Good morning, buddies! Welcome again to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks a lot for studying right now. I admire you giving me a bit of your time.
Hope you all had a pleasant weekend! It’s nonetheless blisteringly chilly right here in the DMV. Pro-tip: It’s in all probability not a terrific concept to go outdoors in some New Balance 990s when there’s an inch of snow on the floor. You’ll damage your socks. Oh, and the salt. Our sensible govt editor, Brian, jogged my memory of the salt. Ruins the sneakers. Yup. I want to speculate in pair of boots, it appears.
Today’s ship is an enormous one. We get into the sneaker of the 12 months convo for the first time right here at The Business of Fashion. Plus, Lei Takanashi and I make our respective SOTY picks. You’ll love Lei’s. Mine? Not so certain you’ll bear in mind it.
Anyway, let’s soar in.
QUICK HITS:
Now, let’s dive in.
The Sneakers That Mattered Most
The sneaker of the 12 months dialogue has develop into extra of a practice amongst sneaker and streetwear fanatics than a easy dialog. Every 12 months, round December, now we have the similar debate about the 12 months’s hottest sneakers. Usually, the dialog ends in one thing a minimum of near a consensus.
But this 12 months, the solely consensus gave the impression to be that there was no consensus. That’s why The Business of Fashion determined to leap in on the SOTY dialog for the first time.
- We’d seen that the impassioned defences from posts on X and feedback on Instagram and TikTok weren’t reserved for only one shoe — it was the case for a lot of.
- And when the conventional hypebeast media platforms launched lists displaying their high fashions for the 12 months, the refrain of feedback and posts appeared to develop even louder in opposition. No one gave the impression to be getting it proper.
My colleague, Lei Takanashi, and I made a decision to offer it our greatest shot.
How we did it: We set out to determine a approach to each quantitatively and qualitatively outline what the sneaker of the 12 months is for 2025. We leveraged shopper knowledge and insights from main sneaker and streetwear fanatics to determine the correct SOTY candidates. We even requested you to your opinion right here to offer us much more perception.
- We used resale knowledge from StockX to measure the secondary market and observe which sneakers customers have been prepared to pay greater than retail to personal.
- We additionally gathered knowledge from launch platforms like EQL and pattern forecasting providers akin to Trendalytics to find out what resonated not simply with collectors however the broader market.
- We requested 19 totally different specialists for his or her opinions on the SOTY, starting from creatives who’ve launched footwear, together with trade stars like The Whitaker Group founder James Whitner to media executives like Hypebeast’s Kevin Ma.
- We additionally polled almost 200 readers from this text to see what their particular person SOTY picks have been for 2025.
What we discovered: Our hunch was proper. There was no actual sneaker of the 12 months — as a substitute, there have been a handful of sneakers that mattered.
- 17.5 % of the respondents in our reader ballot wrote in one other shoe somewhat than the 10 we initially picked.
- Most specialists went their very own method, with solely 4 sneakers getting votes from multiple skilled (and in every case it was a grand complete of two): Adidas’ EVO sl, Adidas’ Jellyfish, Jordan Brand x Infinite Archives’ Air Jordan 17 and the Awake NY x Jordan Brand Air Jordan 5.
The massive image: At the root of all of that is the fragmentation of the footwear market has skilled over the previous few years.
- Nike surrendering thoughts share to challenger manufacturers over the years has left room for customers to discover extra with the footwear trade chief’s greatest rivals like Adidas, New Balance and others. Even Vans was in the combine this 12 months.
- At the similar time, to convey customers again in, Nike launched rather a lot of warmth itself this 12 months alongside its improvements in sports activities. It launched attention-grabbing collaborations with Nigel Sylvester, Awake NY, Corteiz, Levi’s and extra that folks fell in love with.
The backside line: Sneaker lovers actually acquired to have their cake and eat it, too, in 2025. There was one thing for everybody to latch onto. Should we anticipate the similar consequence in 2026? Well, that may depend upon how actual Nike’s bounce again is.
But, a minimum of for now, the general market appears to be thriving — even whether it is break up.
One Thing Missing
You didn’t assume we’d have the SOTY dialog with out supplying you with our personal picks, did you? We saved them for the publication.
Here’s why: We didn’t assume making an SOTY decide match the unique piece. We didn’t wish to steer readers in any method — we simply wished to offer them knowledge and perspective. But right here, in TKYW, we wished to dive into our course of and the particulars a bit extra.
So, with that…
Lei’s decide:
I used to be a bit of shocked that “Honey Black” Air Max 95s by Corteiz wasn’t anybody else’s SOTY. My guess is as a result of this wasn’t essentially a brand new sneaker collaboration in 2025 however simply an extra colorway that complemented the unique trio of Corteiz Air Max 95s that debuted in 2023.
Yet these releases being so recent in my head solely made the “Honey Blacks” much more fascinating. It felt like a second likelihood for anybody who wasn’t capable of cop what was initially a streak of regionally unique Air Max 95 drops. These sneakers actually appeared not possible to purchase until you participated in the hypebeast Hunger Games, solely held at one-day pop-ups in London, Paris, and New York City.
However, what actually sealed this as the SOTY for me, past the hype constructed round the first Corteiz 95s, was witnessing 1,000 folks rush right into a fenced schoolyard in East Harlem to purchase these inside a Corteiz-branded college. That alone created an actual, tangible second and story round these sneakers that can without end stamp them into historical past of insane NYC sneaker releases. And truthfully, taking on a complete schoolhouse tops different NYC sneaker drops Corteiz held inside a Lower East Side bodega and at Tom Dick & Harry — an OG mother and pop sneaker boutique in Brooklyn.
Yes, the “Honey Blacks” seemingly misplaced some factors amongst hardcore collectors this 12 months for being a world launch that was additionally broadly out there by way of Nike’s SNKRS App and Corteiz’s personal webstore. But personally, sneaker ought to have a terrific story behind it past simply shedding a raffle. While nice campaigns and pop-ups can do this, as proven with sneakers by Joe RecentGoods or Awake, Corteiz appears to continuously up the ante.
Sykes’ decide:
My decide is a bit unconventional. It’s not a closely marketed collaboration with a big advertising finances, however I completely loved the “Still Water” New Balance 2000.
In a 12 months outlined by newness and innovation throughout the footwear market, the 2000 simply struck me as one thing that was totally different and attention-grabbing. I hadn’t seen it earlier than, and that drew me nearer to it.
Of course, it’s reminiscent of the New Balance 9060 with its chunky outsole, however it feels a bit smoother. And it’s price noting that this shoe was an entire remake of an previous New Balance silhouette from the Y2K period. But it breaks New Balance’s guidelines with its streamlined mesh higher, somewhat than utilizing a number of layers of that premium suede materials. There’s a futuristic vibe to it that simply works for me.
A handful of 2000 collaborations have been launched, together with the rapper Aminé’s glow-in-the-dark Biblioteca pair. Joe RecentGoods additionally launched a pink pair completely in Paris throughout trend week over the summer season that I’d have cherished to get my fingers on sometime.
But, to me, neither fairly tops the inline “Still Water” mannequin. It’s an prompt basic that checked each field for me and a shoe that outlined my summer season.
All Eyes On Nike
Speaking of Nike, that is fairly an enormous week for the model. The firm is holding its second-quarter earnings name for fiscal 12 months 2026 on Thursday.
The backdrop: Just three months in the past, in October, Elliott Hill introduced Nike’s first year-on-year progress for the first time in 5 quarters.
- The progress was modest at only one %, however it was nonetheless a large win contemplating how lengthy it’d been since the trade’s chief noticed such a achieve.
- That slight achieve may fairly be thought-about the greatest monetary win of the Hill period.
What was notably attention-grabbing about it was that the achieve got here amid tariff considerations that the firm believed might need a bigger unfavourable impression on it. It primarily got here out impartial when taking the model’s margin cuts into consideration, which isn’t sustainable long-term however was a minimum of workable for the quarter.
What to anticipate: Analysts expect modest positive factors from Nike, as soon as once more, this quarter. But, in contrast to final quarter, this name will seemingly set the expectations for the firm’s subsequent calendar 12 months. It ought to be much less about clearing up the earlier regime’s errors and extra about the expectations for the present group.
- Hill has his group arrange the method he desires it and has purposefully recentered the model’s technique round sports activities.
- The firm additionally has enormous moments set as much as showcase in the first half of the 12 months, beginning with the 2026 Winter Olympics in February and the World Cup in June.
He might need been in that govt chair for a 12 months now however, to me, the Elliott Hill period actually begins on Thursday. I can’t wait to listen to what it appears like.
Cooking With Diallo
It’s at all times neat when an athlete’s model will get placed on my radar. This week, I used to be placed on to Diallo by NFL quarterback Tyrod Taylor and his co-founder Dex Robinson.
The backdrop: Taylor, who’s at present quarterbacking for the New York Jets, and Robinson, who has collaborated with manufacturers like Wales Bonner, Nike and extra, launched their luxurious streetwear model in 2021. They’ve launched a number of collections by way of the years.
What I like about it: The model is unapologetically Black. It leans into historical past and heritage and it’s not shy about it. From dressing Black athletes throughout sports activities to taking a visit to Essence Festival this summer season, Diallo has actually leaned in on Black tradition to supply itself a basis in each tradition and design.
The newest: The model is throwing a chef’s desk banquet on Tuesday evening, that includes a star-studded visitor record and meals cooked by a number of cooks from traditionally black faculties and universities round the nation.
- The dishes at the occasion can be soul meals impressed and include shared tales behind them.
- Among the visitors anticipated to attend are rappers like The Clipse and Wale to different athletes into trend like PJ Tucker.
Experiences have gotten an enormous half of luxurious trend lately. People don’t wish to simply purchase your model — they wish to expertise it. This dinner falls into that bucket. The incontrovertible fact that the cooks cooking can be coming from HBCUs is a cherry on high.
I’ll have my eyes on Diallo in 2026. You ought to too.
What’s Droppin’, Bruh?
This is a devoted part detailing upcoming sneaker releases for the week, and generally different attention-grabbing drops I feel you may care about.
Thanks for studying, gang! Hope you loved the publication.
If you’ve any questions, feedback or considerations, attain out to me through electronic mail at michael.sykes@businessoffashion.com or shoot me a message @MikeDSykes through socials.
Peace and love. Be protected, be straightforward, be type. We out.
-Sykes 💯