Since 2015, the sneaker world has seen collaborations between independent brands and designers with major footwear companies that would come to redefine both sides in major ways. Below are some of the biggest sneaker collaborations from the past six years that have come to bring renown and impact within fashion, culture and the sneaker zeitgeist as a whole.
[2015] adidas x Yeezy Boost 350: the great Ye hype
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Moonrock 
Kanye West wearing the adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Turtledoves on tour
Kanye changed the game with this sole model, his first design effort with (another) sportswear giant Adidas after leaving competitor Nike the year before. Never before has hype been achieved for the first generation of Yeezy’s since people would line up outside storefronts for the latest Jordan release, and there is still considerable hype today for Yeezy’s current season. The 2015 release of Kanye’s rookie shoe with Adidas arrived in four original colourways: Turtledove, Moonrock, Oxford Tan and Pirate Black. Ye’s earthy toned, knitted and retro-future aesthetic would become a major influence on Adidas as a whole, as evidenced by mainline models such as the beloved Ultra Boost and the aesthetic shift in the streetwear scene at large.
[2016] Acronym x Nike Air Presto Mid: techwear goes mainstream
The Acronym x Nike Air Presto Collection 
Errolson Hugh in the design studio
The Nike Air Presto was a unique and welcome reintroduction to the Nike lineup in the 2010s, but it didn’t turn heads until 2016 when it was reworked in collaboration with Munich-based independent brand, Acronym. Known for their innovative fashion that combines forward-thinking design with function, the Acronym x Nike Air Presto Mid exemplified this ethos to a tee. Touted by Nike as a “t-shirt for your feet”, Acronym designer Errolson Hugh further equipped the Presto with a dual-zipper entry system to add greater support along with an enlarged pull cord and zipper tabs to provide ease of use. A technical and visual marvel, the Acronym x Nike Air Presto Mid would bring techwear into the mainstream consciousness of the fashion world with its modern and military-inspired silhouette and palette.
[2017] Nike x Off-White™ “The Ten”: art as literalism
Virgil Abloh and the Off-White™ Air Jordan 1 Chicago Off-White™ x Nike Air Presto Low
Virgil Abloh’s collaboration with Nike was both minimalistic and revolutionary for the iconic sportswear brand. As the founder of Off-White, Virgil’s design changed branding as we commonly know it with his literal dissection of a sneaker that can be found in exaggerated features and quotations across each respective model in the collection. Complimenting each pair of “The Ten” are Off-White’s signature tapings and zip-ties, along with disjointed Nike logos and tags which further added to the industrial and anatomized aspect of each shoe. The crown jewels of the collection, however, are Virgil’s reinterpretations of sneaker silhouettes old and new with the timeless Air Jordan 1 Chicago’s and with the up-and-comer Air Presto Low’s in a clean black/bone colorway.
[2018] Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 1/97: the hybrid revolution begins
Sean Wotherspoon holding his creation
Combining the upper of the Air Max 97 in a plush and colorful corduroy with the sole of an Air Max 1, this frankensneaker became an instant classic upon its arrival. It also foresaw the later trend of combining tech from different shoe styles into one model. Conceived by designer Sean Wotherspoon, this sneaker is a homage to an earlier period of Nike history with its 1980’s-inspired blast of vintage hues, stripe patterns and mini swooshes. It was created for and won Nike’s 2017 Vote Forward competition, later releasing for Air Max Day the following year in 2018.
[2019] Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 990: the classic range gets a Northeastern twist
The Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 990v5 
The Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 990v2
“Worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio”: this tagline was one of several advertisements from New Balance for the relaunch of their classic 990v5 model. With the ‘dad shoe’ silhouette starting to trend in the past several years, New York’s Aimé Leon Dore took the perennial dad shoe and made it cooler than ever in 2019. The 990v5 got a preppy makeover in a colorway of contrasting navy and forest green pigskin leather, with creamy eggshell laces that tied the shoe together. Meanwhile, the chunkier 990v2 featured similar materials and colors but with gold and gray hits on the toe box and matching gold laces. So coveted were these pairs of understated yet eye-pleasing sneakers that the NYPD had to shut down their launch event at ALD’s flagship store on Mulberry Street in SoHo.
[2020] Undefeated x Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro Pack: Mamba forever.
The Undefeated x Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro Pack comes with two pairs 
The insoles feature the teams that passed on Kobe along with Undefeated branding
Anthony Davis of the L.A. Lakers rocking the “What If” pair in the NBA Bubble
Released just this past month to commemorate Kobe Bryant’s legacy, this collaboration with Nike from L.A.-based Undefeated sees the iconic Kobe 5 Protro reinterpreted with two distinct colorways that represent the teams that passed up on Kobe during the 1998 NBA Draft. The patchwork “Dirty Dozen” pair contains the colors of the 12 teams that drafted other players before Kobe, while the white and teal “What If” pair represents the colors of the Charlotte Hornets, who traded Kobe to the Los Angeles Lakers after picking him 13th in the draft. Gold swooshes symbolise the championships Kobe won with the Lakers and which the 13 teams potentially missed out on, while Undefeated branding along with Kobe’s iconic logo adorn the tongue and heel of both pairs. With the Protro 5, Kobe personally had durability and lightness in mind to help assist his playstyle on the court, which ultimately led him to his fifth and final NBA Championship. A changing athleticism and intensity in the game required innovation, and Kobe was the master at that. The Protro 5 is still sported to this day by several NBA players, showing how Kobe’s legacy on the game and sneakers still reverberates to this day.
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