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Background:
Choosing “sneaker of the year” has hardly ever been this contentious. In 2025 the debate has splintered opinion between incumbent gamers like Nike and contenders from Vans, Converse and New Balance as customers take a look at the subject.
Whilst Nike’s shadow looms and expands with new silhouettes, real-world quantity is being pushed by ‘regular’ pairs like ASICS’ black-and-silver GEL-1130.
In this episode of The Debrief, BoF’s Sheena Butler-Young and Brian Baskin sit down with Mike Sykes to unpack the information, the storytelling and what this 12 months alerts for 2026.
Key Insights:
- In a widening market, this 12 months’s debate has splintered opinions. Unlike typical years with “two to three shoes,” 2025 felt like “it’s five, it’s six, it’s seven, it’s eight,” says Sykes. He frames it as customers testing “Nike versus the field,” with many deciding, “I’m actually gonna try the field for once,” which explains why we have now seen credible contenders from Vans, Converse, New Balance and extra.
- At the similar time, experiences of Nike’s demise are overdone. “Nike has always – and, in my opinion, probably will always – be the industry standard. The company is just too big at this point; it makes too much money. Even when it fails, it’s still a notch above its competition,” says Sykes. The actual query now’s which Nike silhouettes win consideration. Just a few years in the past it was largely Jordan 1s, 3s and Dunks, nonetheless now kinds like Infinite Archives 17, Awake’s Jordan 5, and Nigel Sylvester’s Jordan 4 are all taking area.
- Hype is more and more powered by storytelling that feels private reasonably than pushed by pure shortage. Nigel Sylvester’s Jordan 4 confirmed how “over the top” but genuine activations made followers connect to Nigel past the sneaker. “He’s riding his bike, kissing babies, shaking hands,” says Sykes. It’s “absolutely marketing” however designed to attach on emotion.
- On sneaker resale market StockX, beneath the headline-grabbing premiums, Asics is shifting severe quantity with on a regular basis pairs. As Mike notes, “the black and silver Asics Gel-1130 is just a common shoe that you could probably just go to your Foot Locker and buy,” but he sees “people just buying the shoe up.” Set towards hype, the GEL-1130 reveals how “regular everyday shoes that look cool” can dominate real-world gross sales even after they’re absent from sneaker-of-the-year shortlists.