7 Kicks That are Worth Their Hype
Sometimes a shoe comes along and, for some reason, has an inexplicable amount of hype. While most of the time it’s unnecessary, sometimes you definitely should believe the hype.
Here are seven sneakers that are worth all of their hype...
Balenciaga Track
When Balenciaga first dropped the Triple S, the sneakersphere was left properly shaken up. The dad shoe trend was thrust upon us and we were all in panic mode. After the hype for the chunkiest shoe ever died down, we watched closely to see what Balenciaga was cooking up next. Surely it can't match the dad shoe of all dad shoes.
Oh, how wrong we were. The Balenciaga Track had come ready to take the throne. Looking like a Triple S on ‘roids, with overstated features and a big ol’ booty, it’s hard to not be attracted to these.
Once something’s a hit, it’s hard to create a follow-up that’s just as good or even better. That’s why the Balenciaga Tracks are well worth their hype.
Doernbecher Colabs
The Nike Doernbecher Freestyle program has been going on since 2003. It's a concept that aims to include patients from the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in designing their own sneaker. The kicks that are designed are then sold to the public, and change every year, with sneakerheads waiting patiently for the drop every October. Each silhouette and colourway is highly sought after, with insane amounts of hype surrounding each one. Now, 16 years later, with well over $17 million raised for the hospital, and countless lives being changed, we think you can work out why these are worth their hype.,
Nike Air Mag
Back to the Future is one of the most iconic films of all time. In the second movie out of the three, Marty McFly debuted a self-lacing Nike sneaker. Then, 27 years later, Nike created the ‘Air Mag’, sold via a raffle with proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Regardless of the worthy cause, these are worth all their hype purely for the fact they are self-lacing sneakers.
Air Jordan 5 ‘Tokyo 23’
Usually we can get whatever sneaker we want whenever we want, we don’t even have to leave the house. However, back in 2011, Jordan Brand opened a store in Tokyo and decided to drop a celebratory AJ5 exclusive to Japan. Extremely rare in sizes above 10.5, the exclusivity of these make them worth their hype.
Nike SB Dunk ‘Freddy Krueger’
The Nike SB Dunk ‘Freddy Krueger’ is the king of horror movie sneakers. Not only that, but it’s rarer than hens’ teeth, so if you’re in the market for a pair you can expect to cough up well over four figures.
After New Line Cinema got wind of the Dunk, Nike was handed a cease and desist. Somehow, a few pairs managed to escape death and were then sold. These have incurred major grail status, and you would have to be pretty lucky to even get a pair in hand. Exclusivity and the story behind these kicks make these definitely worth their hype.
Air Max 98 x Supreme
Supreme surprised us when they dug into the Nike archives and pulled out the Air Max 98. Four colourways, including a snakeskin pair, made their way to Supreme stores back in 2016. Bringing back an unloved silhouette from the dead makes these worth their hype.
Kiko Kostadinov x ASICS
Kiko Kostadinov has had a number of collaborations with ASICS. The GEL-Burz 1 and 2, plus the GEL-Delva, have all been certified bangers, feeding our need for beautifully designed functional sneakers. Although collaborating with a high-fashion designer, ASICS still wanted the kicks to be performance-based. As a result, the Kiko collaborations are a good all-round shoe, perfectly balanced between beautiful design and performance. We don’t know about you, but these are definitely worth their hype.
