The Top 10 Sneakers Of 2018

Selected by sneaker Magazine Editor Rami Eiserfey.

POSTED BY RAMI EISERFEY

Just as multi-faceted and intense as the rapeseed scene, numerous promising sneakers from brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Puma came onto the market this year -Just in time for Christmas. It's time to review the year and the list of the ten strongest models.

10th: Union L.A. x Jordan 1

Union represents cool fashion and chic sneakers since 1989. The store in New York was the starting shot for a legendary second store in Los Angeles, which is regarded as a permanent fixture in sneaker and streetwear circles. Almost 30 years after their founding, they were able to design their own Jordan. The result speaks for itself: Chris Gibbs, the founder of Union, worked with the original colors of the model and used a very obvious stitch pattern to create a mash-up we've never seen before. Published in two Colorways, these two Jordan 1 shoes go between 500-800 Euros on the third market.

9th: Nike Air Max TN OG

The 187-Rapper LX and I have only a few things in common. But one thing that unites us both is the unbridled love for a fresh pair of Air Max TNs. So at the end of this year I was very pleased with the news that Foot Locker is now bringing all the OG Colorways from the 90s back onto the market with new materials. So I was not forced to buy an old shoe for a lot of money, and my brother LX was happy about more "shark nikez". The "Tiger"-Colorway is, by the wa,y my absolute favorite. However, if you should be in a strange city, let's say, BAVARIA, I advise you against the shoes. The Air Max TN has always stood for guys from the street. And even though we have 2019 soon, some policemen still seem to follow old patterns.

8th: Vans Vault Slip-On x John Van Hamersveld

It is always nice to see sneaker brands venturing pop cultural cooperation. This is what happened with Vans Vault x John Van Hamersveld. Vans Vault is the premium line of Vans, which has worked with many established brands and artists like Takashi Murakami or WTAPS in the past. The slip-on by the Dutch artist John Van Hamersveld has particularly impressed me. On the one hand the shoe pays tribute to the work of the artist, who already designed covers for musicians like the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix, and on the other hand the inscription "Crazy world, ain't it" describes my mood on 360 days a year. Anyone who wants to convince even die-hard sneakerheads with good taste has done everything right with these slippers from Vans Vault. Since the collaboration was completely under the radar of the local Hypebeasts, some models are still available.

7th: Adidas Yung-1

Nowadays it is almost impossible to create a sneaker that pleases ALL. With the Yung-1, Adidas has found at least one model that 98% of all people I know would give a clear "thumbs up". The shoe was teased months before its release, and the waiting seemed almost unbearable. When the model finally came out together with the Adidas Falcon for women, you could hardly see a shoe without 3 stripes on the streets. The model is derived from the Adidas Falcondorf from the 90's and has finally sealed the comeback of the decade full of Eurodance, Grunge and the Neue Deutsche Welle. As if that wasn't enough, the shoe is also so comfortable that I had chosen it as my festival shoe at this year's Splash!

6th: Puma x Ader Error RS-100

Sometimes you can't see the shoe behind all the hype. In such cases it can never hurt to hire outside experts to clear the fog with fresh ideas and bold designs. In the case of Puma, it was the South Koreans from Ader Error who brought a breath of fresh air to the Herzo archive and reinterpreted iconic silhouettes in their own way. So the Puma x Ader Error RS-100 immediately made it into my shoe closet at home. The matching clothes are also awesome and make every Berlin fashion show look like a village party. For 2019, I wish Puma more things with labels like Ader Error or Han Kjobenhavn, because only those who let others take the wheel will reach their destination.

5th: Nike React Element 87

Should you ever have the pleasure of attending a genuine regular sneaker roundtable, you will hear more often that the brands "no longer have any innovations at all these days". This statement comes mostly from people who are still upset about autotune in 2018 and would rather listen to the same oldschool albums for 30 years before they even turn on a single Migos track. However, Nike has shown this year with the React Element 87 that these people should rather be relegated to the youth center where they come from. The shoe is progressive, has a transparent upper and a look you've never seen on a shoe before. A true innovation. Four different models of the Japanese brand Undercover also provided a certain Japanese flavor. The shoe is very light, can be combined cool with colored socks, thanks to the partly transparent upper material, and is therefore not for anything at the top of many annual charts.
 

4th: Adidas Futurecraft x Daniel Arsham

The Adidas innovation forge Futurecraft stands for unusual and future-oriented designs. While some shoes come completely from the 3D printer, other models were produced using light symbiosis. These models run under the name "4D" and currently represent the fastest little horse at Herzogenaurach. When the American artist Daniel Arsham created his own monochrome version on the model, many agreed that contemporary art met futuristic shoe design within this project. The only reason why this shoe doesn't reach number 1 in these charts is the high retail price of over 400 Euros, which unfortunately frightened many fans, including me. But it's good. Innovation should have its price.

3rd: Kiko Kostadinov x Asics Gel-Delva

The first place on the podium was a surprise success that nobody had expected. Asics had a difficult year in 2017. The evergreen Gel-Lyte III didn't want to ignite anymore, and the fans were tired of the same design of the Japanese brand. This year's move deserves a lot of recognition. The brand collaborated with Bulgarian fashion designer Kiko Kostadinov and released a collaboration on Gel-Burz 2, a typical running shoe without big lifestyle airs. The shoes were very high-priced and were already around 350 Euros in retail. What was to happen later certainly surprised not only Asics, but everyone else as well. All quantities from the local high fashion shops were completely sold out within a very short time. What's more, they were even resold on the third market for 500 Euros. The dream team consisting of Bulgaria and Japan dominated the year and broke through the dominance of the Swoosh and the 3-Stripes. The completely black Gel-Delva made it into my personal collection. Despite its high popularity the shoe still seems to make the sneakerheads suspicious. I don't care much about that. Rather an exciting and difficult design than to pull through the same old lyre for a lifetime.

2nd: Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 97/1

If a shoe manages to be celebrated on all social media one year before its actual release and then still cause mass hysteria on release day, then it can only be the hybrid of Round Two founder Sean Wotherspoon. In 2017, the community was able to choose their favorite out of twelve designs. The people decided and Sean became a star overnight. The Air Max was honored worldwide for its release and, thanks to its uppers, the shoe also initiated a revival of the cord. Even today, about nine months after its release, fans are still willing to offer 600 euros for a pair in their size. Good luck with that! At least I won't sell mine so fast.

1st: Parra x Nike Air Max 1 "Friends & Family"

There can only be one shoe at the pole position. Even if some people would say that this choice is unfair, it's about my personal opinion and I can't get past this machine. Short about the story: I was invited to the Parra x Nike Family-Dinner in Berlin. I expected that I, like many others, would get the regular Air Max 1 from Parra, which would have been enough for me! Since the early 2000s, the Dutch artist has been an integral part of the Nike family. His shoes are as beautiful as they are unreachable. The "Burgundy", which was created in cooperation with the Dutch store Patta, is currently sold for about 3000,- Euro. With these facts in mind, I unpacked my shoe at dinner and realized: Nike has actually the "Friends and Family" version of the shoe for me. Sneakers with such a designation cannot be bought, as they are only issued to friends of the brand. This shoe shows me that I have apparently also become a part of the Nike family, which honors me incredibly. Unfortunately this web format is too short to express my complete gratitude, but so much in advance: at the time of dinner some sneakerheads offered up to 11.000 Euro for the shoe. Nuff said. 2018 was good to me. 2019 can come!

 

Next up, Nike Launches New Metallic Gold Vapormax 2019

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