2014 is already looking like a banner year for sneaker releases. While the general increase in launch product over the last few years may make the statement sound a tad cliche, it’s hard to deny the amount of awesome kicks that now drop on the annual. Over the course of the long weekend, we’ve taken the time to rank the top 20 shoes that have dropped so far in 2014. Let us know your personal favorites from the year in the comment section.<\/p>\n
After a bit of a break on the basketball-driven KD V, the Nike KD VI opened the doors back up for casual crossover. Extending the line far past the hardwood, the KD VI EXT “Floral” brought new fabrics to the franchise, and thus, new range of wear.<\/p>\n
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The Lab series still has some sneakerheads scratching their head, but we were all nodding when the 5Lab3 was introduced. Thinking they’d brought out the best of the best with the silver pair, JB cracked our heads again with this reflective black take. As championed as the “Black Cat” 3s and 4s have become years after their release, this pair might take the cake as the best all-black Jordan ever.<\/p>\n
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As retro cluttered as the market is, it’s always ill to see a sneaker from the past that still looks like it could’ve been made in the future. The Reebok Insta Pump Fury is such a silo, never getting the props it deserves in the heritage runner game. Like the model itself, this Bodega collab could be called a classic years from now.<\/p>\n
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Eddie Huang owns many titles ranging from chef and author to Internet personality. “Good-ass sneaker collaborator” officially joins that range after the release of his “Baohaus” SBs. As Huang says in his book, Nike SB has always had a knack for tapping the streets and culture with less constraints that the Swoosh’s other genres. Well, they’ve done it again and the results are tasty.<\/p>\n
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For all the hype around the adidas Pure Boost, there is one really bad thing about these. Once you put them on, your other shoes will feel like bricks. Retros, runners, skate shoes, it doesn’t matter, the Pure Boost is more comfortable than the other kicks in your rotation. Way more comfortable. The sleek design plays well to casual wear and the ventilated styling has these remaining a favorite over the course of the summer.<\/p>\n
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We rarely call our own number on lists, but this time we had to. The “Grand Anse” is one of many strong New Balance releases in 2014, and it not only happens to be our own, but also our favorite. Wearing the beach on your feet is an idea so good this shoe should have come with Kramer’s cologne concept. The reflective 3M underlays splash in person and also prove a first for New Balance. Thanks to NB for making it happen and thanks to all the readers and wearers who supported.<\/p>\n
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Ronnie Fieg has stated that he will never retro one of his own designs. While that’s great news for owners of his classic collabs and sad for those that missed out, he proved he could make the old favorites even better in 2014. The “Mint Leaf” and “Cove” Gel Lyte Vs took the Gel Lyte IIIs to another level by lending the famous shades to a sleeker, more sophisticated silo.<\/p>\n
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Call them over-hyped, call them gaudy, but Supreme brought Foamposites back. Sales had been slumping for the heavy hardwood model with an even heavier price tag and the last thing anyone thought would help was another graphic colorway. Leave it to the streetwear champs to build the buzz back around one of the craziest kicks ever created.<\/p>\n
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If tennis isn’t your game, it’d be easy to think the adidas Stan Smith wasn’t for you. While the gigantic push behind the court kick that’s so classic you’d forget it’s a signature has been mostly archival or preppy, a handful of fashion focused collabs have given it new edge. All certainly deserve props, but this mastermind makeup served up the Stan like never before all while retaining proper form.<\/p>\n
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The Jordan Future is a love\/hate shoe. You love them if you have them or you hate that you don’t. In an era where a Jordan release anything less than retro is assumed to have zilch in the lifestyle appeal department, JB silenced all critics by crafting a shoe that captivated a new audience with out losing their core. The simple sandwiching of the Air Jordan 11 sole with a woven upper is cutting edge, cleaner and more effortless than one would ever imagine. The “Glow” colorway proved the surprise hit of 2014 and perhaps the introduction to the new classic Jordan.<\/p>\n
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This is what a retro should look like in 2014. While we’re all about classics and OGs, the Nike Air Trainer 1 “Super Bowl” is a great example of taking something awesome about the past and combining it with something even better from the now. Now the only questions concern which silos will see this styling next.<\/p>\n
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Classic lines, slimmed-down styling and updated tech isn’t really a new concept on an old runner. In any case, it works really well on the adidas ZX Flux. An array of colorways have already rolled out and they all look good. The “Multicolor” combo proves the strongest until the Photo Print App drops and we’re all wearing our vacation pics, selfies and fave foods on feet, crushing the concept of ‘colorway’ as we know it today.<\/p>\n
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Many sought after OG Air Jordan colorways have returned in recent years, or months, only to lose their luster after endless sidewalk sightings and rampant restocks. For some reason though, it appears the “Carmine” 6s will keep their cool factor. Maybe it’s the fact that they’ve only retroed once or that MJ only played in them for about two months, but the shoe maintains a unique and robust quality that seems to place it in a league of its own.<\/p>\n
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Is high fashion sportswear the future? Better yet, is it the now? As clothing becomes more tapered and people remain on the-go, fashion and footwear must follow suit. Ronnie Fieg and PUMA are leading the charge in the movement, creating both kicks and apparel that put the ‘run’ in ‘runway.’ The “COA” collection paired comfy and classy in a manner that we’d love to see more often.<\/p>\n
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It seems like this should’ve happened a long time ago, but it finally did in 2014. The Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 released and sold in a flash, offering the first skate structured take on the AJ1. After decades of wear on both the hardwood and the half pipe, the two worlds finally collided in a concept everyone could ride with.<\/p>\n
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2014 has been a banner year for basketball junkies with a sneaker obsession. The “Carbon Fiber” and “Knicks” takes on the Nike Air Flightposite 1 both caught consumers off guard and definitely could’ve cracked this list. Also falling under the category of surprise standouts is the “Concord” Air Jordan 11 Low. A sneaker release almost two decades in the making, this mysterious PE proved to be far more than cult classic, selling out across the country and giving the mids a run for their money.<\/p>\n
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Despite the countless colorways and even Downtown derivates, the Air Force 1 is still a revered, timeless sneaker. Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci let his love of the model override the fear of its folklore by designing a range of high fashion Forces like none seen before. The overwhelming popularity of the collaboration and its runway reach assures that their will be more collabs like this in the future.<\/p>\n
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In 2014, the greatest basketball shoe ever became a low top, and the best skate collab became a high top. The Diamond Supply Co. x Nike SB Dunk High took the “Tiffany” theme and reintroduced it to a new generation. Keeping color blocking classic while modifying the cut, this release brought new life to the SB line without pissing off the wearers that built it back in the day. Sometimes, everybody really does win.<\/p>\n
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The sneaker of 2013 was nearly the sneaker of 2014, too. Assumed to be locked in the vault forever, Nike shocked the world by dropping the infamous “Red October” Air Yeezy 2s unannounced on a random Sunday morning. The sneaker community was speechless, as lucky Twitter scrollers scrambled to put a pair in their cart. Was this the official end of the “Red October” saga? It appears so, but after a drop like this, no one really knows.<\/p>\n
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This shoe has it all. Star power? Backed by a living legend. Performance tech? The best of the best. Closet appeal? Designed by Nike’s triangle offense and incredibly limited. Yes, most readers of this list (and the writer, too) will likely never see the Nike Kobe 9 HTM in person for sale and perhaps never even on someone’s feet. Still, the beauty of this design matched with denoted attributes make this model the sneaker of the year (so far).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2014 is already looking like a banner year for sneaker releases. While the general increase in launch product over the last few years may make the statement sound a tad cliche, it’s hard to deny the amount of awesome kicks that now drop on the annual. Over the course of the long weekend, we’ve taken the time to rank the top 20 shoes that have dropped so far in 2014. Let us know your personal favorites from the year in the comment section.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[618],"tags":[1225537],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n