Sole Collector Magazine Issue 45 // The 10th Anniversary Issue

As hard as it is to believe it's been ten years, the latest issue of Sole Collector Magazine celebrates the Sole Decade.

words // Zac Dubasik

Much like a song can bring up thoughts of a certain place and time in your life, sneakers can have a similar effect on those of us that love them.

I remember the exact mall I was at the first time I saw the Air Zoom Generation in person, people I waited in line with for the Air Jordan XX, and seeing the first images of the South Beach 8 online. While this issue is a celebration of our 10th anniversary, it’s also a great chance to look back and remember the past 10 years.

Just from the examples given above, it’s crazy to see how much has changed. I never even had a good look at those AZGs until seeing them in person. These days, Trinidad James showed off details of the LeBron 11 for three months before its release.

Thanks to a combination of technology, an amazing era of athletes, and accessibility, the popularity of sneakers and sneaker culture has exploded over these past 10 years. It’s easy to say Sole Collector picked a great time to start up, and took advantage of that rise. But I’d like to think we also played at least a small part in it.

Thanks to all that increased popularity, it’s no longer crazy that a sneaker magazine could exist. Today, on top of magazines, there are countless blogs, new boutiques popping up constantly, and more people than ever wearing great sneakers. We just feel lucky that a culture exists where we get to talk about sneakers for a living. It wasn’t always this way, but it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The 10th Anniversary Issue of Sole Collector Magazine, featuring endless behind-the-scenes stories, our Top 10 shoes of the past ten years, and a look at the very best of the Sole Decade, is out now at Barnes &Nobles, House Of Hoops, as well as major Foot Locker and Footaction locations.

Sole Collector Magazine // Issue 45