Sneaker News Top 30 of 2012
December 28th, 2012 by Sneaker News | 181 comments
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4 | AIR JORDAN IV ORIGINAL COLORWAYS
While the few and far between Air Jordan XI Retros have managed to maintain a revered sense of mystique throughout the years, for many Jordan purists, the real G.O.A.T. debate comes down to “the III vs. the IV.” In addition to their shared and undisputed aesthetic brilliance, they’re also arguably the two most versatile everyday wearable models in the Air Jordan lineage. The lower ankle cut effectively seems to make them more accessible to a broader fanbase and especially with those who love Jordans, but are not usually partial to hightop basketball silhouettes. Aside from the comparable ankle height and worldwide adoration, most of the similarities end there. The Air Jordan III steps into the ring equipped with the almighty elephant print and was the first appearance of the iconic Jumpman logo, but for all the elegance and sophistication it brings to the table, there’s just something so “next level” about the Air Jordan IV.
Most sneaker designers would retire after designing the Air Jordan III, content with having just created one of the all-time greats in the history of the medium, but for a young Tinker Hatfield, it was right onto the next one. How do you follow the Air Jordan III? How about some crazy protruding lace wings on the sides, plastic netting on the tongue and underlay and some kind of cool new speckled pattern known as “cement” thrown in on the accents. It all came together with the unique lacing system, extending heeltab and the dynamic contours of the midsole to materialize into the perfect evolutionary next step for the Air Jordan line. The Air Jordan IV was fiercely technical and futuristic in its look, but it’s flowing lines and shapes gave it a stylish and organic feel that felt completely congruent to what MJ was doing on the court at the time.
Michael Jordan symbolized the future of the NBA and was doing things the game had never seen. Not only was he innovating on the court with his play, but he was doing it with an unparalleled style and grace and the Air Jordan IV seemed to succinctly embody those elements. Four original colorways were released beginning in 1989, each one achieving legendary status over the years in the hearts of Air Jordan fans. 2012 marked the 23rd anniversary of the original release and for Jordan Brand, that milestone means a celebration of the model at retail. Following last year’s formula for the III’s 23rd birthday, various colorways of the Air Jordan IV hit the shelves all year long as expected.
There were some new and unexpected drops along the way, like the “Cavs” edition, which was a tribute to Michael’s infamous execution of “The Shot” over Craig Ehlo in the playoffs, but despite the great story behind them, more folks seemed to want to refer to them as “Knicks” instead for the more obvious color scheme tie-in. In the unexpected column was the return of the “Thunder” colorway, marking a rare re-release of a relatively recent non-OG colorway. Despite the new additions to the IV family, the real treat was the return of all four original colorways beginning with the White/Cement in February and finishing off with the beloved “Bred” edition on Black Friday. While there will never be a definitive champion in the ongoing “III vs. IV” debate, for those who don’t care which is better and just can’t get enough, it’s been a dream two-year stretch of Retro releases to say the least.
fresh as fuck my niqha
蛋疼吧你
艹 真好看
It goes Rookie Galexy/ Yeezy/Galexy foaM
I like zhe AJ4
can you speak chinese？
@AJ123 不
avapkicks speaks blasphemy. Questions, Answers, any of the Pump series. I know this is only your opinion but damn.
no rookie galaxy
Playoffs 11's or the black cement 4's should of been number one!
i luv lebrons
reebok has never made a good shoe period
You crazy, you not a real sneaker head if you think reebok dont make good shoes@avapkicks
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@Chris Sneakerhead
how much?
Anyone know a levit wesite to buy shoes?
Anyone know a online website for shoes .. A legit website
@xavier987654321 its a few out there but their stock wont b that vast and the price will b super high
nice
I also feel some sort of way that the best release of a signature shoe all year wasn't featured by itself. The KD IV! I dislike every other KD except this one, including the KD V. These were incredibly made, had GORGEOUS colorways, and are the only low top basketball shoes I will ever hoop in because the fit and feel is INCREDIBLE. I can't see how the "Aunt Pearls" or "Gold Medals" weren't on this list representing in their own right! Besides ridiculously limited quantities, and thus leading to huge hype; I don't see how these wouldn't have made a top 15 list let alone a top 30. But hey, that's just my opinion.
Honestly my #1 release of the year was the "Paranorman" Foam. I have copped every limited release and general release foam since 97, and these are the only ones I haven't retrieved; and honestly, it's the one time I didn't feel cheated by either the company (Nike) or retailers as to why I didn't get a release of a particular shoe. It seemed to be an honest and fair raffle on twitter, that gave that patron an extremely well deserved prize for sharing a picture that directly linked to the theme of the product. I submitted plenty of "weird" childhood pics, but understanding that I might not be 1 of the 800 "weirdest" children captured in the world helped settle my disappointment. I haven't even mentioned the craft and beauty of the shoe itself. Next to the galaxy and metallic red it would be my 3rd favorite foamposite. The release was genuine, the theme and idea was genuine and the shoe was simply AMAZING! My favorite sneaker was the galaxy (My favorite sneakers have been foams since they released so I'm extremely bias), but the amount of BS i had to go through and amount of money I had to pay to purchase one pair to actually rock was ridiculous, even though I was and always am willing to do all sorts of waiting, and hours of lines to purchase releases. The paranormans were all positives about a sneaker and it's release, in a world where the "sneaker game" has taken a turn for the worse. It was a huge breath of fresh air on a very recently SUPER HYPED model of sneaker that ranks #1 all time in my opinion.
the zoom revis should have been in the top 1O in my opinion..they were fire!
where the crimson foams at
I don't agree with this list but hey to each their own
Where's the wdywt app SN? Lol just curious on the progress.
Personally i think the foamposite galaxies was the best shoe of 2012 not a huge fan of the yeezys anyway
Amazing pictures that showed off of the little nuances that made each shoe special. Overall this was a good list but I would not have included the Lebron X. That shoe still hasn't found its must have colorway. I can't wait until they announce the Black Friday and Christmas Jordan retros.
For real here. Not brand new but a lil shiny to sneaker blog, release thing. Is there any place like Hanon shop. On line or in our country? Why they do all those great New Balance colorways?
@Tuddy306 You should go back and start over (Kindergarten, first grade, etc.).
Stussy shoe is diffrent. But just in case they gotta slap New York on the back. No hater here I'm a fan of Supreme but enough New York. U dont rule the shoe world. Maybe it's Orgon?
I'm from philly and all but two of Iverson" shoes are crap.
Thebeaner. Is right! His shoes are simply done right. On my shoe list for 2013. Geta pair.
i feel the PARANORMANS was a better FOAM than the GALAXY foams. that slime green on the bottom is better than the galaxys. the green slime smoke screen on the side is dope i mean, the galaxy was dope but i feel the PARANORMANS are better
The Ewings were trash when they were release in the early 90's. hypebeast have made trash popular
@Qubayza ur so right. Slap in the face. These company's think they can re-release crap and cause a craze. They're prob right. I'm sitn in a little row home w/ 18 yrs left til I own it. Has nuthn to do wit bein a knick fan, when I was a young buck I laughed that shoe. Rember bobo's.well they're back in blue and orange
@Qubayza Your entitled to your own opinion, but must not be from NY or if you did you must have lived under a rock back then. When the Ewings dropped EVERYONE under 25 had them back in the 90's. No internet ,no hype machine... just hard core Knickerbocker fans.
@IgotthatFIRE @Qubayza you are correct about that! i had the ewings back in the day and they was the joints to have in NYC! and that buzz came off of seeing people with them, not like how sneaks now a days are constantly pushed by the companies themselves! but to say ewings are trash you are seriously a rookie in this game
props to ronnie fieg tho... He shouldve had most of all his releases on this list....
Think some of the things that go into being on that list are shoes that can leave a lasting impact because of material . Or that represent a trend in the shoe game. For example i wouldnt paint in that Ewing shoe but it does say somthn about todays sneaker buyer and trends.
Nike Flyknit over Bred 11s , 4s , etc ... REALLY?
@WZRDUPSO The Flyknits were just a marketing ploy by Nike for the Olympics. They are ridiculous and only look decent in volt.
@WZRDUPSO yes puto.... flynit is crazy in all aspects with respect to AJ11 bred
@WZRDUPSO wait til u see the technology of that flyknit shoe inspires. Gona b a whole species of shoe w/ that technology. Like hyperfuse is in air max 90 lunar tr 1 , or the lunar bottom af 1 even cole hann shoes. See what i'm sayn. Flyknit gota b somewhere on that list.
Nice kicks
ok so the yeezy got number 1...If we took all the branding of it wouldnt make the list right
how are those lebrons better than playoff 11s LOL
@npt the 11s came out when? the lebrons has BETTER technology going for it! thats why, it's a better shoe to ball in, but as for looks, i rather wear the 11s
This a nice shoe should have been higher
I'm not new at shoes. I am new at being able to comment on shoes. Lets just say no iphones where i was. I dont collect. I wear. The list was big. Sneaker News didnt have to cut alot out. New Balance shoe collabs are incredible. As an oldhead where was air max 95 BB and Lunar Air Force 1. Get that Ewing shoe out there. It was a money project from the beginning. The big shoe companies weren't gona give an aging slow center a big shoe deal. Its a crap shoe. In 10 years if my nephew is paying $400 for Shaq's shoe. I'll wear sandals!
This list is absolutely horrible. Lebron X's shouldn't have made the list at all much less #5
Lets begin: Wort material used this year: Fire red retro 4s. The leather was wrinkled out of the box and couldn't hold its own against the cements.
On to the Yeezy's...is Sneakernews serious? It should take the award for the ugliest, thrown together, non-functional shoe of 2012. Hypebeasts; not true sneakerheads or aficionados would spend whatever amount of money on the Frankenstein-esque shoes. Tinker Hatfield must have sh*t himself at the results of this list, especially having to see an eyesore take top spot.