The Top 10 Sneaker Collaborations of 2014

Check out our choices.

What make’s a good sneaker collab? There’s a lot of criteria that people use to judge how good co-branded project is, and none of them are wrong. When it came to coming up with Sole Collector’s best collabs of the year, we looked at factors such as originality, storytelling, and overall impact on culture. See where your favorite sneaker collaboration ranked (or if it made the cut at all) below:

 

Rank: 10

Shoe: Ronnie Fieg x PUMA Achromatic

Price: $180

Month: July

2014 will (or at least should) be remembered as a year in which sneakers got simple. While mainstream collections spun ridiculous stories, smaller brands, designers, and stores bucked the status quo and slimmed down color palate. Ronnie Feig’s Achromatic (colorless) collection with Puma, which sold at Dover Street Market, was at the vanguard of the black or white trend that took hold of the world’s fashion centers. How can a black shoe be a great collaboration? Fair question. The answer comes in selection of silhouette—the XT-2 has some nice, subtle volumes—and level of production. Feig’s hallmark is giving consumers bang for buck. He did it best here (glove leather is always great).

 

Rank: 9

Shoe: Maison Martin Margiela x Converse Leather Collection

Price: $250

Month: May

Hand-painted uppers have long been one of the most popular treatments of Margiela’s high-end take on the German Army Trainer, so it was no surprise to see this method incorporated when the brand teamed up with Converse last year. This year’s version upped the luxury factor, by painting over leather, rather than canvas, in multiple colors to be revealed through wear. 

 

Rank: 8

Shoe: CNCPTS x New Balance 997 "Rosé"

Price: $235

Month: November

In 2014, the deep (and arguably contrived) stories that are tied into sneaker releases are every day, and indeed almost all the SMUs out there, are connected to some bit of culture, esoteric or mainstream. Maybe sensing the saturation in that regard, Concepts backed off a little bit with the theme on this luxurious Made in USA pair. Sure there was a nickname, Rosé, and they were inspired by a member of their team's affinity for that drink, but they didn't exactly hit people over the head with a complex story. They threw some bright bits in with the croc-embossed 3M and didn't feel the need to tell customers why. The focus instead seemed to be on the materials, which was fitting for a silhouette that's bound to stand head and shoulders above most in that regard thanks to its domestic production. Don't forget that the shoe also marked an important moment in Concepts history - the expansion of their empire to NYC.

 

Rank: 7

Shoe: Foot Patrol x Nike Huarache Light

Price: £120

Month: July

With only 500 pairs released worldwide, it was one of the most limited sneaker releases of the year. London’s concrete streets and buildings inspired the United Kind boutique’s greyed-out take on the Huarache Light, but the sneaker wasn’t completely muted. Slight details like speckled laces, speckled soles, and 3M hits helped bring the sneaker to life, along with rich suede in the upper. If this project is an indicator of what Nike has done in the past with re-introducing sportswear silhouettes, you can expect a wider release other Huarache Light colorways in 2015.

 

Rank: 6

Shoe: Packer Shaq Attaq

Price: $170

Month: March

Tasked with the job of re-working Shaq’s first signature shoe, Packer drew inspiration from his silver screen debut in Blue Chips. The team colors of fictional Western University brought a fresh, sporty look to the retro, while a matching practice tank and gym bag added to its authenticity. The concept was proof that you don’t need a contrived idea to pull off a great and meaningful collab.

 

Rank: 5

Shoe: Riccardo Tisci x Nike AF1 Collection

Price: Starting at $230

Month: March

Nike’s collaboration with Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci earned a spot on our list for two reasons, in addition to the quality of the sneaker itself. One, it marked Nike’s first high-profile collaboration with the high fashion world. And two, rather than simply changing colors and materials like every other shoe on the list, it actually altered the silhouette of some of the most beloved sneakers in the Nike library. 

 

Rank: 4

Shoe: Supreme x Nike Air Foamposite One

Price: $250

Month: April

In 2014, Supreme broke the rules with their Nike Air Foamposite One. For one, Foamposites have never been the subject of collaborations, save for the pair from this very site and the ParaNorman - the latter of which barely counts as ParaNorman's production company is within the Nike umbrella. On top of that, the wave of graphic Foams as a whole has been maligned, save for the first two that hit, so the odds were sort of stacked against them. Rather than taking the easy way out by slapping some Futura Heavy Oblique text on the upper and calling it a day, the team threw a garish, Versace-looking print all over the top and kept the actual "Supreme" branding to a minimum. It worked - just ask the hundreds of customers on Lafayette and around the world who went wild for the project. Some may claim that the more traditional Air Force 1 High trio from this year deserves this spot on account of that shoe's stronger NYC ties, but the Foams here better represent Supreme's middle finger attitude when it comes to traditions and expectations.

 

Rank: 3

Shoe: Fragment x Air Jordan 1

Price: $165

Month: December

How much credit should Hiroshi Fujiwara’s imprint get for this design? At its core, the fragment Air Jordan 1 is just the classic ‘Black Toe’ colorway with a royal twist. It worked when they did the ‘Celtics’ DMP shoe in 2009 and there’s a good chance it’ll work with whatever other color they throw in. Still, it was fragment that moved forward with this colorway and maybe Fujiwara should get some credit for not trying to do too much with a silhouette that has seen way too many unnecessary releases.

 

Rank: 2

Shoe: Diamond Supply Co. x Nike SB Dunk High

Price: $108

Month: February

One of the most coveted SB's of all time was re-imagined as a high top for 2014. It was no surprise that the Diamond Dunk Highs were an instant sell-out, and one of the most sought-after releases of the year. If you don't have the original release or prefer highs to lows, you definitely needed to pick these up, if you could.

 

Rank: 1

Shoe: Lance Mountain x Air Jordan 1 SB

Price: $150

Month: June

The Air Jordan 1 may have had just as much of an impact on the skate world as it did on basketball courts. Nike took that relationship to the next level this year when it launched a Nike SB version of the first flagship Jordan Brand sneaker. The second edition of the first (official) Jumpman skate shoe, got a special touch from pro Lance Mountain.  Harkening back to an era when skaters would DIY paint over their sneakers, Mountain’s take on the shoe was unique in the way that the sneaker’s true colorway was only revealed as layers of paint chipped off over time. The concept was a first for the Jordan Brand, and a unique way of celebrating the sneaker’s history in two separate genres.