Top 10 Sneakers of the Year

As we near the end of the year, The Krewe has put together a list of some of the best sneakers of 2021. This list is our opinion of the top 10 best sneaker releases based on a multitude of factors including hype, availability to the public, wearability, historical significance, and storytelling.

Before giving you the top 10 list, let's list some honorable mentions for great sneakers also released this year: New Balance 550 Aime Leon Dore Natural Green, Air Jordan 11 Cool Grey, Nike Air Max 1 x Patta (Pick a colorway), Adidas Forum x Bad Bunny, Nike Air Max 1 x Clot Kiss of Death, Air Jordan 4 x Union Taupe Haze, Nike Dunk Mid x Social Status Strawberry Milk, New Balance 990V3 Bodega, Nike Foamposite Comme des Garçons, Air Jordan 1 Bred Patent, Nike Air Max 90 Bacon, Nike SB Dunk Low What The Paul, Air Jordan 4 Lightning, and Air Jordan 1 x Trophy Room.

After discussion, we came up with these top sneakers for 2021.

10. Nike SB Dunk High x Carpet Company

Nike

Nike SB

In a year of some great Nike SBs, Carpet Company's design on this silhouette is one of the best. This collaboration includes many details that make this an overall aesthetically pleasing shoe. Everything from the blue wavy outer later that tears away to reveal a yellow layer underneath to the small Carpet Company references throughout the shoe are the features that land this skateboarding sneaker at number 10 on this list.

9. Air Jordan 6 Travis Scott "British Khaki"

Jordan

Even though this is a sequel to a previous Air Jordan 6 Travis Scott collaboration, this sneaker cannot be ignored based on the quality of the details and the wearability of this neutral khaki colorway. Glow in the dark features, side pouches, and Travis Scott insignia are eye catching features that make this one of the two Travis Scott sneakers on this list.

8. Nike SB Dunk Low x Supreme

Supreme

Supreme relit the flame that set the sneaker world on fire in 2003 when they released an iconic set of sneakers with this same design back during the beginning of the Nike SB hype. The crocodile skin overlay, Supreme lace-lock, and gold star pattern were first used on three Nike SB high top colorways that are very rare and highly coveted today. Now, Supreme has added to that extensive history with Nike by once again adding those luxurious features to the 'Black', 'Mean Green', 'Hyper Blue', and 'Barkroot' colorways of this low top SB . History combined with aesthetics and hype make this a no brainer when it comes to being added to our top 10 list.

7. New Balance 2002R Salehe Bembury "Water Be The Guide"

New Balance

Another sneaker that comes as a sequel to a previous colorway is this Salehe Bembury designed 2002R that follows his "Peace Be the Journey" colorway. Even though that previous sneaker was a breakthrough moment for the up and coming designer, Salehe may have out done himself on this iteration. Being that a couple guys in The Krewe own this sneaker and know what it feels like to wear them, it had to added to this list simply based on the quality and head turning colors on this sneaker. If you rank the New Balance sneakers to release this year, this one has to be somewhere near the top. Sometimes the sequel is better than the original, and I think that's the case here.

6. New Balance 990v3 Joe Freshgoods "Outside Clothes"

New Balance

In his second collaboration with New Balance, Joe Freshgoods decided to give his take on a silhouette that is slightly different from his initial collaboration that came in the form of a 992 during NBA All-Star weekend in 2020. Still working in the 990 New Balance realm, Joe tells a different story this time by referencing the childhood days of playing "It" in the summertime on this 990v3 (hence the name "Outside Clothes"). Along with the fact that he went out his way to try to give this sneaker directly to the community, this is just a classic everyday wearable sneaker. Clearly, you can make an argument that this is a top 5 sneaker of the year.

5. Nike SB Dunk Low Parra "Abstract Art"

Nike SB

If you're not aware of the artist Piet Parra's successful history with sneaker brands, especially with Nike, you should really look up some of the sneakers he has added his brilliance to. Once again, Parra has turned a sneaker into a piece of art. This sneaker is just pleasing to the eye and could be placed in a museum. However, it was not made to be placed on a shelf. Instead, this sneaker was designed for the Nike skateboard athletes to perform in the first ever skateboarding competitions at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Parra not only touched this sneaker, but an entire apparel collection for the games. In a few years, I have a feeling you may regret not buying this sneaker at its current price. It may be one of the most underrated sneakers of 2021 that isn't getting talked about enough.

4. adidas Yeezy 450 "Cloudy White"

Yeezy

Ye will always push the envelope. We've seen a lot of weird shapes and colors from Yeezy this year, but this new silhouette is somehow unattractive and captivating at the same time. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but either you love it or hate it. As you can see in the image above, the sole awkwardly grabs the upper like a hand with several fingers, and that feature snatches your attention whenever you see it on feet. Worn the right way, the Yeezy 450 is a fashionable sneaker that paves the way for other obscure, sock-fitting Yeezy sneakers to be embraced. This may be the best Yeezy sneaker silhouette since the introduction of the Yeezy 700.

3. Air Jordan 1 Low Fragment x Travis Scott

Jordan

When Nike wants to create hype behind a sneaker, they call either Hiroshi Fujiwara, the founder of Fragment, or Travis Scott. This time, they called upon both to create the most hypebeast sneaker of 2021. That's not a knock on this sneaker because it is a tremendous colorway and design of the Air Jordan 1 Low outside of the Fragment stamp and the backwards swoosh that stimulate the hype. But because there were so many rumors and leaked images of this sneaker on Travis Scott's feet, it felt like a sneakerhead's dream come true when it actually dropped in August. We believe the low top version of this shoe is better than the high top version (as do many other people) because of color blocking, and that's why you don't see the Air Jordan 1 High on this list. Whether you like the high or low, this was a layup for Nike in terms of creating hype, and that's why this sneaker will be remembered and will be added to almost every top 10 sneaker of the year list.

2. Nike SB Dunk Low "Mummy"

Nike SB

Nike SB put together a masterpiece of a Halloween sneaker. Honestly, this might be best Halloween sneaker that Nike has ever made available to the public. You have sneakers like the Freddy Kreuger and Day of the Dead SBs that are both better designs, but nobody really got their hands on those either because they never released or because they were only released in a certain location in a limited supply, respectively. You may say I'm over exaggerating or over hyping this sneaker, but the details and quality are second to none. Tear away material, mummy eyes on the back, slime dripping on the tongue tag, and a spider sown into the toebox are just some of the features that make this a perfect Halloween sneaker. Nike SB has always been on point when it comes to storytelling, and this is just another example.

1. Air Jordan 3 x A Ma Maniere

Jordan

James Whitner, the founder of A-Ma-Maniere, hit almost every key component when it comes to building a sneaker of the year. Storytelling (check), inspiration (check), premium luxury materials (check), quality (check), color blocking (check), availability (check), details (check), hype (obviously); and I can keep going, but you get the point. Additionally, raising the love for this sneaker outside of the masterful design was the fact that James went out of his way to make sure women were the first people to get an opportunity to acquire it (makes sense once you know the inspiration behind the sneaker). Clearly, there isn't anything to not like about this sneaker, and that is why it's number 1 on this list. Round of applause to this black owned sneaker boutique and James Whitner for making a significant mark in sneaker history.