2017 was one of the busiest years in recent memory for the footwear industry and it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down in 2018. Last year, we saw the influence of individuals such as Kanye West and Pharrell Williams on the resurgence of adidas, along with the impact of Virgil Abloh and his “The Ten” collection with Nike.
The new year has just begun but the list of confirmed releases continues to grow and it is safe to say that the hype surrounding some of these releases is growing every single day. With countless more releases yet to be confirmed, here are the ten sneakers that we are most excited to see in 2018:
Air Jordan 1 “Shadow”
Image: Instagram/@s.sam.group
Following in the footsteps of the “Bred” and “Royal” colourways of the Air Jordan 1 in the past two years, the Air Jordan 1 “Shadow” is set to return in April with a similar remastered update like its counterparts. It is said that this pair will feature better leather quality than its 2013 predecessor and this iconic pair will be one of the most coveted releases of this year.
Air Jordan 1 “Bred Toe”
Image: SneakerBarDetroit
In recent years, we have seen a mashup of original Air Jordan 1 colourways as seen on the “Top 3” and other similar colourways. This “Bred Toe” rendition, set to release in February, is a essentially a combination of the “Bred” toe box on the “Black Toe” upper, and it has made waves on social media with its leather quality that has been compared to the notorious “Shattered Backboard” colourway.
Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement”
Image: Twitter/@soleheatonfeet
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of its original release during the 1988 NBA All Star weekend, the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” is set to release in February with the original ‘Nike Air’ branding that hasn’t been seen on this pair since the 2001 retro. The Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” is arguably one of the best shoes ever created and it will be an absolute must for most collectors.
Air Jordan 11 “Concord”
Image: KicksOnFire
Another classic Air Jordan model that can be argued as one of the best shoes ever created, the Air Jordan 11 “Concord” is set to release during the winter holiday season. It continues the trend of Jordan Brand releasing an Air Jordan 11 colourway during each holiday season, and this release will be one of the most anticipated releases of the year.
Off-White x Nike Air VaporMax
Image: SneakerNews
“The Ten” collection by Nike and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, took 2017 by storm and the second collection is said to release this year. The Air VaporMax model was one of the favourites from the first collection and this year, we will be seeing a second iteration of the model and possibly another full collection.
Off-White x Converse Chuck Taylor All Star
Image: Converse
The tenth pair from the original “The Ten” collection by Nike and Virgil Abloh, the release of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star got pushed back and did not release with the rest of the collection. We have been teased with photos for a long time and it is rumoured that we will be seeing a release of this pair in February.
Nike Air Max 97/1 “Sean Wotherspoon”
Image: NiceKicks
As the winner of the Vote Forward campaign from Air Max Day 2017, Sean Wotherspoon got the opportunity to design his own Air Max model and we will be seeing a global release this year around Air Max Day. We saw an early release of the shoes during the latter part of last year and it grabbed the hearts of many Air Max enthusiasts with its combination of the corduroy Air Max 97 upper on the classic Air Max 1 soles.
adidas Yeezy 500 Desert Rat
Image: YEEZY
Kanye West kept his word and released a plethora of Yeezy’s last year that an immense number of people were able to get their hands on a pair. Looking to build off that momentum, adidas will be releasing the first Yeezy model without its Boost technology, but instead, it will feature the adiPrene foam technology.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runners
Image: Instagram/@yeezymafia
One of the biggest trends of this past year was the bulky sneaker silhouette, often referred to as ‘Dad Shoes’, and Kanye rode the wave with the release of the Yeezy Boost 700. Although it was met with lukewarm reception during its pre-sale release, many people began to change their mind and the Wave Runners became one of the hottest shoes of last year. Look out for more colourways of the Yeezy Boost 700 to release in 2018.
adidas x Pharrell Hu NMD “Trail Holi”
Image: Instagram/@dirtymoney823
The adidas NMD has been one of the most popular silhouettes over the past few years and Pharrell’s NMD models have been some of the most desirable sneakers in the same period. Look for the colourful adidas x Pharrell Hu NMD “Trail Holi” to release in March, honouring India’s festival of colour also known as Holi.
What do you think about the most anticipated sneaker releases of 2018?
Featured image: Instagram/ @jemuelwong
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2017 was one of the craziest years in recent memory for sneakerheads. All of the brands from the footwear industry stepped it up this year with the introduction of new technologies, execution of unique collaborative projects, and the return of many sought-after classic silhouettes. There were some amazing collaborations throughout the year with fashion designers, contemporary artists, musicians, retail boutiques, and even an owner of a buy/sell/trade store!
As difficult as it was to narrow down the ten best sneaker releases of this year, it was even harder to put them in order. Some shoes were more widely available, whereas certain ones were extremely limited and difficult to acquire.
Here are our ten best sneaker releases of 2017:
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Off-White x Air Jordan 1
Image: Instagram/@virgilabloh
Virgil Abloh, the man behind the luxury fashion brand Off-White, unveiled his collaborative project with Nike called “The 10” this year featuring his take on ten different silhouettes. His take on the iconic Air Jordan 1 was arguably the highlight of the entire collection and it was rightfully awarded the 2017 Shoe of the Year by Footwear News.
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Kaws x Air Jordan 4
Image: Instagram/@kaws
American pop artist Brian Donnelly, better known as Kaws, is best known for his sculptures and toys, but it was his collaboration with Jordan Brand on a pair of Air Jordan 4s that received the majority of the attention. Kaws gave the Air Jordan 4 a facelift with a full suede construction and notes of his artwork throughout the entire silhouette.
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Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 97/1
Image: Instagram/@sean_wotherspoon
On Air Max Day 2017, Nike ran a campaign that gave twelve individuals from throughout the world an opportunity to create and design their own sneakers. Sean Wotherspoon, owner of Round Two, won the campaign with a hybrid design featuring a corduroy Air Max 97 upper with an Air Max 1 sole.
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N.E.R.D. x adidas NMD Hu Trail
Image: adidas
Continuing to build off the success of Pharrell Williams and his work with adidas, this ComplexCon exclusive release of the adidas NMD Hu Trail is a collaboration with Pharrell’s music group, N.E.R.D. This all-black design with extremely limited availability was the most sought after release of ComplexCon and it instantly became the most coveted NMD Hu Trail.
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Off-White x Nike Air Presto
Image: Supply Store
Although the Air Jordan 1 by Virgil Abloh from ‘The 10’ collection took home the hardware for shoe of the year, the Air Presto was another highly coveted shoe from the collaboration. It followed the deconstructed theme of ‘The 10’ and it is arguably the second most sought-after pair from the collection.
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Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runner
Image: Hypebeast
Kanye West was able to ride the wave of the dad shoes movement and released a stylish pair featuring the Boost technology from adidas. The Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runner features vibrant colours and it is intentionally bulky by design, making it one of the most controversial sneaker releases of the year.
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UNDFTD x Nike Air Max 97
Image: SneakerNews
2017 was a big year for the Nike Air Max 97, celebrating its 20th anniversary, and it was celebrated through a collaboration with streetwear mainstay, UNDEFEATED. The first release of the collaboration saw two colourways of the Air Max 97, one black and the other white, featuring patent leather hits on the mudguard. The final colourway released at ComplexCon was the most coveted, featuring UNDFTD’s signature olive and orange colourway.
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Tom Sachs x Nike Mars Yard 2.0
Image: Hypebeast
Originally released in 2012, contemporary artist Tom Sachs collaborated with Nike on an updated version of the highly sought after Mars Yard shoe. After thorough wear-testing since its initial launch, the second iteration of the shoes features an update to the materials that are used to make it more durable, making this updated model a grail for many sneaker collectors.
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Nike Air VaporMax
Image: NiceKicks
Nike introduced one of its most controversial shoe design on this year’s Air Max Day, the Air VaporMax. This new design, dubbed the pinnacle of Nike’s ‘Air’ cushioning system, features a Flyknit upper which sits on exposed ‘Air’ units that compose the entire sole. The controversial design eventually won over numerous sceptics and became one of the best shoes of the year.
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HAVEN x adidas Consortium Ultra Boost Uncaged
Image: SneakerNews
Canadian retailer, HAVEN, collaborated with adidas on one of the best Consortium releases of the year with their Ultra Boost Uncaged. The collaboration features one of adidas’ most popular silhouettes, the Ultra Boost, done in the ever-popular triple black colourway. Through excellent execution, the HAVEN Ultra Boost Uncaged quickly became one of the most coveted adidas collaborations of the year.
What is your favourite sneaker release of 2017?
Featured image: Instagram/@virgilabloh
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There is always a tough decision to be faced when buying a new pair of shoes. Do you go for the pair that is readily available that other people may have or do you go out to find a specific pair that will help you stand out? If you decide to go on the hunt for rare sneakers, where do you even start the search? Do you search for a limited pair that released recently or do you go hunt for a pair that released years ago?
We were able to sit down with Sean Go, a photographer and YouTuber, and spoke with him about how to get your hands on rare sneakers.
What are some of the rarest shoes that you own?
I’m the type that wears 99% of my shoes, so I tend to gravitate away from absurdly “rare” shoes that can either fall apart due to their age, or are worth the price of a new car. However, some of my personal gems in my collection include the Nike Air Max Lunar 90 “Moon Landing”, Air Jordan 10 “OVO”, Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtle Dove”, Nike Air Max 1 Atmos “Elephant”, and Nike x Off White Zoom Fly.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbFSYkYBB0d/?hl=en&taken-by=sgo8
How were you able to get your hands on them?
I’m able to obtain my shoes through various means. Sometimes, this means being lucky in a store raffle, other times require that I camp out overnight in the cold, and in the worst case, I bite the bullet and pay a reseller. Luckily, I have friends both in the US and Canada that often look out for me and help me out when I strike out on my own.
Where would you search for your sought after grails?
I consider grails to be the one shoe I would keep if I was forced to get rid of all the other pairs in my collection. Currently, I already own my “grail”, which are the Air Jordan 3 ’88 “White/Cement”. It isn’t the most rare, nor is it worth that much on the secondary market, but it is a shoe that’s resonated with me since I can remember, and something I would hold on to over all the other more hyped sneakers that I own. In this case, I lucked out and grabbed them from Footaction, but if I did not own the pair today, I would search through consignment shops or sites (i.e. Flight Club & StockX), on sneaker marketplaces on Facebook, and attending sneaker conventions where rare shoes are often put up for sale.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTfwJyjDbvD/?hl=en&taken-by=sgo8
What are some of the best ways to find rare sneakers locally?
In Toronto, we have a few sneaker consignment shops, including Essential Toronto and Re-Run that stock some of the most sought-after shoes on the market. In addition, there are a wide variety of Facebook sneaker marketplaces (i.e. Toronto Shoe Game, Toronto Sneakerhead Marketplace, and Canada Sneaker Xchange) where every day people are able to post shoes for sale and trade. In addition, we are fortunate to have quite a few independent boutiques, such as Livestock, Capsule and Haven, which carry a lot of rare sneakers that people often camp overnight for, along with big-box retailers like Foot Locker, Footaction, and Champs.
What are your thoughts on sneaker purchasing apps such as StockX and GOAT?
I personally have purchased from both, and it’s a good method to feel assured that the product is going to be legitimate, without dealing with the risk or dangers of face-to-face meetups, and inconvenience of travelling to physically pick up the sneakers. However, coming from the US, these purchases are usually accompanied with duties due to the high price of these sneakers that we are importing into Canada. So with that said, I usually use StockX and GOAT as a last resort when I can’t find the shoe anywhere else in the city, and am prepared to pay the extra 30% or so on top of the purchase price for duties.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BY5xOWeD3Nh/?hl=en&taken-by=sgo8
Can you give us three pieces of advice on purchasing rare sneakers?
- Stay up to date on release information.
(i.e. which stores are receiving them, what time, raffle or first come first serve, etc.) - Be prepared to put in work.
(whether that means lining up for hours, running from store to store to enter raffles, or being quick on your fingers to check out online, etc.) - Missing out isn’t the end of the world – there will always be another “hot” shoe coming out sooner rather than later.
Would you be interested in purchasing rare sneakers?
Featured Images: Instagram/@sgo8
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