2016 was one of the strangest years in modern memory, and the same can be said about sneaker collaborations over the past 12 months. What made 2016 different wasn’t that anything crazy or newsworthy happened in the world of kicks, but rather the complete opposite: It was an unusually lukewarm year for collaborative footwear.
Still, there were a few notable moments that stood out above the rest, and they gave hope for the future of such sneaker projects. Typically, these collaborations comprise sneaker boutiques and footwear brands take on beloved shoes from the late ’80s and early ’90s, but that changed a bit this year. Adidas launched a handful of collaborations via performance sneakers and brand-new models, while Nike revisited silhouettes from the early 2000s, as well as some of its tried-and-true favorites.
This created a mix where sneaker enthusiasts were able to diversify their closets and get interested in sneakers they previously hadn’t considered, which is never a bad thing. 2016 also saw streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape and Supreme get involved with shoes that had a big impact with hypebeasts, resellers, and collectors. Everyone won, even if this year’s pickings were slim. To keep things level, we also left off brand partnerships like marquee artists like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams for Adidas off this list. Here’s how the rest of the collaborative efforts matched up.
Source: Complex Sneakers
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