My 10 Favorite Shoes of 2024
And what to expect in 2025...
I’m so much more inspired to write this list this year. Let’s be real. Since the pandemic, the sneaker game’s been thrown for a loop. Lockdown laziness greased the proliferation of slides and EVA foam slip-ons. Supply-chain issues broke the drop calendar. And Nike’s big bet on DTC backfired once COVID retreated, capsizing the industry leader and destabilizing the marketplace around it.
In the aftermath, sneaker trends have reshuffled around a new set of contenders. As seen in generations past, when Nike’s basketball sneakers stumble, trail and hiking shoes step in. There’s been a decided movement towards boots, boat shoes, and loafers as well. And as I wrote about in last year’s sneakers list (what I called the Year of the Non-Sneaker), the idea of the sneaker itself was reexamined. Cartoonish parodies placed farce over fashion and function.
In 2024, many of the sneaker brands found their footing again (okay, that’s the last pun, I promise) and we saw the formations of a renaissance. Nike’s appointment of veteran Elliott Hill to CEO symbolized a renewed emphasis on culture and creativity. I believe it’ll still be a couple years before Nike reclaims its crown, but we’ve already seen some splashy statements out of Beaverton with their ComplexCon takeover (Travis, Yachty) and .SWOOSH’s Low Poly AM1, which featured first on Kai Cenat’s stream.
Meanwhile, trail and gorpcore sneakers have gone mainstream. New Balances used to be classified as normcore dad-shoes. HOKAs were almost ironically adopted by COVID hikers. Today, On has gone from niche to normalized. They’re even reconsidered as fashion-forward. This genre is primed for a challenge and could be facing disruption as well.
Perhaps it’ll come from contemporary basketball sneakers, like Complex’s Sneaker of the Year, adidas Basketball’s AE1. Teenage boys put more effort into what the camera frames -- their broccoli haircuts – then what’s on their feet. While they schlep around in battered slides and beater AF1s, they do invest in technical performance and on-court shoes.
The loudest sneaker statement was the silence coming out of Crocs and MSCHF. Both brands caused seismic upheaval in recent years – not only in terms of sales, but in how we were liberated from historical limitations around sneaker theory. But 2024 was relatively flat for both brands. The EVA clog kings are experiencing a downturn in momentum. MSCHF has yet to follow up the success of its Big Red Boot. Its coolest product this year was a Hypercolor T-shirt with the popular DJ Fred again.
All this to say that it’s an exciting and hopeful time for sneakers again. We’re at a real inflection point where the shoe game can continue down a postmodern path of deconstruction. Or, as signs appear to be pointing towards, sneaker culture may be resetting for a revival, marked by earnest sincerity and storytelling. My hope is for the latter!
Here are some of my favorite sneakers and shoes of 2024:
When slides slide right off the trend map, Birkenstocks will remain. Every time the heritage sandal maker returns to the zeitgeist, its legacy is further embedded in fashion history. Accordingly, Birkenstock need not engage in the collaboration program; they’re the last brand that needs to reinvigorate their relevance with marketing ploys.
So, every time they venture into a partnership, I pay extra special attention. There must be a thoughtful reason. For example, this year, Birkenstock furnished intelligent projects with Union and BEAMS. My favorite collab flew under the radar though, which makes it even more elusive and exotic. LA-based design team CHAMP issued a series of design-forward Birks, but their Boro Birks are an artistic triumph. The designers harvested 75 reworked and sashiko-stitched Japanese blankets from local flea markets, and applied patchwork across Bostons, Arizonas, and Zurichs. Hard to find, easy to love.
Kids Of Immigrants x Nike Air Max Sunder
I could’ve dedicated an entire entry around the resurrection of the Nike Air Max Sunder in 2024, but it’s the Kids of Immigrants collaboration that brings it into 2025. The streetwear designers preserved the zipper enclosure, internal lacing system, and midsole, but liberated the upper of the Sunder’s mudguard. In its place, a web grid balances the retro ACG stylings with neo-futuristic overtones. It’s a precise alchemy of nostalgia and progression that only Nike can concoct.
JJJound pretty much holds a reserved parking space on my sneaker lists at this point. I almost got away this year without giving into one of their many notable collabs (including one of the best Timbs of 2024, and also Gore-Tex NBs), but their latest ASICS GT-2160 was impossible to ignore. I dodged the first two editions, but the surprise third colorway was a reverse-negative of the white pair. [Command + I]’d that shit.
Dr. Martens X Supreme 1461 3-Eye Oxford
I don’t think there is any piece of footwear more ubiquitous in my closet right now than Dr. Martens. Like a potato chip, it’s hard to stop at just one. I’m now at the level where the base classics aren’t enough, yet, I’m hesitant to get into garish patterns or boisterious colorways. The Supreme collaboration 1461 struck me immediately as masterpieces; the shoes are painted with a “rub-off” application that tells an evolving story with time. The result is a shoe with character, that doesn’t feel aged as much as it feels earned.
New Balance x Bricks & Wood 1906 Utility
These days, some of the coolest shoe collabs are the most subtle. So much so, that it’s near impossible to tell where a collaboration reveals itself in the design. With Bricks & Wood X New Balance, it is immediately apparent that this is a special shoe, one that neither party could achieve on their own. What I love most about Daniela Barraza’s design is the storytelling around it, the accents themed around the Madagascan sunset moth, and how invested the team was in working on this together. The Bricks & Wood way!
Clarks continues its upward trajectory. Like Birks and Timbs, Clarks are evergreen. From Wu-Tang to VandythePink, the Wallabee’s unexpected marriage of a moccasin upper and a crepe sole has maintained relevance from one generation to the next. Today, there is no better brand to speak directly to the youth than Tyler’s GOLF le FLEUR. Many collaborators preserve the gritty street color palette with the suede upper, but Tyler, the Creator does it his way with a heart-printed pastel green. The type of design influence that forever changes how you see that shoe.
Veneda Carter x Timberland® 6-Inch Boot
After a red-hot Paris Fashion Week, 2024 was set to be Timberland’s year. Of all the collaborations, from Louis Vuitton to Supreme, this Veneda Carter spin on the yellow boot was an obvious twist on a closet staple. Mimicking a glazed donut, the waterproof boot gives this workwear armor a nouveau fashion patina. Slick, sexy, and strong.
Bad Bunny x adidas Gazelle Indoor
After a productive couple years, adidas eased their foot off the Samba in 2024, falling back on its cousins like the Spezial and Gazelle. The most standout offering was its most fundamental: a traditional black-and-white soccer shoe with a gum midsole. Co-signed by their biggest celebrity partner, Bad Bunny. I love how overstated the marketing is against the most understated, wearable shoe.
Air Force 3 Low x NIGO “Escape Force”
Air Force 2s and Air Force 3s mirror the Hollywood trope where a trilogy’s sequels are never as good as the original. NIGO turns that on its head with his take on the Air Force 3. This chunky, Japanese pop culture infused basketball shoe is ripped straight out of the pages of manga fantasy. I love the traditional white leather against the primary colors in mixed materials. There are so many panels to play with, but also so many ways to get this shoe wrong. NIGO gets it all the way right.
Vans OTW Old Skool Reissue 36 X Satoshi Nakamoto
VANS has captured the culture’s attention in 2024 with its top-shelf OTW program and its collaborators: Carpet, UNDERCOVER, Sterling Ruby. Satoshi Nakamoto, the brand, is as mysterious as its crypto creator namesake. From what I understand, this collab began as a customization. VANS then co-signed their interpretation of the Old Skool Reissue 36, embellished with pearls and crystals, and a dirtied midsole that makes the shoe feel worn and loved. I can’t tell which pair I like more - the original green pair or the burgundy Friends & Family edition with its checkerboard tongue.
And what can we expect in 2025?? … —>