Sneaker Historians Rank Best Sneakers Year on Year Since 1984
Ever wondered what was the most in the year you were born? Well, the team at have done the research, calling on a trio of sneaker specialists to help determine the most iconic sneaker imprints of the past century.
Focussing on the core period since the 80s, Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto; Nick Engvall, founder of Sneaker History; and Alex Wang, sneaker historian at GOAT, give us a nostalgic look back through the years.
We like their picks for the most part, but there’s certainly some eyebrow-raisers in there – check ‘em out below:
1984: adidas Micropacer
1985: Air Jordan 1
1986: Converse Weapon
1987: Nike Air Max 1
1988: Air Jordan 3
1989: Reebok Pump
1990: Nike Air Max 90
1991: Air Jordan 6
1992: N/A
1993: Reebok Instapump Fury
1994: Air Jordan 9
1995: Air Jordan 11
1996: Reebok Question
1997: Nike Air Foamposite One
1998: Reebok DMX Run
1999: Air Jordan 14
2000: And1 Tai Chi
2001: Chanel x Reebok Instapump Fury
2002: Yohji Yamamoto x adidas YY Promodel 2G
2003: Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Hi
2004: Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2k4
2005: Jeff Staple's Nike SB Dunk Low 'Pigeon'
2006: Alife x Reebok Court Victory Pump Ball Out
2007: Cey Adams x adidas Superstar 'Muhammed Ali'
2008: New Balance 993
2009: Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Don
2010: Nike LeBron 8
2010: Vashtie Kola x Air Jordan 2
2011: Concepts x New Balance Made in USA 999 'Hyannis Blue'
2012: Nike Air Yeezy 2
2013: atmos x Nike Air Max 1 'Animal Camo'
2014: Rick Owens x adidas Runner
2015: Fenty x PUMA Creeper
2015: Common Projects The Achilles
2015: adidas UltraBOOST
2016: Pharrell Williams x adidas HU NMD
2017: Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 'Zebra'
2017: KAWS x Air Jordan 4
2018: Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4 'Cactus Jack'
2018: FILA Disruptor 2