With the month of December quickly coming to an end we thought we would share with you our 14 favorite sneakers of 2014. While every ones list is going to vary here and there depending on your specific taste there are a handful of sneakers this year that have really pushed the envelope and are sure to be classic drops when we look back on 2014.
So without further ado continue below for our personal list of the 14 sneakers this year that really made an impact on us and will stay in heavy rotation now and into the new year.
While there were several different Air Jordan 1's to release this year in "remastered PE" versions and also a couple newer colorways in the high cut silhouette, this OG White/Black colorway remains the best of the year for the Jordan 1. When you pair the versatility of this colorway with the surprisingly good construction and materials this is a simple no brainer nobody can deny.
2014 was a great year for the Air Force 1 to say the least. What could be considered Nike's most classic sneaker gained a huge amount of support thanks to trend setters like John Geiger and some other strong releases like the Supreme AF1 High but this classic throwback was our favorite. The Mid cut "Flax" colorway was a culmination of perfect Fall release timing and a timeless colorway that we haven't seen in over a decade. Nike did the shoe justice as well with buttery materials making this a sure fire must have when you look back on the year.
While Kanye may have stole the show news wise when it comes to adidas we have to show love to Pharrell who was the one actually putting some great collabs on the shelf with the team from adidas originals. This all black murdered out Stan Smith was our favorite of the year thanks to its versatile low key presence and the premium leather used making it one of the comfortable shoes you can keep in your weekly rotation. Whats not to love about an all black premium leather Stan Smith with Pharrell ties?
You could call this the sleeper of the year thanks to the fact that this classic "Scream Green" Huarache is still sitting on shelves as we speak you can grab these under retail with ease. One of the original colorways to drop of the Huarache does things the right way with actual tumbled leather on the upper and comfort that is hard to match. Do yourself a favor if you haven't scooped these up already and get on it. You will be kicking yourself years from now when these dry up and prices are double what they are now.
The comfy king? The adidas Pure Boost is hard to beat when it comes to straight up cushion and comfort. There is a reason you see Kanye wearing these all the time and its not just because he signed to adidas. The sleek all black and white sole version was definitely a ground breaking shoe this year and the tech used here is sure to have a longstanding impact on sneakers moving into the last 5 years of this decade.
While this past weekends "Legend Blue" Jordan XI was the hype magnet of 2014 it was the Jordan VI "Infrared" that got us foaming at the mouth. Many people complained about the brightness or pinkness of the actual infrared used on the shoe but when you go back and compare pairs from the year they were actually released back in the 90's you can see this is actually a pretty spot on representation of the OG. The versatility of this specific colorway is only matched by 1 or 2 other Jordan's period and the chance to get your hands on a fresh pair this year was something you shouldn't have skipped on.
Its crazy when you look back on 2014 and how much of an impact adidas really had on the sneaker culture not only because of solid silhouettes and colorways but because of the way they collab with the entertainment figures that influence us all. Pusha T was the years last collab with adidas and it hands down was the best effort adidas has put out which is really saying something. The execution here is grand slam worthy with some additional details in the packaging as well like zip lock bags enclosing each shoe. I mean c'mon how can you not appreciate this cream, scaly masterpiece?
Image by The Shoe Game
The Sock Runner was somewhat of a mystery shoe most of the year with just teasers and leaked images floating around for the most part. Thankfully Nike let the cat out the bag this month and we were all blessed with this Presto influenced cozy runner. This super clean shoe brings you right back to when the original Presto dropped years ago. This Olive colorway was definitely our favorite so far but we cant wait to see if other patterned colorways are to come.
Bodega teamed up with Asics in what most could consider an off year for Asics but thankfully they both did there thing with this "Get Wet" Pack. The two shoe release paired with an equally as dope windbreaker with the color accents rocking some heavy old school Tommy Hilfiger influence that we love. The addition of waterproof GORE-TEX construction made this our favorite Asics release of the year. Shout to everyone at Bodega for killing this drop.
adidas also teamed up with Solebox on hands down this extremely well done EQT Running Guidance '93. The muted grey/black/white colorway had some of the best color blocking we have seen on a shoe this year and the small splashes of red and Solebox branding on the heel made this an in house favorite. You can be rest assured anytime Solebox gets the keys to the car they produce some of the best colorways regardless of the canvas and this shoe is proof.
When news broke that Riccardo Tisci would be teamed up with NSW on a series of AF1's it was definitely a landmark moment in 2014. The last "Beige" series from the collection was our favorite over the white and black versions and the Mid cut version was the single best from that pack. There was something about that color scheme on that mid top silhouette that will forever be hard to top when you talk about Air Force 1's. The premium construction, materials and overall feel you get when wearing this shoe makes it one of our top 14 of the year.
Image by Highsnobiety
When leaked images of this "Bleached Denim" Air Max 90 we all thought the same thing. That's a dope shoe but you know its not only going to be pricey but its going to be hard to get thanks to it more than likely being an Atmos only release. Thankfully they turned out to be a lot more easier to get your hands on than initially thought and the shoe itself lived up to the high expectations in more ways than one. Premium denim, suede and even snakeskin all lent themselves nicely to this shoe that is sure to be one of the classic Air Max 90's when you look back on this year.
If you would have put your money on Saucony a couple years ago when things were looking a little bleak you would be a wealthy man. 2014 has been a breakout year for the brand thanks to some outstanding releases like this "Snow Beach" Packer Shoes collab. You want to talk about classic throwback hip-hop and fashion this shoe represents all of that to the highest level. With the influence coming from the iconic Raplh Lauren "Snow Beach" windbreaker worn by Raekwon in the "Can't it all be so simple" video they really did there thing with this shoe. Much love to Packer Shoes and Saucony for killing this shoe.
Rounding out our list is the adidas Y-3 Qasa High in the super ninja "All Black" colorway. When you talk about straight up tech and forward thinking design this specific shoe may take the crown for 2014. There just has never been a shoe like it in more ways than one. In a year when the Ninja Turtles even made there big screen comback its fitting that a shoe like this dropped as well. Now if they could only get Donatello to rock a pair we would be even more happy.
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