End of Year Wrap Up
A strong year for footwear again: 20 from 2022
An Overture:
Another year comes to a close. And with it brings tiding of good will, celebration and reflection. Different people think about different things at this time of year. Me? I think about watching Home Alone, The Grinch, and The Godfather. I think about how much I’ve listened to Dave Holland and John Coltrane throughout the year again. I think about how many comics I’ve spent my time reading when I should have been writing. But most of all I think about my favourite shoes and albums that have come out. This year it was really hard for me to figure out what made that list and how to write about them in a way that didn’t feel like watchmojo’s top 10 lists. I don’t think I’ve quite figured out the latter but as for the former, I figured out what made my list.
But before I get there some boring stuff out of the way: This list has included all brands and mixes collaboration and general releases — which I didn’t know if it was a good idea since I really only know about New Balance and even then what I know is pretty small compared to others out there. That being said, this list contains 20 of the years best sneakers from my point of view from all brands. It also contains 4 shoes that I do not own which some people don’t include in their lists but I can’t deny the impact and my love of those 4 shoes even if I wasn’t able to get them myself. All that to say that this is my opinion and with it comes my own rules. And that’s why it’s pretty boring to hear about them.
I’ll just say one other thing before I get into it, lists are a pretty subjective and distracting thing to have. It’s distracting to think about what makes the list, why it should make it, where it should fall and how good it is. Who knows what will be remembered in 10 years time. Some say it’s all ephemera. Whether that allures you or not is not for me to decide. The old collectors say that things are changing for the worst and maybe they’re right. But it doesn’t mean we can’t all enjoy a little sunshine while the daylight is still burning. You get what you put into a habit as unforgiving as collecting shoes. Sometimes if you’re lucky you can make some friends along the way and share that hobby together. Everyone has a different opinion, everyone thinks about different things on Christmas, some don’t even think about it all. It gets like that.
20: Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance: 550 “Purple”
20: Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance: 550 “Purple”
My first pair of 550’s. Took a few years but I eventually got around to grabbing them. I don’t really want to say a whole lot about them or the 550 in general because I may or may not be planning to write another column about these exact shoes and the silhouette. What I will say is that I was not going to settle for a GR 550. I at least wanted something more than just a GR especially since over here in Australia it was just as hard to the GR as it was to get the collab. I figured if I’m going to chase something than at least let it be something worth chasing. So after finding this on eBay, bartering the seller down to a price that I still felt was too high to pay, I got them. A win… I guess.
In terms of this pack, I think it’s some of the best colours ALD used with their leather 550 run. I like the earthy/muddy tones they used with this pack and I was happy to scoop one of these up. I guess these are making the list because funnily enough 550’s were one of the most difficult shoes I’ve had to deal with getting and even though I paid more than I wanted, I still got them. I didn’t compromise, I just waited. I just wish they were more comfortable to wear. I wanted to see what the hype was about and boy I find out real quick. I guess the win element of this shoe was the reason it made my list, the cop was one of the most satisfying for me this year even if it was for a model that I’m kinda indifferent about.
19: Patta x Mizuno: Sky Medal
19: Patta x Mizuno: Sky Medal
t’s first Mizuno. I have to be honest, I didn’t know much about Mizuno before this year but the brand as well as the Sky Medal has always enticed me. The fact that these were debuted at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the fact that these have a quintessential 90’s aesthetic, and a really beautiful shape always stood out to me. This year the right time and right collaboration came around for me to scoop them. I think it took me a while to jump on the brand because in Australia it’s kind of difficult to get the better pairs of Mizuno’s. And I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of paying a lot of shipping or conversion rates especially to get a brand I never have worn before. The Patta Sky Medal from this year dropped in Aus boutiques and were very easy to get which is kind of surprising for a Patta collabo. But I’m not complaining. I said this on my instagram when I posted about these shoes these really reminded me of the Up There x Saucony: Shadow 6000 “Doors to the World” collaboration last year. The similar colour blocking and era of the shoes really drew me in. Shadow 6000’s are one of my favourite silhouettes ever, and I think Sky Medal’s have that same potential for me. And this is the pair that started that thought process for me. History has to start somewhere.
18: Slow Steady Club x New Balance: 990v5 Pack
Well, here’s my first shoe that I don’t own. The Korean Slow Steady Club collaboration with a beloved silhouette of mine the 990v5. I’m mostly highlighting the brown pair here. I don’t mind the cream one but I couldn’t see myself getting it. It’s very close to a nimbus cloud and I’m hesitant to get those really light coloured NB’s it kills me inside when I see them scuffed. As for why I didn’t get it? It was a hard release for Aussies to get and I wasn’t going to hunt resale for it. So straight away I guess you’re wondering why it made the list at all this year when I didn’t chase them in a year where I bought way too many shoes. Well, that’s a good question. One I can… mostly answer. I didn’t buy them because they were very limited, hard to source retail, and too expensive and untrustworthy resale. I don’t often like to play into stockX’s game and perpetuate a cycle that I don’t like. Resale for profit isn’t something I do, and I don’t like being apart of the problem by buying into someone else’s profit. No matter how much I like the shoe. That’s not to say that I haven’t done it before. It’s just to say I like to limit doing it.
As for why this shoe made my list? Other than the fact that it’s absolutely gorgeous, it was something I had wanted for a long time. A while ago I posted on my Instagram the need for more meaningful 990v5 collaborations before the 990v6 inevitably took the spotlight away from the silhouette. And hallelujah, my prayers were answered. Not only did this beautiful collaboration drop this year but we also were treated to a Beams SSZ x Akio Hasegawa x New Balance 990v5 as well. Both of these collaborations did a fantastic job of actualising my daydreams on an underrated silhouette. I still feel like there could have been more, but I’m happy with what we got, even if they were Korean and Japanese exclusives. They’re still some of the best shoes this year. I just happened to like the Slow Steady Club’s brown 990v5 best. That’s why it made the list.
17: AFEW x Asics: GT-II “Chocolate Blush”
17: AFEW x Asics: GT-II “Uplifting Pack”
I said just before on the Sky Medal blurb that the Shadow 6000 was one of my favourite silhouettes ever and that the Sky Medal had the potential to be one. Well this is another certified favourite silhouette of mine. The GT-II. I picked up my first GT-II last year with the “Goraiko” pack. And ever since they’ve been my favourite Asics silhouette. They’re incredible. The comfort, the shape, the tongue, the colour blocking possibilities, and specifically on that Goraiko pack, the materials. They pretty much cross every t and dot every i when it comes to what I look for in a shoe. I prefer them over the unforgivingly narrow and personally lamented split tongue sporting Gel-Lyte III, I prefer them over the previously-under-now-over-hyped Kayano 14, and I prefer them over the personally loved Skycourt that Asics can’t seem to make anyone other than me and my fiance like. I find GT-II’s underrated and under loved. I bought both of the GT-II’s from the uplifting pack at retail and that was a mistake since they’re going for less than half every where I see them now and I really can’t understand it. Especially with this pair. It’s one of the best shoes of the year for me and for everyone else they don’t seem to give two shits about it. I thought people liked this colour pallette and hairy suede accents?
As for AFEW, I’ll be honest, I don’t know too much about them. I obviously know the famous Koi GLIII, and really wanted the Time & Space Shadow 5000, but outside of that, I’m not too knowledgeable. I wouldn’t say I chase their collaborations but I was immediately interested in this one. I know the theme about these are something to do with mindfulness, that’s why there’s a little brain under the translucent outsole but I’m not going to lie, I bought these because they were two colours of GT-II that I liked and wanted. The collaboration and its theme were a bonus to what I was looking for, which was GT-II’s with good materials and colour’s I’d wear.
16: Kiko Kostadinov x Asics: UB3-S Gel-Nimbus 9 “Aruba Blue”
16: Kiko Kostadinov x Asics: UB3-S Gel-Nimbus 9 “Aruba Blue”
This one is part of Kiko’s Asics collection inspired by landscapes and the concept of outdoor exploration. This specific Nimbus depicts an oceanic inspired design. I must say that I wasn’t the biggest fan of when I first saw Kiko’s work on Asics, I thought they were ugly and I didn’t like the silhouettes used. But again, I told this story on my instagram, seeing this exact pair on a rainy day in Sydney changed my mind on the sneaker and the collaboration in general. They stand out like nothing else, perfect for a monotone outfit and someone desperately looking for something to stand out in a crowd full of monochrome and earth tones.
Kiko’s work with Asics this year has been truly a gift, they’re some of the most forward thinking and underappreciated collective pieces out there this year. And while I don’t think it’s the best collective GR effort from a designer, it certainly deserves to be mentioned. Kiko opened my eyes to silhouettes that I had no interest in beforehand, put interesting colours and themes on them, and made them — mostly — accessible and desirable to have. What more can you really ask from a designer?
15: Paperboy x Beams x New Balance: MiUK 1500 x 920 Pack
Another one I don’t own but had to include. The 1500 in particular is one of the best 1500’s of the year. I could have gotten this one it wasn’t that hard to collect but I just missed out on all the retail spots to grab it and did not want to spend over $400aud for my size. I guess, this is one of those shoes in the future that I’ll look back on and regret that I don’t have but hey, you can’t get them all! I usually don’t like mismatched shoes or triple collaborations, they annoy me. But I don’t know, the blue hits on the 1500 make them look so utterly gorgeous that I really couldn’t deny them being in the list for me this year. It’s one of the best collaborative efforts this year for New Balance and it’s something so simple but to me it just works. I can’t really say much more than “yeah, I just dig the aesthetic” much more plainer than that. I think instagram swayed my mind on these, too. So many friends and people I follow posted so many great photos of these that it was hard to deny it. I seriously considered chasing these and one day if opportunity strikes I might just own them. But as for now, this is as close as I’ll get.
14: Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance: 991 Pack
I’ve said before that I don’t really like the 991, this year I’ve changed my mind and my stance on that. I tend to do that a lot when I get time to think about a silhouette and see it in different colours and styles. Before this pack dropped, the Run the Buroughs 991 and the Anniversary 991 pairs from 2021 were probably the 991’s that I liked… then this pack dropped. It was truly awesome how they were teased in the lead-up to their release. You had Big Body Bes wearing them in the Aime look book for their Spring/Summer collection. This was the turning point for me, they’re so simple yet so sophisticated. Just grey suede with a wide mesh and some green hits. Then a tan leather pair with the same deal. It’s incredible how something so small can change my mind on a silhouette. Since then I’ve been pretty keen on collecting 991’s more so than I used to. The silhouette in general also look great on feet.
So, why didn’t I get these ones? This one’s very simple. Price. Even with how much I loved them and how much they mean to me, I can’t justify the price on them and never will. No shoe is really worth over $500aud for me. I can’t do it. But these are some of the best and most meaningful shoes of the year.
13: M1400GJ
13: New Balance: M1400GJ “Japan Exclusive”
I say Japanese Exclusive tentatively. But from my limited knowledge on this pair, so far as today, it’s an exclusive pair so we’ll just leave it at that for now. This was a very late addition to my list since it was a very late cop for me. I only saw snippets of this throughout the year from the Japanese people I follow on instagram who were lucky enough to cop it as well as from my friend @newpalance. I didn’t really have much thought on this pair because I just assumed it was something I’d never get to own myself. I thought it was awesome to see the 1400 have a grey iteration and like P said on his IG post, it was very cool to see a lot of mesh on this pair but I didn’t think too much of it until I got it in hand.
One of the most unexpected cops of the year for me, I randomly saw this pop up on eBay for way under Aus retail. I still don’t understand why it was so easy and cheap to get but hey I’m not complaining. The spontaneity of the cop, the specialness of exclusivity, and the classic grey make this all so special for me. Would it be on my list if I didn’t cop it? I don’t know. But I did cop it so it is. This is my first pair of 1400’s and it honestly could be my last, it’s so incredibly similar to 990v1’s in shape and style so I don’t feel like I need anymore but I’m very very happy to have these in my collection. They’re incredibly special and a pair I’ll always appreciate having.
12: Run the Buroughs x New Balance: 730
12: Run the Buroughs x New Balance: M730LDN
I mentioned before that I loved the last Run the Buroughs collaboration with New Balance. It would easily be my favourite 991 ever made. It’s an incredible piece of footwear and that made no small impact on my decision making for the next collaboration the London based running brand made with New Balance. This time it was on the newly brought back 730 silhouette from the early 80’s archives. So there’s two main factors to buying this shoe and for ranking it so highly. The first was because I missed on that all important Run the Buroughs 991 and have never been able to get it since. It’s one I always half hunt for. So, I hoped that this might satiate that eternal itch I had for a Run the Buroughs collaboration. The second was because I had wanted to try out the newly brought back 730 and was waiting for the right colour to come along. So, I guess you could say it was the perfect moment to kill two birds with one stone. It also helped that END was having a site wide sale and I got these for like 25% under retail. The stars aligned, and I was able to scoop them.
It also just had a really cool marketing push and campaign for these before they dropped. If you read my Bodega 990v3 article you know how much I absolutely love effort in marketing. I also love the idea around these shoes, the London Marathon. It matches with the heritage of the brand and times it perfectly with the marathon itself. Gives you a nice helping of lifestyle with your performance. Other than that, the shape of these 730’s is very nice, it’s just narrow for my feet I wouldn’t be able to wear them all day. I love the colours and I love the subtle Run the Buroughs branding. This is kind of a if you know, you know type of thing. Eventually people will forget these since they already don’t care about them. But I find that there’s really something special about that, sneaker collecting shouldn’t be dictated by what’s hype or what’s “on trend,” it should be about collecting pieces like this that are special and hold significance to you and always will. This is what this pair represents to me.
11: Up There x New Balance: 2002r “Backyard Legends”
11: Up There x New Balance: 2002r “Backyard Legends”
By now, if you have read anything of mine, you’d know that I’m from Australia. So, I like to support Aussie collabs where I can. And the first New Balance collaboration with Melbourne based store Up There was absolutely no exception. It was a complete no brainer for me to get. One that I had to get my fiancé to cop for me since I was working at the time of online release. Thankfully she came through for me. Which is no small task considering how quickly these went. For her first time copping a collaboration, she did incredibly well. In terms of the shoe, Smallgainz laid out how many special details there are on his instagram but for me the one thing that sold me on this shoe was the tongue. The v3 waffle style design and the all important AUS branding underneath the New Balance font. Man, oh man it’s a goddam thing of beauty.
I was originally hesitant to get them because I didn’t really love the colour scheme or the mismatched outsoles but the tongue alone sold me on how incredible these truly are. Along with how special it is for an Australian based brand to collaborate with my favourite sneaker brand — it’s really one I could not miss. But it’s not all perfection in paradise. A lot of people I know complained about how poor the materials are on this pair… And it’s something I really can’t argue with. Even though 2002r’s are all made in Asia and don’t usually have premium materials on them, these do feel lesser in quality compared to my GR ML2002RA/RB’s which is kinda sad. Also, the follow up to this collaboration between up there and NB is something I really didn’t like, I hated the colour scheme on that second pair. I loved the story that came with it, but you know what? I can’t wear a story. That being said, I love this pair. It was my favourite 2002r of the year, marginally beating the Magnet Gore-Tex pair.
10: Stray Rats x New Balance: MT580 “Green”
10: Stray Rats x New Balance: MT580 “Green”
This is one shoe that I never thought would make my list — especially this high. I didn’t like this collaboration when I first saw teaser images. I didn’t like MT580’s before this year either. I didn’t like the Palace collaboration either. I found the toebox quite bulbous and the silhouette overly chunky. I never really liked it at all. I still find the toebox bulbous but something changed when I saw Reza post images of this exact pair on his instagram. I started to see this particular shoe in a different light. I was able to ignore what I originally saw as faults in the silhouette. And when I finally caved and purchased the Stray Rats pair it changed my mind. As soon as I had them in hand and on feet I started to really appreciate how nice these are. Maybe if the Stray Rats pair didn’t come out I’d feel the same as I did before but these were the reason for my change of heart. They deserved to make the list for making such a monumental shift in how I perceived the silhouette. It also didn’t hurt that Stray Rats had an incredible marketing campaign for this collaboration, something they always excel at.
Another thing I should mention about this is once again, a Smallgainz piece on the MT580. I loved his little historian piece on the “most successful failure.” It helped make my decision to buy into the MT580 history. I’m not going to get too much into that seeing as he covers it much better than I ever could, I’m a newcomer to the silhouette. But an interesting thing that Matt mentioned in his article was how the recent MT580 GR’s and the Stray Rats collaboration pairs all resemble older collaborations from the early 2000’s. Stussy x Real Mad Hectic ones to be exact. Matt came to the conclusion that people have been forced to buy back their memories at a premium and that the MT580’s are better left in Japan. I tend to disagree with the second part and as for the first, it’s true, people are being forced to buy back their memories but for some people never had memories with the shoes to begin with. I know how much of a slap in the face it would be to see stuff coming back that’s similar but different. It seems like a disingenuous cashgrab. But at the same time, I didn’t have the chance to buy them 20 years ago and given the chance now to buy something similar, I’m happy to have it. Time brings disillusionment. That being said, it would be nice if nostalgia wasn’t the main factor for sales. But it just is what it is. Money will always pollute the sanctity of anything it’s apart of. There’s still new shoes and designs being made, but maybe I’m just a little more optimistic about it seeing as how I’m newer to it all. We’ll see in a few years.
9: thisisneverthat x New Balance: 860v2 “Sea Salt”
9: thisisneverthat x New Balance: 860v2 Pack
The 860v2 is one of my favourite New Balance silhouettes of all time. I pretty much collect every single one of them that I can year in and year out. This is my first collaborative 860v2 piece. thisisneverthat had a pretty incredible year when it came to NB collaborations. They had the 1906r x 2002r pack and they had this 860v2 pack. This was definitely the more forgotten about pack of theirs but in my eyes it’s the better one. Probably because I have an incredible 860v2 bias. Most of the GR pairs I have aren’t the best in terms of quality. They’re wide mesh runners with some cheap metallic materials that are passable — nothing incredible. This pair, however, is quite different. There’s some nice synthetic leathers with suede accents. And a perforated leather toebox instead of the usual wide pore mesh. The colour on this one is also incredibly clean… even if it is a little “safe.” I didn’t love the all black pair, it reminded me of school shoes, but this “sea salt” pair is pretty awesome. Do I think it’s actually objectively better than the 1906r? Maybe not. But I personally like it better. In terms of the 1906r thisisneverthat I really did not like how the mesh had stains all over it to affect an aged look. I hated it because I don’t like when I get those type of aging stains on my wide mesh joggers. It’s infuriating seeing it. I have it with my pair of ML860XD’s but I earned them the hard way.
I really want to highlight more of my 860v2 love and next year I plan to review some of my favourites from my collection, but in terms of this shoe I don’t really have all that much to say about it other than it’s a clean colour on one of my favourite silhouettes. What more could you want? Maybe a little creativity especially with the second pair but hey, we’re living in a tonal world right now I guess.
8: M1500UKF: “Flimby’s 40th Anniversary”
8: M1500UKF: “Flimby’s 40th Anniversary”
It was a really close call between the M991UKF and the M1500UKF for me. Both of them deserved to be on my list but I figured it best if I just chose one of them and it had to be the 1500. But both are truly incredible runners. Flimby has been doing some truly astounding work for a very long time. Ever since Samuel Pearce took over the reigns there has been nothing but the highest quality coming out of the small Cumbria based factory. I guess you could say that he is an NBhead of the highest order. He knows his history better than anyone, brings back archival pieces like the slim and sleek 730 against trends and pushes out new silhouettes like the 920 which pull a whole new audience of collector towards it. And for the 40th anniversary, in true Samuel style, no half measures were taken. This was one of the best GR collections of the year and it’s not even close. The 1500, 991 and 670 were all perfection. The 730 got it’s glorious reintroduction in it’s OG colourway glory. The best and most meaningful silhouettes Flimby has worked with were all on display and we were treated to something truly special. Older collectors might be disilusioned with the current state of affairs, like the MT580 revival. But I don’t think many can deny the level of quality from this pack. It highlights the level of care and consideration that Flimby makes as a whole. The Made in England division is one of the reasons why collecting New Balance is so rewarding. Even with how big it is, with someone like Samuel at the helm, it truly feels like there’s someone looking out for the hardcore fans who sweat the little details. It’s hard not to feel pride about it. Even if it is a deadly sin.
In terms of the 1500 specifically. Incredible colourway, incredible leather materials, immaculate shape. What more do you want me to say?
7: Up There x Asics: GT-II
7: Up There x Asics: GT-II
Oh man, I could wax lyrical over this one for a long time. I’ll try and keep it short for my own sanity. I don’t need to say again how important Australian collaborations are to me but again this was something very very special to me for that reason. But more than that, it’s an Aussie collab on one of my favourite silhouettes ever. Still, you can always make a terrible meal even if you have good ingredients. There’s plenty of terrible v3 collaborations this year to prove that. But I’m happy to say that it’s not the case here. The details on this pair are truly incredible. Based on Japanese Chrysanthemum and Australian Pink Heath, the inspiration is embroidered all over the shoe: embroidered on the back heel, embroidered on the tongues, even embroidered on the socks they came with. It’s bursting with the stuff. They’re so good that I’m scared to wear them. Even though the colours are generally good for wearing, I feel like I’ll stain them somehow. It always happens. In my opinion, this is the best GT-II to drop this year. It’s an amazing piece — one I feel a lot of national pride over owning. I couldn’t miss them everything about them is special to me.
6: ML1906RA
6: ML1906RA
An OG revival. One I’d tend to say that nobody really expected… But after they revived the 2002r to an incredible measure of success nothing would be out of the realm of possibility anymore. This shoe seems very niche. I really wasn’t expecting it to be liked at all especially seeing as how unpopular the 860v2 and the wide metallic mesh runners are as a whole.
I was pretty convinced for a stage that 2002r’s were so popular because they give a similar MiUSA aesthetic at a lower price. It’s a great middle ground shoe for beginners to get into. I’ve turned a lot of my co-workers onto the brand by recommending the 2002r to them when the pricepoint of a 990 is too high for them. They often come back and tell me how it’s one of their favourite shoes. But this new 1906r silhouette makes me realise I don’t know what the hell is happening anymore. These 1906RA’s sold out when they look exactly like something people wouldn’t want. That’s not to say that the 1906r is as popular as a 2002r, but still to have this pair sell out within a few weeks in Australia on every website that had them was pretty insane to me. But yeah, I loved the 1906RA and it’s revival as a whole. I’ll leave it at that since I plan to write more about it in a few months time.
5: M990GL6
5: M990GL6
Well, here it is the newest member of the 990 family. The version 6. This was one I was originally hesitant on. I didn’t like it at first. I thought the midsole was way too bulky and that there wasn’t enough suede on the shoe. I think one of the things that helped me change my mind on them was seeing the 9060 being released. I absolutely hate the 9060 silhouette. When I saw that for the first time on that god awful Joefreshgoods pair and the GR’s that followed, I thought to myself, you know what? That 990v6 midsole ain’t that bad. Then when I began to see on feet photos from people who got them I was very intrigued. They look amazing on feet with the right outfit. Incredibly underrated model.
So, I remember people saying that the 990v5 wasn’t too much of a change from the v4. And they aren’t really wrong in that regard — they’re pretty similar. Now when the v6 was teased, it was radically different. Probably the biggest point of difference in models since the 990v1 to the 990v2. You would think that the change would make people happy. Nope. Now it’s too different and too whacky for them to wear. There’s no pleasing some people. I have heard though a review on this pair saying that these feel more like a performance model like the 1080 rather than something you would find in the 99x lineage. I can’t really deny that. It does have that feel to it especially with the fuelcell tech. But I still have completely come around to this model. It’s one you either hate or love. And by how highly I’ve ranked it, you can see which camp I’m firmly in.
4: Sneakers N Stuff x New Balance: 991 “The Secret”
4: Sneakers N Stuff x New Balance: 991 Pack “The Secret”
This was another one that I wasn’t entirely convinced on when it came out. I didn’t think the pack translated that well to a 991 silhouette from the original 577 collection. But as time wore on I was grinded down on my original stance. Just like with a lot of things that made my list this year. New Balance was like running water this year, and I was the boulder underneath its flow. All it took was time and my once rock solid stance crumbled into dust. Which is a bad thing for my bank account. I went too crazy. That being said, the original SNS 577 pack is one of my favourite New Balance releases of all time. Especially the “secret” pair. That story is incredible to me. 97 pairs made, the colour was an accident, it was a small sample run, and they shock dropped it. It’s really wild to me how they still dropped them even though there wasn’t many and it wasn’t what they wanted. It seems like these days you’d just see those types of pairs go into a F&F type deal and become hyper sought after because of it. On top of that, the marketing this time around for the 991 release of their original collaboration was stellar. So much effort put into it and even though we all knew that the secret pair was coming, they still took time out to give that the proper introduction it deserved by teasing it and dropping it later.
I had to get these, and with a little help from Riblets I was able to grab them. They are a shoe I’ll savour forever. I’ll never get to own the original secret but you know what? This is a pretty good substitute and still a great story. I just really wish I also picked up the “Peter” pair. That one was very nice, too.
3: New Balance: Teddy Santis 990v2 “True Camo”
3: New Balance: Teddy Santis Collection “Season 1”
You know what? I’ve got so much to say about this collection, the sneakers in it, and Teddy Santis’ efforts as a whole on this that I will be writing a whole column on it. I’ll keep it extremely brief because I’m going to leave all of my thoughts in the column. True Camo is my favourite from season 1. Teddy absolutely killed it with his first 16. This was the best creator led GR collection of the year and it wasn’t even close. That’s it.
2: Carhartt x New Balance: 990v1
2: Carhartt x New Balance: 990v1
If anyone really knows me they know how much I truly love Carhartt as a brand even if I hate their online store and their in store customer service. But that’s another story for another day. This was my most anticipated drop of the year, when I heard it being teased I was ecstatic. My two favourite brands collaborating together on a silhouette I love? What could go wrong? What could be better? And even though everyone said it was boring and simple, and easy and just a navy GR 990v1 with Carhartt branding… I say; so what? I bet someone reading this has the Olive JJJJound 990v3 or the pastel JFG 993’s in their New Balance of the year and they’re just as boring. Even more so in my opinion because they’re just random “on trend” colours on a “on trend” model. Carhartt is known for navy and so is New Balance. It makes sense for them to have a navy colour scheme for their first collaboration together. JJJJound has been releasing boring shoes for years and they’ve hoodwinked you into thinking that olive 990v3 is even a top 10 sneaker. There was a GR v5 a few years ago in a similar olive colourway and nobody gave two shits about it. You ain’t slick, you don’t actually care for colour palette because if you did you’d collect all the tonal 991 GR’s that come out every year. I guess I’m so mad about this because I know I’ll get called crazy for having this as my favourite New Balance when the online consensus has a more boring shoe as their favourite or even worse what they’d call the objective sneaker of the year. It just isn’t. Riblets posted a poll on what sneaker is the best of the year and it came back resoundingly that the Olive 990v3 won it. Something like that just makes me scratch my head. I really just don’t understand the hype of JJJJound at all. I like a few pairs but I wouldn’t be paying anywhere near the resale that they fetch. It’s insanity, and this olive one is boring as hell.
But yes, I’m not crazy for picking a bland v1 as my favourite anymore than anyone is for picking a bland v3. I’m just biased to Carhartt. It’s everything I wanted in a collaboration, it wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t offensive or hard to wear, it looks like a GR so it’s hard to tell what they are unless you’re up close… so they’re subtle, and it has Carhartt and New Balance branding. I didn’t expect or want anything more from it. I think the only improvement I’d want with it is for the Carhartt branding to be the signature yellow instead of black. But hey, small potatoes. It did everything I wanted it to and I was just thankful to be able to grab it.
1: HAL Studios x Asics: 1130
As soon as I saw this shoe I knew it would be my favourite of the year. Nothing has really come close to beating it. I mean I anticipated the Carhartt v1 more than this shoe but I never thought it was better at all. This 1130 did what I think Sneakers of the Year should do. And that’s outperform expectations. There seemed to be a very limited quantity of these available and in turn it pushed the resale price up further than what you would expect for a mesh Asics runner. This 1130 blew my mind when it came out, I wanted it so badly. Not only because it’s an Australian collaboration, but because it’s just so goddam beautiful. I had the chance to get them as well. These dropped in limited stock at other boutiques that I online shop at and I stayed up until 12am to cop them. I carted them, paid for them, got my order confirmation, only to have it cancelled on me the very next day. I was so close to owning this shoe. It’s one of the biggest upsets for me this year. I’d trade pretty much everything I collected this year for just the HAL 1130 and the Carhartt v1. If I just had those two I’d be happy. I guess having one out of the two isn’t bad and I’m still happy with everything else that I got but man, I’m still so depressed about not getting these.
This shoe forced me to make a list that included all brands and ones that I didn’t own. This was the reason for my disclaimer earlier. This shoe made that decision for me. I couldn’t have not mentioned it. It would just be criminal. Now Hypebeast named Asics their sneaker brand of the year, and for once, I tend to agree with them. There were a few Asics in my list this year and a few more in my collection. Asics had Kiko’s collection, they had both HAL 1130’s, they had the Up There and AFEW GT-II’s, they had countless Gel-Lyte III, Gel-Nimbus 9, and Kayano 14 collaborations, they had so many good shoes this year. No other brand makes me want to deviate from New Balance more than Asics. I was telling my fiancé the other day that if New Balance didn’t exist, I probably would be an Asics man. But I have to say this, I am pretty annoyed that the driving force of Asics hype is the fact that, once again, the JJJJound Kayano 14’s were the focal point for the brands success and the vehicle for their hype this year. It’s criminal. Those are some of the most boring collaborative pieces I have ever seen. I have said it so many times, if these were a GR they would be sales bin fodder. Nobody cared about the Kayano 14, and they didn’t do anything special on the model to make them care either. It’s just dictated by manufactured hype. Which is good for the brand but awful for my sanity. I can’t take it that people think those Kayano’s are better than this HAL it really makes no sense. But maybe that means I’m just turning into some old guy, angry at the youth for being contradictory when I’m exactly the same. All I know, is that Highs and Lows absolutely killed it this year, and so did Asics.
An Epilogue
Yeah, so I hated writing this. It sucked. There’s nothing less creative than writing a list of shoes out and waffling on about each one like an asshole. I picked way too many shoes to highlight in this post, it took forever for me to take the photos, it took even longer to summon the energy to write about them — especially the ones which have delayed articles in tow. And I work in retail and it’s Christmas time so it’s so hard to work at our busiest time and then come home and talk about why I like an inanimate object. Next year — I’m doing a shorter list. But that being said, if you actually spent time reading what I had to say on each of the shoes I thank you. It took more effort than I wanted it to. But hey a debilitating hobby like sneaker collecting will do that to you.
That being said, I need to get to some sappier stuff. Last year was one of the hardest times in my entire life. I left my career path of teaching behind because I could not do it anymore, I had incredible struggles personally, professionally, mentally, physically, pretty much every single way you can think of. The only good thing I had going for me was the fact that I had a loving girlfriend and supportive mother. Last year my girlfriend (now fiancé) convinced me to make a sneaker instagram — probably to save her own sanity from hearing about all the shoes I was excited about. So, in October last year, that’s exactly what I did. That one little decision changed a lot of things for me. It introduced me to people who I would call lifetime friends, it allowed me to write about my love of sneakers and eventually led me to Oliver and Epsilon, and inadvertently it helped me get my new job in retail by giving me my confidence back again. This year was nothing like last year. This year was a blessing, I’m in a job I love, I’m writing for a publication I respect and love, and I’m marrying the girl I love. Last year if you told me I was going to be writing this where I am, I wouldn’t believe it. And even though I didn’t like writing this column, I’m still happy to do it. It’s amazing to have the space to record my thoughts and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Well that’s all from me for now. Good luck, god bless, and see you next year.