The Best Sneakers of 2024... So Far
We’re over halfway through 2024 and the sneaker of the year contenders are quickly stacking up. From general release bangers that fly under the radar to unexpected collaborations to absurd Crocs with fake toes poking out, there's a lot to catch up on from this year’s sneakers.
It’s too soon to say how 2024 will influence the sneaker market on the whole, however, the trends we saw develop last year have accelerated. In particular, niche footwear labels like On, ROA, and HOKA continue to overperform, as you’ll see from our top picks below.
To stay on top of all the newness, check out our weekly roundup for the latest drops. And now, here are the best sneaker releases of 2024 — so far.
Keep scrolling for the best sneakers of 2024... so far
HOKA x Satisfy U Mafate Speed 4 Lite STSFY RUBBER
HOKA's sneaker dominance has only accelerated in 2024. The brand is giving the sportswear giants some serious competition and stylish collaborations like this are a big part of the reason.
Together with Satisfy, the running label informed by a countercultural savoir-faire, the Mafate Speed 4 trail shoe got a stylish upgrade: an all-new lightweight transparent upper fitted with a soft microfiber collar and two tonal colorways.
Nike x Nina Chanel Abney Air Jordan 3
Nina Chanel Abney's delicious green Jordans are striking at first glance. However, their true beauty reveals itself upon closer inspection.
The American contemporary artist upgraded the Jordan 3 with fuzzy branding and a mixed-material upper combining textured suede with canvas. Orange-colored details are the final touch to this masterpiece.
New Balance 1906L
2024 was the year when the sneaker loafer hybrids (or snloafers, as I like to call them) were unexpectedly normalized. And the New Balance 1906L is the snloafer leading the charge.
The minute the New Balance 1906 loafer debuted at Junya Watanabe's Fall/Winter 2024 show, it went viral — I couldn't open Instagram without being confronted by the strangely formal dad shoe. It is a sneaker that will be talked about for years to come, a confusing combination of designs that's been executed perfectly.
adidas Originals x Bad Bunny Gazelle San Juan
In honor of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny's home country, the critically acclaimed musician put a twist adidas' classic Gazelle sneaker (literally). The front panels on this sneaker veer over to one side.
Alongside the new, twisted paneling, this sneaker has tasteful and experimental small details such as the size tag stitched onto the outside of the shoe, string laces, and padded tongue. Bad Bunny and adidas' have worked on many sneakers and this is their most complete concept yet.
ROA x Story MFG
Story MFG, the British independent label with a mantra of slow-made ethical clothing, has a few entries for the best sneaker of 2024, including link-ups with Japanese sportswear giants ASICS and Suicoke. However, its ROA Katharina sneaker is the pick of the bunch.
ROA's rugged outdoor sneaker gets a rustic upgrade, dressed in a checkered pattern inspired by one worn by rural farmers in France and Japan.
ASICS x Hidden NY Gel-NYC
Finally, after months of teasing, it happened: the ASICS x Hidden NY Gel-NYC was released in March 2024 — and it sold out immediately.
The sneaker is inspired by photo-editing software, featuring a pixelated take on ASICS’ tiger stripe branding and a transparency grid surrounding Hidden NY’s branding on the heel.
Hidden NY has become so much more than an Instagram page over the past few years, as proven by its capsule collections and sneaker collaborations.
Salehe Bembury x New Balance 1906R ‘Lava’
At the start of this year, I couldn’t scroll on Instagram for 10 minutes without seeing Salehe Bembury’s "Heat Be Hot" New Balances. The two flame-colored sneakers went viral. Now that I’ve had a few months without constantly seeing the sneakers, I can really appreciate how good the gradient-printed mesh looks against the contrasting shiny overlays.
On x Post Archive Faction Cloudmonster 2
On’s collection with Post Archive Faction (PAF) is a statement of intent: the Swiss brand is moving into more fashionable territory. Established as a purveyor of high-tech sportswear and frighteningly fast footwear, On is using this collection to focus on experimental designs with a technical twist.
The star of the show is the sneakers, a blending of PAF’s futuristic approach to outdoor wear with On’s signature technology.
CLOT x adidas Superstar
After years of releasing collaborations with Nike, CLOT has switched sides and re-established its partnership with adidas, a brand that CLOT hasn’t created sneakers with since the early 2010s.
"I think I was at a point in my life where I needed a new chapter, a new push in my creativity. It was like I graduated and needed what was next," CLOT’s founder, Edison Chen, told Highsnobiety earlier this year. "adidas offered me that new playground, so to speak, and the ability to create freely.” That freedom resulted in Chen turning the Superstar sneaker into a preppy hybrid dress shoe, a concept that sounds absurd but works surprisingly well.
New Balance x Miu Miu 530 SL
The days of chunky sneakers might be numbered, with New Balance’s latest Miu Miu collaboration leading the charge for flat-soled sneakers.
As with any Miu Miu x New Balance sneaker, a pair of these isn’t cheap (or easy to come by): the 530 SL has an eye-watering retail price of $1,120, and that didn’t stop them from swiftly selling out.
Nike x Bode Astro Grabber
Designed by Nike’s co-founder Bill Bowerman in the early 1970s, the Nike Astro Grabber is back for its first-ever re-release, thanks to Bode.
This slim-profile, vintage American football shoe is currently celebrating its 50th birthday and fits perfectly into Bodes’ nostalgic design language.
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