Without sounding too typical of lists like this, 2021 truly was a year full of surprises. In footwear, we were thwarted with delays, postponement, and cancellations on imports, leaving footwear brands scrambling at all levels of business. With releases now more sparse, hype levels only increased on releases — even to the point where Air Jordan 1 Mid and Triple White Air Forces 1s became unattainable. With the staples all snapped up, footwear fanatics were somewhat forced to direct their attention elsewhere. The result of this led to some surprising trends.
Whilst some sneakers are created just for hype (some of which failed miserably) others find their way to favor through bravado, reinvention, and of course, collaboration to defy expectations, whilst others just pop up out of nowhere to steal the limelight for a minute to two.
From hidden gems to those that performed better than expected, here are the biggest surprise sneakers of 2021:
Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clog
Salehe’s terrestrial take on this slip-on Croc has by far and large been the most anticipated Crocs collaboration ever, and it’s even got the most skeptical of the brand intrigued. With aftermarket prices already nearing the $1k mark, it’s safe to say that Salehe and Crocs will be back with more color schemes in 2022.
YEEZY 450
As is the case with many of Kanye’s designs — save those horrific Scuba Shoes — the YEEZY 450 went through the standard pattern of ridicule to ‘they’re growing on me’, to sole out in seconds. The dumpling-like design delivered the goods for YEEZY Brand on three occasions this year, all but ensuring a flow-on of new colorways come 2022.
OFF-WHITE x Nike Dunk “The 50”
Though any OFF-WHITE release’s success should come as no surprise, the late Virgil Abloh delivered one of the most courageous collaborations in sneaker history; 50 pairs of Nike dunks, 48 of which were almost identical from afar. When word of this broke, there were skeptics in every corner — us included — but how the pairs were released was akin to that of opening a pack of baseball cards; The excitement to see which pair you picked up is s feeling we haven’t had in footwear all-too-often, and it was a breath of fresh air. Add to that, the pairs lent themselves to the user’s creativity, with the aftermath of customized pairs making this one of the most rousing run of release in recent times.
adidas Forum
Though not as high-profile as others on this list, the adidas Forum has continued to deliver some of the best GR colorways of the year, as well as some creative collaborations, and premium efforts, too. Benefitting from the rise of retro 80’s hoops shoes on mood boards across the ‘gram, fans the classic silhouette will be in no shortage of new colorways come 2022. Just no more designs from Kerwin Frost, please.
Air Jordan 1 Mid
The Mid agenda is in full swing — what more can we say? The funny thing is, though, there’s probably more fire colorways of the Mid than there is of the High, and the sales of the design in 2021 showed that. Stigma, be gone!
adidas NMD S1
Though we only saw one release in 2021, the adidas NMD S1 brought an entirely new aesthetic to the NMD linage, all whilst keeping signature elements of its DNA. It showcases the new language set forth in the NMD V3, and Pharrells’ new Hu NMD S1 RYAT for 2022 — but none quite hit like these.
UV-Sensitive, Color Changing Air Force 1
It’s as gimmicky in real-life as it sounds here in print but the color-changing Air Force 1s were one most sought-after Uptowns of the year. Like the tear-aways from 2020, these too took TikTok by storm given their visual appeal, resulting in the most-searched Nike sneaker on our site in 2021 — save Air Jordan retro releases.
New Balance 550
Indie-gram’s go-to sneaker for pre-aging, the New Balance 550 was catapulted back into popularity thanks to a choice partnership with Aime Leon Dore in late 2020 and has since become one of the searched-for New Balance models on our site, and apparently, a sneaker that people decide to base their entire personality around.
CdG x Nike Air Foamposite
Another one of those that was absolutely roasted by social media when first looks came in, the CdG x Nike Air Foamposite’s new shell was not originally welcomed by the masses, but then again, most Foams these days aren’t. But for lovers of the silhouette, the change was a welcome one — that is, if you could get your hand on them.
New Balance 2002R
Not a month goes by where the New Balance 2002R doesn’t pop up in our monthly wrap-up of best custom sneakers — especially pairs from the brand’s three-piece “Protection Pack,” the series that ultimately brought the silhouette back to the mainstream.
YEEZY 350
Should the 350 really make this list? Absolutely. Though the silhouette brought limited colors to the table in 2021, it did bring some evolutionary new elements like the Mono Pack’s skeletal system, color-changing UV weaves, and marbled patterns to the MX series. There’s also the new CMPCT edition that was itself a big surprise sneaker of the year given its initial reactions. And then there’s the reflective Belugas — a sneaker that is enough to bring half of the hey-days hype back in one single release. But more so, the leaks for 2022 have surprised us the most, with Kanye’s first-every all-red 350 release, and the two blue jawns in the MX Blue and Dazzling Bluedesigns.
Air Jordan 14
One of the biggest surprises from the retro sector was Mike’s fourteenth signature sneaker, the often overlooked Air Jordan 14. The ladies had a clear run on this one in 2021, lead by a special effort from long-time collaborator Aleali May. That was then followed by two more ladies-exclusives in the Lipstick and Shocking Pink pairs — both of which were a great success for a model not heralded as high as those with lower numbers. There was also a low-cut colorway from CLOT, and a winterized edition that did alright, too.
Ronnie Fieg x Clark’s Originals
Repping Wallabees since middle school, the KITH founder came full-circle in 2008 when he connected with the brand for his first professional project. Fast-forward 13 years, Fieg and Clarks reconnected earlier this year — this time on a much grander scale — with a debut season of the Ronnie Fieg x Clarks Originals “8th St” Collection. Talks between Fieg and Clarks on this project began two years ago when Fieg explained his vision for the brand of them foraying into an untapped space that “sits between brown shoes and athletic footwear.” After seeing Fieg’s undoubtedly strong passion for this concept, the two decided to forge a new footwear division and debuted the first run in April 2021, followed by a sophomore collection six months on. And, although it didn’t make huge waves in the mainstream market, its concept is a breath of fresh air to a market saturated with retro hoops shoes, and its execution is top-tier.
Converse x Shai
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is two-for-two when it comes to Converse collabs, with his MCA-like and upscale quilted Pro Leather Ox designs breathing new life into the staple silhouette. Given the track record of athlete collaborations (think Patrick Mahomes, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James on non-signature models) the odds were against Shai. But the boy from across the border delivered dead-set fire.
LaMelo Ball’s PUMA MB.01
The 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year’s debut signature sneaker is one of the nest first offerings in recent times, and that’s typically the consensus of the sneakerverse, despite the fact that it comes from the lesser-loved PUMA brand. Perhaps people had his brother’s signature BBB in their mind’s eye when anticipating LeMelo’s release because not many were expecting the heat that LaMelo and PUMA punched out for their first effort.
YEEZY Knit Runner + Boot
Another entry from Kanye? Of course — what do you expect from a man who himself continues to surprise us on a daily basis. His footwear designs are no different. What’s not so surprising, though, is the market’s ability to flip opinion on a YEEZY release come release day. Case and point, Ye’s new Knit Runners and Boots, both of which went from outrageously flamed to out-of-stock in mere moments.
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