2024 Was the Year That Sneaker Hype Died

What if there wasn’t a sneaker of the year in 2024? What if it was a solid year in sneakers where nothing stood out? Complex already crowned Anthony Edwards’s signature Adidas shoe, the AE 1, as the sneaker of the year, and I do think it had the complete package of a good shoe, creating a renewed interest in basketball sneakers, good marketing, and being endorsed by a dynamic, likable player. There were lots of other shoes this year that were good, but not that upper echelon of elite. And maybe that’s where all the confusion around parsing out this year in sneakers lies.

In the past, it’s been easy to identify the sneaker of the year, and the top five or even eight shoes, for that matter. But this year was different. There were plenty of good shoes to wear. Jordan Brand released the “Bred” 4s (albeit with a twist), “Black Cement” 3s, and “Columbia” 11s. Any other year, that would be enough to make it one of the best years in sneakers in recent memory. But it wasn’t.

It also wasn’t a bad year in sneakers, by any means. Nigel Sylvester reworked the Air Jordan 4 and made it look good, complete with an engaging roll out. Action Bronson and New Balance dropped some of the best mesh running shoes. Jae Tips added to his ongoing Saucony collaboration with his most widely available project yet. Kith and Marvel put their spin on ASICS’ hottest shoes at the moment, the 1130, 2160, and Kayano 14. Nike finally gave people a chance to buy Kobe shoes (the “Italian Camo” 6s are great). The Wu-Tang Dunks got their first real release. Cactus Plant Flea Market did more Air Force 1s. Kids of Immigrants made a Nike Air Sunder Max that released at ComplexCon. And Jordan gave Travis Scott his own signature sneaker.

This is not an attempt to downplay any of those shoes. I think they’re all good. The Action Bronson New Balances are my personal favorite shoes this year. But there weren’t any blockbuster sneaker moments. There wasn’t an Off-White x Nike “The 10.” There wasn’t a Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1. There wasn’t a Dior x Air Jordan 1, Chunky Dunky, Yeezy 350, Union x Air Jordan 4, or Travis Scott’s first Air Jordan 1s.

Most of those shoes aren’t my cup of tea as something I’d spend my money on to wear on a daily basis. But anyone in the sneaker space, or even sneaker-adjacent, would know how big or important they were at the time. You could point to celebrities wearing them, their resale value. Instagram accounts, such as ours, posting them over and over again. Kids putting them on their Christmas wish lists, hoping that Santa would make a stop at Flight Club along the way.

It felt like we didn’t have any of those this year. But that doesn’t make it a bad year in sneakers. Travis Scott dropped multiple Air Jordan 1 Lows, and still we don’t have a shoe at the top of the Big Hype Candy Mountain.

There are many factors that led to this. Maybe the market is finally oversaturated. The economy is in the drubs. But it’s also a year where hyped, limited collaborations didn’t matter as much. ASICS 1130s, in black and white, are the most popular shoe on the street. The Adidas Spezial isn’t far behind. People would rather go to JD Sports and pick up a pair of New Balance 1906s, or Hokas or Saucony ProGrids or Salomons, than try their best at a sneaker raffle.

No one is willing to pay big bucks for sneakers on the aftermarket like they were a few years, either. You can get most of the hype shoes this year for right around retail. Maybe $25-$50 over box price. It’s not a bad thing, either. But in the past, we were so conditioned as a culture to check StockX to validate whether a sneaker was successful. It was a benchmark indicator of which shoes were held in higher regard than others.

I’ve never been one to personally base my personal opinions on what shoe is good or not based on how much they go for on the secondary market, but it’s hard to say that the best or second-best sneaker this year is one that the last sale online was $161. But it was easier to make your case for a shoe that went for $700 to $1,200 any day. You had quantifiable proof of how well the market reacted to something.

Even Lil Yachty’s drama-inducing Air Force 1s are going for like $40 over retail. Three years ago, that’s a $400 to $500 sneaker all day. Things are just different now. A Ma Maniere went from having the sneaker of the year in 2021 to dropping the same shoe in black this year, and now it’s available for way under retail. And it doesn’t mean it’s a bad shoe by any means. Heck, you can still buy “Black Cement” 3s from retailers online.

It’s just a weird year. The Joe Fresh Goods x New Balance 1000s are awesome, but I can’t seem to make a case for them being sneaker of the year. But I also wouldn’t push back on someone who thought they were. The same can be said for everything that Grace Wales Bonner did with Adidas this year. She’s really changed the way mainstream culture appreciates archival Adidas shoes. But her releases—this year at least—are widely available and can and have been purchased and worn by everyone.

That’s a good thing. That’s the thing everyone has been asking for as long as I can remember. But when it comes to discussing “Sneaker of the Year,” people are often celebrating grail-level shoes. Things that are too precious to be worn. We did it, we accomplished the mission. We created the world we wanted to see. And people aren’t happy with it. Can’t win ‘em all. The big shoes aren’t immensely hyped or unattainable, but maybe things feel a little less exciting as a result.

We just didn’t have the signature moments, aside from what Anthony Edwards and Adidas did this year, that we can all point to as the instances that mattered. And if we’re being honest, the most talked-about sneaker moment of 2024 was Donald Trump showing up at SneakerCon in Philadelphia. Bet no one had that on their bingo card.

Maybe we’re all getting older, too. Some sneaker people are more hyped about buying a pair of limited-edition, big-tagged marathon running shoes than they are a pair of retro shoes from a running brand. Meanwhile, the younger kids are lining up for eight hours at ComplexCon to buy the Travis Scott shoes that the older heads think didn’t matter this year. No one can see eye to eye.

So yes, there still is a best sneakers of the year conversation. It’s still something worth arguing about. But it’s just not as definitive as it was in the past. There’s no Sean Wotherspoon Air Max or Nike Fear of God 1. No Sacai LDV Waffles when they first came out. No Kaws Air Jordan 4. We have a crop of good shoes. But maybe they’re not the great shoes we’re accustomed to in the past. And I’m OK with that.

People actually wear the stuff they buy now, not hold onto it for five years until the price hits maximum resale value. It just leaves the community a bit confused, because the vibe has shifted, the standard has changed, and we’re in a brave new sneaker world. Merle Haggard once pondered, “Are the good times really over for good?” When it comes to shoes, the answer is no, but a lot of what we’re holding onto now is a glimmer of the past.