If there’s one thing that’s consistent about sneakers, it’s that there are always changes. Every year, as fashion fluctuates and trends come and go, sneakers follow suit and are a reflection of the time. With sneaker news being updated everyday, such as Sean Weathorspoon’s recent signing with adidas and Travis Scott getting his own Nike SB Dunk, new designs and colorways take shape and hype continues to build. As we enter another decade, we think of what trends will impact the sneaker community this year.
Sustainability:
Image by Converse
Just in-case you haven’t been watching the news lately or listening to Greta Thunberg rightfully recycle-shame everyone, environmental consciousness was one of the most important topics to hit 2019. With hotter climates during the winter season and increasingly melting ice caps, the earth’s rising environmental problems are more evident than ever making many brands respond to this call for action. Going green is nothing new in sneakers, with adidas leading the pack collaborating with ocean conservation organization Parley since 2016. But the demand for reusable options are high with people taking more responsibility to decrease their carbon footprint. For example, in 2019, Converse released their Renew program, transforming waste material into new Chuck Taylors.
Earlier in the year, Nike released their Earth Day pack featuring their innovative Flyleather, a new material made of up 50% scrapped leather and other synthetic fibers. It’s like the Impossible Burger of leather, where they have locked down the look, feel, and even smell of animal leather, all while reducing the extensive environmental strain. Speaking of new materials, in December Reebok made news with their upcoming plant-based produced FLOW Sneaker. Set to drop in Fall of 2020, expect the FLOW shoe to be made with algae, eucalyptus, and even castor beans.
As the scientific community continues to prove to the public that there needs to be a dramatic change to the way we dispose of waste, the green wave will only get stronger and stronger within the sneaker world. What’s the point of sneakers if we won’t have a planet to walk on?
More New Balance:
Image by Aime Leon Dore
New Balance came a long way in 2019. Since the rise of Dad Shoe culture in the last couple of years, the brand embraced what they do best and rolled with it. This has not only made them more popular, but has earned them enough attention to bring in new silhouettes like the 990v5, collaborate with major streetwear brands like Aimé Leon Dore and No Vacancy Inn, while signing big time stars like Kawhi Leonard and Jaden Smith. New Balance rose in sales on our site as well, quickly becoming a brand in high demand. With this amount of momentum, we can only expect New Balance to go further in 2020 with their collaborations, celebrity rosters, and shoes.
Nike SB Bringing Out Their Archives:
Image by Gooey Wong
We saw this one coming after seeing Travis Scott wearing Silver and Pink Box Era Nike SBs in public. The shoes that you grew up with in high school are making a strong comeback. After a dry-spell of releases in recent years, the Swoosh delivered a very strong selection of sneakers, bringing back OG designs and new collaborations that were the bread and butter of Nike’s skating division. Dunks such as the Pigeons, Diamonds, and Ray Guns, were all recently retroed to get SB heads excited for what’s to come next. With new colorways added to their wheelbarrow, such as the Dog Walkers and Night of Mischiefs, we can only expect Nike SB to blow up with noteworthy releases.
Air Max 90s Will Be The New Air Max 97s:
Image by 24-Kilates
Back in 2017, Nike retroed their Silver Bullet Air Max 97 for the sneaker’s 20th anniversary. This was a home run for Nike as this release was followed by an abundance of Air Max 97 GR colorways, an entire On-Air campaign filled with four unique designs, and a collaboration with UNDFTD, that the public ate up. You couldn’t walk down the street without seeing a person wearing a pair of 97s on their feet. With Nike’s Air Max 90s turning 30 in 2020, we can expect Nike to give it the 97s treatment. In December, the brand already released a Sail colorway of the 90s, fully constructed in the shoe’s original form. The shoe also had their own collaboration with UNDFTD to ring in the new year, building anticipation for what’s in store. Expect to see a lot of colorways and a necessary Infrared retro.
B-List Brands Get The Spotlight:
Image by Sneaker Bar Detroit
In 2019, Nike, Jordan and adidas weren’t the only brands to come with strong releases. Brands like New Balance and ASICS all had strong presences in the sneaker scene thanks to their collaborations with high-end designers and streetwear labels like Kiko Kostadinov, Junya Watanabe, & Aries. 2019 opened the doors wider for lesser known brands and the new decade can be seen as their renaissance. Diadora, Li-Ning, and Karhu could possibly follow suit and work with other designers and labels to elevate their presence in the sneaker community. Maybe we’ll see Diadora team up with Stussy, or KangaROOS partner with KITH. Whatever the case, just know that sneakerheads will be mixing up their palette in 2020.
