Sneaker News Top 30 Sneakers of 2011

Following up on 2009′s ‘Eggplant’ Air Foamposite One, the modern Foamposite era really kicked off in 2010, when Nike brought out a mixture of familiar colorways and also suited up a couple of other classic sneakers with the groundbreaking form fitting material. While the shoe already enjoyed a regional cult following in some areas, the reception to the reintroduction was uniformly positive across the board, especially with the younger generation now brought into the loop on a reinvigorated 90′s classic. What remained particularly significant, was the hype surrounding the new ‘Dirty Copper’ version, proving how eager heads were for the next wave of Foam releases.

Nike wisely took note, jamming 2011 with one hot release after another for both the Nike Air Foamposite One and the Nike Air Foamposite Pro, and even in the face of a $200 price tag in a down economy, people showed up to cop each time. By year’s end, it had become abundantly clear that Foams had clearly carved out their place at the top of the sneaker food chain, officially supplanting Nike SB Dunks as the hottest thing in the sneaker world after Air Jordan Retros, of course.

The year started off right with the return of the OG royal colorway, giving fans the chance to pick up a classic and play catch-up before the onslaught began. March saw the release of two new colorways, the vibrant ‘Electric Green’ Nike Air Foamposite Pro and the ‘Pewter’ Nike Air Foamposite One, which revisited the metallic theme of last year’s Coppers. After that, it was the House of Hoops exclusive ‘Neo-Lime’ release, where the icy soles on bottom were injected with a radioactive shade of green in contrast to the blacked out upper.

Things really heated up in the middle of the year when the ‘Retro Blue’ Nike Air Foamposite Pro had heads catching South Beach flashbacks, and the shoe was deemed a must-have for summer stuntin’. Then, just when the flashy Foam colorways were at an all time high, Nike went left, dropping the smooth ‘Dark Pine’ Foam Pros. This last release from the 2011 run proved that the Foamposite line doesn’t need loud palettes to produce a hit. Looking into next year, the Foam frenzy doesn’t show any sign of slowing, but we’re confident that 2011 will go down as a landmark year for the most prized of Penny Hardaway’s signature sneakers.