by Eddie Vargas
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It’s hard to believe but at the start of this year people were still lining up in-person for sneaker drops. The NBA All-Star Game in Chicago saw mobs of people chase down trucks for Kanye’s QNTM silhouette, skate shops were holding in-store raffles for Dunks, and you could still walk into a Footlocker to pick up some GRs for the toe.
As the pandemic reared its ugly head, retailers worldwide were forced to pivot to eCommerce almost overnight. Many places struggled, while some shops like Union LA implemented immaculate anti-bot measures to their online stores, helping get more products into the hands of real fans than ever. This year, SoleSavy members and our team managed to cop most, if not all, of their favorite kicks online. With all this in mind, we figured we’d share our personal favorites from a year we won’t forget.
Dejan Pralica (CEO / Co-Founder)
Air Jordan “New Beginnings” Pack
2020 feels like the longest year ever but this special edition pack that takes us back to 1985 is a piece of my collection I will forever treasure. Every detail from craftsmanship to packaging was done with the utmost care and this for me is easily the best release of 2020.
Justin Dusanj (Director of Community / Co-Founder)
Travis Scott x Nike SB Dunk Low
All hype aside I’ve always had a thing for plaid and I love the suede upper. The rope laces were just icing on the cake! After my Air Monarchs (not even joking) these Travis Scott SB’s got the second most wears from me this year.
Adarsh Pallian (Managing Partner)
Air Dior High
Constructed with a level of quality several steps above your standard Jordan and limited to only 8000 pairs worldwide, the Air Dior High is easily one of the best shoes of the year and my personal favorite. While 2020 was a great year for the Jordan 1 Low (due in no small part to the success of the Air Dior Lows and the Travis Scott collab) the Dior Highs take the cake personally. Do I own a pair? You bet. Would I ever get rid of them? No way.
Eddie Vargas (Lead Content Editor)
JJJJound x New Balance 992 “Green” & “Grey”
Let’s get this out of the way first: that’s not a grey shoe, it’s brown. Moving on now.
There are no peel-away uppers, double-stacked midsoles, or cyber-punk lacing systems here, just high-quality materials, a minimalist aesthetic, and the lightest touch of branding for the subtle flex. The JJJJound x New Balance 992 is the perfect distillation of JJJJ founder Justin Saunder’s design ethos and my fav shoe of the year. The “Grey” colorway has an extra layer of storytelling to it as its design references their previous 990 v3 collab, a shoe that was infamously limited to a 100-pair run. The tasteful cream/white midsole on these shoes was also a breath of fresh air considering this year’s strange trend of DIY, yellow-dyed soles. Depending on how I feel on any particular day I might say the “Green” pair is better than the “Grey” or vice-versa, so I just chose both.
Hearsh Oberoi (Launch Manager)
Stüssy x Nike Spiridon Cage 2 “Fossil”
With their Spiridon Cage 2 collab earlier this March, Stüssy once again proved why they’ve been consistently setting the tone for many streetwear brands of today. Beige hemp overlays alongside subtle branding on this 2003 retro runner, makes this one of my favorite shoes of the year.
Dean Hilario (Digital Style Director)
WTAPS x New Balance 992
Me picking a New Balance for Sneaker of the Year is a testament to the incredible year the brand has had. Nike, I just wanna say I still love you, and not Sean Wotherspoon-type love, real love.
That aside, the WTAPS 992 was a flawless execution of a collab from all facets, I just wish they made more pairs! The design stays true to the WTAPS ethos without compromising on New Balance’s core elements, and they’re a collaborator with a real history with New Balance. WTAPS was one of the first stores to carry New Balance in Japan and it only made sense for them to get to do a 992.
Juan Hernandez (Social Media & Community Manager)
Joe Freshgoods x New Balance 992
In my opinion, when you think about the hype, impact, and quality of the New Balance 992 this year, you can point to this shoe as the kickstarter to it all. Released exclusively in Chicago during NBA All-Star weekend, there were lines blocks deep for this shoe. The energy that it brought to a city and weekend that is usually dominated by Jordan Brand was cool to see.
You had people skipping out on other releases to try and get their hands on some New Balances by a kid from Chicago. That’s pretty special. (Still looking for a size 10.5)
Braeden Stewart (Community Manager)
MMW x Nike Zoom 004
Matthew M. Williams is back again with another innovative silhouette that combines a futuristic look with some of Nike’s latest and greatest tech. The MMW x Nike Zoom 004 has been at the forefront of my radar since its initial unveiling all the way back in February during New York Fashion Week. Easily one of the most polarizing drops of 2020, I fell in love with its brutalist look and incredibly chunky aesthetic that pushed boundaries among the deconstructed and multi-layered sneakers this year. Simply put, there was nothing else like this in 2020. Period.
Robert Strickland (Community Manager)
Nike Space Hippie 03 OG
Look…when someone says “space” and “sneaker” in the same breath, I’m gonna listen. So when Nike announced the Space Hippie pack (specifically the 03), I couldn’t have been more hyped. Are they corny? Yeah, kinda. Are they still my favorite shoe I’ve bought during this absolutely insane year? 100%.
Images 1 – 3 Dean Hilario / SoleSavy
Image via Haven
Image via END.
Image via Haven
Image via New Balance
Image via Concepts
Image via Nike