun booth all weekend. They still fetch a high price tag on the resell market years later.

Honorable Mentions: N.E.R.D x Adidas, Undefeated x Nike Air Max 97, Anti Social Social Club x BAPE

Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten” collection with Nike is one of the most important collaborations in sneaker and streetwear history. The followup was also huge. Alongside other remixes of the timeless white Air Force 1 from the likes of Travis Scott, Don C, and Errolson Hugh, Abloh dropped the Off-White x Nike Air Force 1. Much more tame than his “The Ten” iteration of the ‘80s low-top, the pair featured a clean white leather upper and metallic silver Swoosh. Nearly a decade later, it holds up as not just one of the greatest sneakers to ever drop at ComplexCon, but one the greatest drops overall.

Honorable Mentions: Rhude archive sale, Diamond Supply Co. x Nike SB Dunk Low "Canary,” Atmos x Nike apparel, Billionaire Boys Club Star Trak merch

Takashi Murakami has been a key figure since ComplexCon’s inception. Thus, he has been responsible for a lot of the most important drops across the event’s history. One of them came in 2018 when he linked up with Drake’s OVO on a series of apparel that featured a fusion of that signature gold owl branding with his smiling flower motifs. The hoodie as the hero of the release.

Honorable Mentions: Union Los Angeles x Los Angeles Dodgers, CPFM x Kid Cudi, Fear of God Essentials, BBC x Human Made Chains T-Shirt

Takashi Murakami has plenty of impressive sports collabs under his belt at this point with legendary franchises like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. One of his best made its debut at ComplexCon 2019 in Long Beach. The legendary Japanese artist fused his signature rainbow flowers with the Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold across jerseys, T-shirts, basketball shorts, hoodies, satin jackets, and more. Even if you weren’t a Lakers fan, you were likely after a piece or two if you were in the building that year.

Honorable Mentions: Gucci Garage, Exclusive Rhude capsule collection, Darryl Brown workwear

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ComplexCon 2020 did not come to fruition in its truest form. In its place, there was ComplexLand, a fully virtual event that delivered the exclusive drops and collabs that the IRL event in Long Beach had come to be known for. One of the best drops was a curated assortment focused on upcycling. Five designers offered up their repurposed takes on items like stuffed animals, bags, and jackets: Levi’s SecondHand Reworked by Makayla Wray, Yaito, Mentor en Route, Suicoke x Worldwide Manufactureʷʷ, and The North Face Renewed.

Honorable Mentions: Barriers x Tupac Estate, Coral Studios Varsity Jacket, Kerwin Frost x Adidas, NIGO x Complex Merch

Since making his debut at ComplexCon in 2021, Jae Tips has grown to be one of the biggest draws at the event. Last year, he created an entire island inside the Las Vegas Convention Center to unveil multiple collabs at once. But the Bronx native’s first big drop was his series of vibrant Yankees and Dodgers custom fitteds in collaboration with Hat Club. They were a sleeper item that weekend that we even crowned one of the most hyped drops of the entire year.

Honorable Mentions: Awake NY x IRAK, Verdy x ComplexCon merch, Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clogs

For fashion heads, original Undercover 85 Denim is a grail. When Undercover announced that an extremely limited re-release of the iconic jeans (20 pairs each in two washes) was happening at ComplexCon in 2022, resellers and collectors flocked to the brand’s booth for a chance to buy the $2,550 pairs. Consider yourself a lucky if you were able to snag them for retail. They sold out in minutes each day.

Honorable Mentions: CPFM x Marc Jacobs, Denim Tears Cotton Wreath New Era fitteds, CPFM x Come Tees

To mark her role as creative director (and what would be ComplexCon’s last year in Long Beach), Cactus Plant Flea Market founder Cynthia Lu went all out with the collabs and merch. The best of the bunch was a three-way project with Denim Tears and Levi’s that repurposed vintage Levi’s denim with giant red tabs. The one-of-one items sold out swiftly. The Lil Yachty co-sign also helped increase the hype leading up to the event.

Honorable Mentions: Opium x Pelle Pelle, Ken Carson x Ed Hardy, VandyThePink x Pokémon, Hellstar Teddy Bear, Better Gift Shop x AOI Industry

For its first year in Las Vegas, ComplexCon made a huge splash. It tapped Travis Scott to serve as artistic director and let him create CactusCon, a section within the larger convention floor fully curated by La Flame and the Cactus Jack team. The merch area drew a long line all weekend. Some fans even spent their whole day waiting for hours just to score some of the exclusive merch that included collaborative pieces with Mowalola, the Las Vegas Raiders, WWE, Cactus Plant Flea Market, IRAK, and more.

Honorable Mentions: Vameee Zip Hoodies, MAXXX Timberlands, STFU Airbrushed T-Shirts, GV Gallery x Cool Kiy hiking boots, Reimagine by NGO With Mitchell & Ness

At ComplexCon 2024, Hellstar’s blacklit booth, complete with a painted-on Virgil Abloh Maybach and Capsule 11 collection debut, commanded one of the biggest crowds of the entire weekend. One year later, they ran it back and used the event to celebrate a huge collaborative partnership with Adidas. Many of the ComplexCon goers were after their reimagined Superstars. In 2026, Hellstar is aiming for a three-peat with the launch of an apparel capsule in collaboration with Interscope Records and Tupac’s Estate.