The 10 best sneakers of 2020

Although 2020 was a very peculiar year, the sneaker market hasn't known any crisis. In April Steven Smith, designer for Yeezy, Nike and New Balance had downplayed the impact of the pandemic on the sneaker world, talking about possible delays but excluding setbacks. In fact, things went like this, with a 2020 full of releases and trends that have characterized these 365 days: sustainability first of all, but also renewal for some brands that have changed the cards on the table becoming absolute protagonists. We have seen confirmations and flashbacks, between new silhouettes and others from the past. Names that characterized the year with their influence and their ideas, but also the strength of the collaborations in building a brand. In short, despite everything, this too was a year to remember for sneaker lovers. 

nss magazine has selected 10 sneakers that in 2020 dominated the sneaker game for innovation, quality and design. 

#1 Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott

2020 was undoubtedly the year of the Dunks. Successfully relaunched by Nike, they have been the focus of a very long series of collaborations, from Ben & Jerry's to the Grateful Dead. The simple silhouette of these Nike sneakers has been the ideal playground to create unique models that have characterized all year. Overall the Dunk Low Travis Scott has channelled two of the major trends of 2020: the Dunk in fact, but also the success of La Flame, the undisputed protagonist of this year. 

#2 Jordan 1 Retro High Dior

This was also the year of marriage between sneaker and luxury, the culmination of a path that saw as the final step the release of a sneaker capable of combining the hype of the most awaited releases with the exclusivity of the most sought-after brands. The result is the Jordan 1 Retro High Dior, released in very limited quantities in March and with a resell price of over € 6,000. 

#3 New Balance 550 Aimé Leon Dore

It's no secret that 2020 was New Balance's year in many ways. The Boston brand has managed to earn a respectable space in the sneaker game, consolidating the weight of some of its most iconic models and finding a series of winning collaborations. Only a few weeks ago we saw the one with One Block Down, but the most important was undoubtedly the one with Aimé Leon Dore which saw the return of the New Balance 550 and the launch of capsule apparel. 

#4 Jordan 4 Retro Union Off Noir

To celebrate his passion for basketball, Chris Gibbs created a Jordan capable of blending the brand's legacy with the world that raised the owner of UNION LA. Advertising, music and street style take shape in the Jordan 4 Retro Union Off Noir, a revamped version of the fourth Made in MJ silhouette in all aspects. 

#5 Nike Space Hippie 01 Vast Grey Hyper Crimson

They may not be beautiful to look at, but the Space Hippies certainly embody the trend of sustainability that has characterized 2020 at best. With a silhouette that winks at the Yeezy 350 and adidas Ultraboost, this Nike sneaker is made using only recycled material coming from plastic bottles, t-shirts and production waste. 

#6 adidas Yeezy Foam RNNR Ararat

Kanye West did it again. After presenting them to the general public, generating some senseless perplexities, the Foam Runners have become one of the symbols of the sneaker world in 2020. Is it a sneaker? It's not up to us to decide, what we know is that the first Yeezy entirely produced in the USA has once again changed the cards on the table as only Mr West can. 

#7 adidas Yeezy QNTM

Those who follow the Yeezy world with a certain passion can only agree in saying that among the many advantages of Kanye West's sneakers there is also an incredible ability to find new models and silhouettes. QNTMs represent just that: the arrival of the Yeezy world in basketball of course, but also the consolidated certainty that while someone insists on relaunching dated models, someone else undertakes to give us something new and beautiful. 

#8 New Balance 992 JJJJound

Among the names chosen by New Balance for its collaborations, that of JJJJound finds a space of honour. Long relegated to a corner of the fashion world, the Canadian designer has carved out space in the heart of sneakerheads by translating his minimal design into one of the best releases of 2020.

#9 Jordan 4 Retro Off-White Sail (W)

Who said sneakers are only for men? Waiting to see that senseless gap between releases erased, Virgil Abloh takes the first step with a sneaker that shines for design and colourway, putting aside any gender stereotype and sending bright colours and bows to the attic. 

#10 adidas Luna Rossa 21 Prada White

A meeting point between sustainability and luxury sneaker, the marriage between Prada and adidas has finally found its best shape with the new Luna Rossa 21. A sneaker that looks to the past in design, thinking about the future in the use of materials for a unique combination capable of creating something new.