2007 - BEST OF THE BEST SNEAKERS

WOODY / SNEAKERFREAKER EDITOR / MELBOURNE / NIKE x 3

Rather than simply choosing the best of the best, I’m on the hunt for fresh game so i decided to only consider shoes from 2007 that I had never owned before. Sounds easy huh? Not so fast...My self-imposed criteria ruled out the awesome Patta x Gel Lyte and the Milk SB Blazer (packaging alone was nutz). I also had to nix the Anaconda Air Force 1, which was a glorious start to a mixed year for Nike’s flagship model. There were others that missed out as well – I had the hots for the Supreme Trainers, Solebox Clydes and Solebox NB 1500 Toothpastes, Alife First Rounds, adidas SQT, Kidrobot x Lacoste Missouri 85 and the Agassi Cross Trainers. Not to mention the return of the Air Max Lite, Nike Vintage, DC’s PK Ripper project was off the chart and the Big Daddy Kane Clyde was slick... I’d also swap a kidney for the Proper x Vans Sk8 Hi! And I thought K-Swiss had a decent crack at a new story with their Ariake shoe. In spite of popular opinion, there WAS a LOT to LIKE – maybe that was half the problem right there. When I got down to the nitty gritty, it’s these three amigos that made me pick up the phone and call in the favors. The fact that all three are from Nike is irrelevant. I know that seems a little out of whack but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

1. TALARIA Paint the town brown? I hate brown shoes but on this it’s a revelation. Laser etched with grey midsole, various pink bits and a mustard toe with yellow mesh? Put that in your pipe and tell me it’s not crack. The Talaria overtook my Air Force steez this year – similar chunky sole and utilitarian upper. Kind of. At least I never owned a pair before.

1. AM 90 x TRAIL LOW HYBRID First seen on the feet of Kish UK , the rumour was they’d never come out – I prayed every night and the Lord delivered. Here’s the formula – get a chunky Talaria sole, add some leftover Air Max bits and bobs from a Humara and twist it into a fresh orange x blue landscape and you have a classic that everyone I know slept on. Thanks T!

3. WILDEDGE GTX There’s been a few versions of this ultra-aggressive looking ACG shoe in 2007 but none have quite hit the spot until this bio-hazard. The embroidered Swoosh on previous Wildedge models looked really crummy, but this GTX model puts it just right. With a Gore-tex and XCR (Extended Comfort Range) upper, the shoe has serious credentials in the acronym department as well as being waterproof, and there’s .44 sticky rubber used in the sole! Admittedly the yellow is a bit much some days but it’s still a future classic in my opinion.