By now for most of us the sneaker game has lost its luster. If you’re not an athlete, celebrity, sneaker store clerk slash reseller, you will probably window shop forever.  Or. And this is the “or” most of us have to resort to…or, spend big bags. It also doesn’t help how most of the sneaker drops come with the greatest backstories that get you pulled in. So the disappointment is that much bigger with every lost raffle on the infamous sneaker apps. I know people that used to be big sneaker heads and now just don’t care anymore. Feels like sneakers are just a subject for entertainment these days. We

get to listen to the sneaker pods and watch the shows about unattainable footwear. To us regular folks every sneaker drop is another pipe dream. 2022 was no different as I kept looking forward to the next drop and then the next and so on. All I can do now at years end is dream about what could’ve been. Here is my 2022 dream list. 

07.

Russel Westbrooks Why Not 0.5 or ZerO5. The backstory to this drop had something to do with Russels past, present and future represented in the color ways. I fell in love with the silhouettes futuristic sharp and edgy corners. Like colorful lightning rods wrapped around the whole shoe. Not bulky, slick and clean lines. All the best elements of nike past in this four part release. You have 90s ACG pastels and hike tech in the strings. Then you have AIR RAID DNA on one of the inner midsoles. And to top it off with a hint of some Huarachi inner sock tech. The only way I get close to these is when I’m watching Westbrook from my comfy sofa. Moving on. 

6.

I don’t know anything about Julian Klincewicz, but that he’s an multi-artist. When saw his Vault By Vans collaboration, he definitely got on my radar. These Vans sneakers are hot. The matt orange rough suede with the gold lettering on it is so fresh and clean. They look thicker and heavier than the regular Vans, more quality of sorts. The summer festivals would have felt different in these but hey….I moved on. 

5.

September rolls around and guess what’s dropping? You guessed it. The AJ3 Retro Fire Red “crafted from white leather with elephant print overlays and fire red midsole accent that stands out from afar. For this is the midsole silhouette or design that made Nike basketball sneakers. It returned with small changes all the way to AJ6. After that they switched up and I hung in there for AJ7 ,AJ8 and threw in the towel. You couldn’t get me to wear the AJ9 or anything after that. For me the revolution happened between AJ3 and AJ6. As much as I covet them I’m not paying twice above retail so I’m moving on. 

4.

My all time white on whites are Adidas Rivalry lows and highs, Air Force 1s lows and highs and recently the Drake Nocta Hot Step Air Terras even though I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet. I just feel they would go great to a pair of chaki linnen shorts. Mind you Drizzy Drake just dropped the Nocta Air Force 1s but other than the minute details as in tiny heart shapes on the sole, I feel the Hot Steppers were more rejuvenating. I would stand in a long line to get a pair if only I could find said line, anywhere.

3.

Virgil Abloh. Nike. Air Force One. Louie Vuitton. Crazy hype! Don’t laugh. I put these on my list because, you know, “no dream is too big” or, “if you believe it you can achieve it”….Kevin Hart voice off course. Honestly I don’t even know who’s copping them besides Dj Clark Kent who probably got them already for free. Also if you ever see them outside, please know it’s a bootleg. Yes. These are about to so faked that fake Louie handbags will have to move aside for the foreseeable future. Im going to Turkye for mine. I know I got a chance there. 

2.

Ahh the Nike Air Max Penny Hardaway 1.

I will slap you if I catch you wearing long pants to these. This is a strict summer shorts lets pretend we’re ballers sneaker. The precursor to the Nike Air Foamposits due that big foam piece that goes all the way from the midsole and up almost touching the lace parts of the shoe, adding great stability and a look that was surprisingly attractive This led Nike to thinking lets lets foam all over the shoe. Thus the Foamposite. Now the Foam is “pantable” due to the fact that it’s stiff and wears like snow boot. Not at all agile and flexy the penny which also I believe was the first basketball shoe with a 180 degree visible Air bubble. Add to that the jewel swoosh which also was a first.

I still remember the penny doll in the 93 commercial. I’m I the only one to think that was creapy? 

1.

Hot take. The Air Max 1 is the perfect sneaker bar none. No other sneaker has such a timeless design. Granny can wear Air Max 1s and not look like she’s trying too hard. I don’t want to see grandma in AF1s ever or dunks, AJ1s and so on. The slick Air Max 1 aerodynamic silhouette could make the icing on any outfit, pants, shorts,skirt. Off you have to pick your color way meticulously but you cant really fail with Tinker Hatfields masterpiece. If I’m aloud to only have one silhouette for the rest of my life I would pick AM1 over the Adidas Rivalry, my other favorite silhouette. I have bought quite a few pairs of AM1s in the past and when the original color way was redropped I got excited for about two seconds before I realized I probably would never get close to copping. Im happy to see this again and genuinely happy for whoever gets their on a pair.

To conclude I follow my principles and I have never bought any sneakers on resell ever and never bought sneakers online either. I go to the store, try something on, make sure all the symmetry is tight, the stitching is tight, no bleeding or blemishes and I go in for the kill. I did kill a few picks this year but they were random finds and not hype. Im sad about the hype I didn’t get. 

Words by Ndereyah Kasubi,

Editor in chief.