Yup, here we are again another year another top 50. Shoes aren’t ranked purely on hype or limited availability and while popularity does play somewhat of a factor so does quality and whether or not its the shoes first retro, an improvement over a previous retro or a completely new drop. Check out the DeFY. New York top 50 for 2018 and feel free to leave a comment!
#50 REEBOK BB 5600
One of the more annoying releases of the year, not because they weren’t dope but because false stories dug from the past were used to hype them. For whatever reason Len Bias name has been attached to this model for quite some time but the reality of the situation was that Bias never had an opportunity to sign a contract with Reebok because he passed away only hours after meeting with Reebok. With that said Reebok did an amazing job on these, leather is nice and these are comfortable enough for every day use.
#49 CONVERSE COCA COLA
Converse and Coca Cola, two American staples brought together by Kith for 2018. While the resell on these is a tad on the high side the overall quality was on point and for fans of the Chuck T this was one of the years best.
#48 LOUIS VUITTON 408
Despite a lot of hate, comparison to Avia’s 880 and ultimately a “Fayva moment” for Louis Vuitton this was one of the more interesting shoes of the year. Ultimately it gave many hope that Nike might bring back shoes like the Air Force STS, Flight 89 High and 180 pump before a luxury brand beats them to the punch on their own design.
#47 SAUCONY AZURA
Originally released back in 1988 Saucony surprised everyone when they brought back its Azura running shoe for late 2018. With exceptional attention to all the details that made the OG what it was in the most noteworthy colorway, Saucony did an amazing job on these gems.
#46 NIKE AIR MAX 270
How Nike was able to put this giant air unit on the heel of this shoe but can’t do it for the Air Max 93 is beyond comprehension but here we are. While I wasn’t particularly fond of this model the rest of the world ate them up. Coming in some dope color way’s and what many described as superior cushion these should have shown up on every top 50 shoe list of the year.
#45 NIKE AIR 180 COMME DES GARCON
The 180 is a shoe that usually looks better in person and that was the case with this drop. While time is always limited and purists like myself would rather wear OG color way’s this was one of those exception drops.
#44 ADIDAS RIVALRY HI BLACK/WHITE
IMAGE VIA OVERKILL SHOP
Apparently this colorway of the Rivalry wasn’t supposed to release until 2019 but a few stores in Europe did release them in 2018 and so with no official release date these are part of 2018’s sneaker story. Last released in this colorway back in 2013 you’ll notice that amazing OG toe box that adidas specifically went after. That combined with a nice quality leather upper in a package that gave you all the vibes of the OG brings this one in at number 44.
#43 NIKE AIR MAX 1 PARRA
While I personally thought the Spiridon looked better, it was the AM1 that caused all the ruckus. Another in a series of “banga’s” for Parra and another drop that kept your pockets light for 2018.
#42 JORDAN JUMPMAN QUICK 23
If you are a fan of Jordan Brand’s earlier team Jordan shoes then these gems were welcome with open arms. While not quite what the OG was these were enough to hold you over for the next 20 years.
#41 NIKE AIR SWOOPES 2 RETRO
The 90’s was a pivotal moment for women’s basketball specifically 1997 which was the first season of the WNBA. Lots of stars of the league went on to become house hold names but few if any were bigger than Cheryl Swoopes -who would be the first female basketball player to get her own signature shoe from Nike-. While the first Swoopes shoe was ok, it was the follow up that had men and women alike salivating and is the reason that for 2018 Nike brought back the Swoopes 2. If you scooped a set of these gems then you picked up one of the best of the year.
#40 REEBOK DMX RUN 10
IMAGE VIA SNEAKERS N STUFF
Yea I know, Reebok’s take on the Air Max 95 came back for 2018. If your 2013 retro was on its way out then these were on their way in.
#39 NIKE AIR MAX 93 DUSTY CACTUS & FLAME RED
Aside from the pathetic looking heel air unit, a retro of the Air Max 93 is always welcome. This year saw two of the most iconic color way’s make a quite return and while quality wasn’t all that great in comparison to previous retro’s of this model, it was still a decent retro worthy of your rotation.
#38 EWING 33 HI DRINK CHAMPS, EPMD, SUGAR HILL
Ewing Athletics continued to celebrate Hip Hop royalty for 2018 by way of collab’s with EPMD, Drink Champs and Sugar Hill records. All three were executed to perfection and all three landed at the 38 spot.
#37 New Balance 997 OG Ronnie Fieg RF Kith X United Arrows Sons
If there was one pair of New Balances that made its rounds on IG for 2018 it was these. Available to Kiths loyal customer base that had previously purchased NB’s through KITH, it left many scrambling to figure out a way to secure a set. Hype aside these are dope.
#36 NIKE AIR FORCE 1 DOVER STREET MARKET
Nike’s ‘NYC’ campaign of the late 90’s was one of its most memorable so seeing the iconic branding back on a quality low top Air Force 1 was more than welcome. If there was one pair of kicks that could have easily made it into your daily rotation it was these.
#35 NIKE ZOOM AIR SPECTRUM PLUS
Supreme dug into Nike’s archive and plucked an unlikely shoe from its vaults. Created by Steven Smith and originally released in 2003, The Nike Zoom Air Spectrum Plus made its first retro debut in 2018. While hype built up quickly for these ultimately they have become an affordable grail for most. If you always wanted these now would be the time to pick them up.
#34 NIKE LEBRON 3 RETRO
Nike delivered a surprise to Lebron fans by way of a retro of Lebron’s 3rd signature shoe. Complete with all the goodies that made the OG release a classic this was an overall solid release. Zoom zoom.
#33 JORDAN 3 MOCHA
While the Mocha 3 retro is still sitting that doesn’t mean that this low key drop isn’t dope. Originally released in 2001, Jordan Brand brought back this once sought after retro + colorway back for 2018. Whether your OG pair is falling apart or its a shoe that you always wanted to own I wouldn’t wait to long to pick up the retro, that is unless you don’t mind waiting another 17 years…….
#32 NIKE AIR JORDAN ‘TINKER’ 3
Although I felt this was really a cash grab and a sort of slap in the face to the 89 Solo Flight (which thus far has not been retro’d) the consensus amongst many was that this was a dope release. Straight from Tinker’s unreleased archive’s to retail, collector’s scrambled to add these to their collection. Overall quality was on point and while they will never quite be what the final OG release was, this was a nice addition for those that could appreciate them.
#31 NIKE AIR MAX 98 GUNDAM & TOUR YELLOW
The Air Max 98 had a big year in 2017 and that continued on into 2018. Nike dropped two highly coveted OG color way’s and people ate them up.
#30 NIKE FEAR OF GOD
When a shoe like this hits the market you have to step outside of the name attachment and just look at the product. Do they look good? Perform well? Are there better shoes out there? While there may be better shoes out there from a technical aspect, for many this is the futuristic design we have been waiting for. Had there not been so much heat this year these would have landed much higher.
#29 NIKE AIR MAX 1 ANIMAL PACK
Originally released 10 years ago in collaboration with Atmos, Nike brought back one of the most memorable non OG AM 1 releases to date. If you missed out on the first go around or needed a fresh re-up then these were a must.
#28 NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 ‘UNION’
I know I know, probably one of the worst online releases EVER. Aside from that though the shoes themselves – a mash up of OG Jordan 1’s- was done well. Whether you are a hypebeast or an OG purist these were definitely on your radar.
#27 MIZUNO WAVE RIDER 1
Much to the delight of the shoe community, it seemed like all the brands were eager to celebrate 20th anniversaries in 2018. For Mizuno, that meant diggin’ in the crates -and digging they did-. For the first time ever fans of the brand were able to snag a retro of the Wave Runner 1 in all its OG glory. If you were looking for a quality shoe that the masses probably overlooked then this was your release in 2018.
#26 ASICS GEL KAYANO 5
ASICS is no stranger to quality retros that don’t just look as good as the OG, but feel as good as you remember them. For 2018 they brought back the Kayano 5 and no surprise, the quality and comfort was on point. If you’re a fan of the shoe and haven’t snagged a set yet, then well what are you waiting for?
#25 NIKE AIR SKYLON 2
While touted as one of the greatest running shoes ever created, The Skylon 2 usually only showed up in photo’s from the most die hard of Nike collectors. Although the toe box on these was off from the OG, most were pleased with the overall quality comfort and attention to details that made the original special.
#24 EWING 33 HI “EWING SQUAD”
Ewing Athletics dropped one for the people by way of a special release in collaboration with its Facebook fan club leader and die hard fan Albert Lebron. Rarely if ever has a footwear brand collaborated with its fan club. Keeping it as OG as possible Lebron and Ewing Athletics brought to the table the 24th best drop of the year.
#23 FILA TOURISSIMO RETRO
Originally releasing back in 1989, FILA brought back one of their most memorable basketball shoes EVER. Complete with all the plastics that defined the OG and a shape that was worthy of even the most anal shoe enthusiast, FILA nailed this one.
#22 FILA MINDBLOWER WHITE/RED/NAVY
FILA blew a lot of minds when they brought back -for the first time since its initial 1995 release-the Mindblower for 2018. Overall quality and comfort was really good and had those that were fans ready to go out and pick up some baggy “swishy” pants.
#21 NIKE AIR TERRA HUMARA
Late 90’s gems were returning left and right including the much loved Air Terra Humara. The color blocking wasn’t quite in line with the OG but overall they were good enough to satisfy most die hards appetite.
#20 REEBOK ANSWER IVERSON 1 WHITE/EXCELLENT RED/ BRASS
For 2018 Iverson fans were able to fill a void in their collection of retro’s. In its first retro in this colorway Reebok brought back the white/excellent red/ brass color way with mostly positive praise and hope that maybe we could get more than just Iverson and Shaq retro’s <cough> SXT.
#19 EWING ATHLETICS 33 HI BIG PUN ‘CAPITAL PUNISHMENT’ & PUERTO RICO
Ewing Athletics teamed up with Big Pun’s family for two of the biggest drops of the year. The first release was a tribute to Puns classic album “Capital Punishment” -which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year-. The second drop was a tribute to Pun’s Puerto Rican heritage. Both were executed to perfection and both landed at the 19 spot.
#18 NIKE AIR TAILWIND RETRO
This retro was a testament to the fact that when Nike wants to do a shoe properly THEY CAN. Proper quality, amazing shape in a package that truly honored the shoes historic significance (Nikes first air cushioned shoe) brought these in at number 18.
#17 ASICS GEL SAGA 1
ASICS dropped a bunch of gems this year but none were bigger than the OG Gel Saga (sorry Gel Kayano 5 fans). Coming in a bunch of OG color combo’s in decent quality, great comfort and nicely priced brought these in at number 17.
#16 NIKE ACG AIR ARRIVEDERCI
Nike’s ACG line came roaring back for 2018 with amazing gear and top notch footwear. While the Ruckel Ridge could have snagged this spot it was the Arrivederci and its heritage that was the best of the ACG bunch.
#15 NIKE AIR REACT ELEMENT 87
This was a love/hate shoe that had the shoe community talking (for a few months anyhow). You either loved them or hated them but more people than not loved them both for their modern in your face trail like design coupled with amazing comfort which brought these in at number 15.
#14 NIKE AIR SAFARI 87
Another shoe from the archives of Tinker Hatfield made its way to 2018’s top 50. Initially it seemed as if this would be a tough shoe to track down at a reasonable price, that was until they showed up on a bunch of various sites and at local outlet stores on discount. Still, it doesn’t take away from the fact that the Nike Air Safari is one of Nikes (Tinkers) greatest creations and that this is one of the best drops of 2018.
#13 NIKE DUNK SB DIAMOND SUPPLY
Aside from the police escort antics at Complexcon for the canary colorway all three of these helped bring back some excitement and much deserved attention and respect to the Dunk SB lineup. While there were plenty of great releases this year from SB, non were more collectively sought after than these three.
#12 NIKE AIR MAX 180 ULTRAMARINE & WHITE/BRIGHT CERAMIC
Two OG color way’s of the Nike Air 180 (one of which has never seen a retro release) was welcomed with open arms. While the shape of the 180 is still not up to par of the OG, bubbles way to small and that tongue a tad to long these were still a welcome addition to most rotations.
#11 NIKE AIR MAX PLUS TIGER, HYPER BLUE, PURPLE, EMERALD (4 Way Tie)
The Air Max Plus had a huge year in 2018 but these four color way’s were the stars. With prices of the 2013 Euro release of the tigers reaching the 600-800 range and hyper blue’s going for 250-500 this retro was more than welcome and the consensus was that Nike did a halfway decent job. The Purple colorway was new for 2018 as was this women’s exclusive emerald version both of which are amazing and all of which are still available for purchase at this time. Wide availability coupled with OG tingly’s and new instant classic color combo’s brought these four in at number 11.
#10 NIKE AIR JORDAN XVIII RETRO BLACK/BLUE, WHITE/BLUE
Many will say these aren’t a top 10, top 20 or even a top 30 pick but for die hard fans of the Jordan lineage the 18 is a special shoe -more specifically these two color way’s which MJ wore on court for his final season- . Given the fact that sadly OG’s have become mostly unwearable these were welcomed with open arms and if you were lucky enough to snag a set in either colroway then you picked up the 10th best release of 2018.
#9 NIKE AIR PEGASUS TURBO
Officially the Pegasus Turbo and unofficially the ‘Matt Halfhill’ Pegasus Turbo, this was arguably the best running shoe of 2018. Amazing visuals in combination with second to few cushion and response. If there was one pair of shoes you were throwing down the stairs in 2018 it should have been these.
#8 NIKE AIR MAX DELUXE PHOTO BLUE ORANGE PEEL RETRO
Nike swung for the fences this year dropping heat left and right. Shoes we never thought would see store shelves again made a return including this late 90’s gem. Aside from some minor differences in comparison to the OG -and what many have reported as lackluster comfort- Nike did an awesome job and filled a void in many collections around the world.
#7 NIKE AIR JORDAN III WHITE/CEMENT ‘FREE THROW LINE’
For whatever reason as the year moved on these were lost in the shuffle. While purists could have done without the clear sole and the free throw line gimmick ultimately these were an OG white/cement release that were a tad bit better looking (minus the clear soles) than the 2013 drop. If you picked these up in 2018 you picked up the number 7 best drop.
#6 PUMA RS COMPUTER
No one saw this one coming. PUMA brought back their legendary RS Computer shoe in OG form alas with updated tech to function for today’s needs. Aside from the fact that they retailed for an insane $500 and appear to only have come in like 5 sizes this was by far one of the biggest drops of 2018. Our wish for 2019? Bring these back on a slightly wider scale in sizes up to 13 please.
#5 NIKE AIR SPAN II GARY WARNETT, HOT CORAL, VOLT
The Nike Air Span II kept the ball rolling for 2018 bringing back two additional OG colorway’s at retail and paying proper tribute to one of the shoes biggest advocates -the late great Gary Warnett- by way of a special friends and family release in arguably the best OG colorway -the one that was worn by Warnett’s late father and for which he shared photos on Crooked Tongues, his blog GWARIZM and IG for many years-s. It was the perfect cap on a must have release for one of Nike’s all time greatest shoes.
#4 NIKE AIR JORDAN V GRAPE/TEAL “FRESH PRINCE”
When news broke that the grape teal V would FINALLY see Nike Air branding on the heel for the first time since its initial 1990 release tears of joy were shed globally. When it was announced that they would be released laceless with no lace holes as a tribute to Will Smith’s role as the Fresh Prince Of Bel Aire (in tribute of the select times he wore them on the show and in press photo’s laceless -FYI he also wore them on the shoe and in press photo’s WITH laces-) everyone was pissed. Well then you ask how did these make it all the way to number 4? I’ll tell you. Aside from the fact that in order to wear them the way they were designed you’ll have to punch holes in a 220 shoe and hope you don’t %^&* them up, Jordan Brand used very nice quality leather (the likes of which has never been see on any Grape V retro but WAAAAAY Improved over the last drop), indentations were left so that you can punch most of the holes in them without having to guess and of course that beautiful OG Nike Air branding made these a must have for fans of the Jordan V.
#3 NIKE AIR HUARACHE 91 OG PURPLE PUNCH
Ahhh the purple punch Huarache. Worn by everyone from Michael Jordan to Jerry Seinfeld, this retro was much needed after a couple of years of botched attempts. Nike knocked it out of the ball park with an amazing true to OG retro complete with an improved shape, materials closer to the OG, two tone heel strap, OG tag on the tongue and OG comfort that made these hands down the number three best release of the year.
#2 NIKE AIR JORDAN XI “CONCORD” ’45’
