2008 - BEST OF THE BEST SNEAKERS

Everyone knows Italians do it better. So when you asked me for my favorite sneaker from 2008 I couldn't resist confessing these limited-edition 'flag' trainers from the 95-year-old Italian brand Superga as the real deal.

It's not even because they necessarily look the best out of everything I've seen released over the past twelve months, but for me it boils down to the potential of this brand and the ways in which I visualize it really evolving in a creative direction. Plus I can only imagine the mass onslaught of Nike design models people are going to be talking about in your list and let's face it, who wants to talk about anything everyone else is already discussing anyway.
During my teen years growing up in Adelaide I can remember a large part of the Italian community - both guys and girls - returning from their summer vacations wearing Superga's which made me so curious about what European style on these Italian islands was really all about. There was no denying the coolness factor even back then. Over two decades later, I'm now living in another country and even here in USA, the hype surrounding these shoes is ever omnipresent, let's say. In 2008, during the Olympic fanfare they released a limited-edition series representative of select countries and their national colors (think South Africa, France, Italy, U.K, Spain and U.S.A). Months later, I'm still wearing my triple-toned 'Italy' pair and I'm the first to admit, they don't go with anything I wear but in a very cool way that's what makes them all the more authentic. And I've always felt Italian at heart anyway so go figure.