The great thing about having a personal favorite is that there's no way it can be a wrong choice. It's YOUR personal favorite, and sometimes the fun thing to do is to get your friends together and figure out what each other's favorites are. On TSFJ, we touched base with our friends whom we respect as both sneaker influencers and enthusiasts to get their thoughts on their favorite kicks of 2014.
Check out our list of our favorite sneakers of 2014, and let us know what your personal favorites were in the comments section.
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Who: M. Brian Bowens | @bbsketch | mbbowens.com
What: Reebok Question Mid First Ballot
When it came to pinpointing my favorite sneaker release from 2014, I found it pretty difficult to narrow it down to just one! But, for me, I was already excited to see the retro lineup Reebok had in store for the year, and the main release that hit home for me was the Reebok Question Mid. As a ride-or-die Sixers fan, I was quite pleased to see my coveted Question remastered in such a brilliant colorway! So, big shoutout to Reebok Classics on one of the "bestest" colorway releases this year, the Question Mid First Ballot.
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Who: Brett Golliff | @bgolliff | brettgolliff.com
What: Nike FlyKnit Racer
I had a lot of favorite shoes this year. Ones that I have coveted for many, many years, like the Air Jordan XIII Grey Toe or the Infrared Air Jordan VI, but my favorite shoe hands down was the FlyKnit Racer in white/black/volt. The color code is completely misleading because it is neither white nor black, and the only volt that appears on the shoe is on the swoosh located on the bottom of the shoe on the sole. What I love about the shoe is it really shows the capabilities of manufacturing with FlyKnit. The white blends with the black to make this beautiful generative blend of color that is full of depth and texture. The shoe is so fucking fly. I bought a good amount of shoes this year, and this would probably be the one I would have the hardest time letting go of. I liked it so much I wrote 866 words about it here, and I also begged Nike to never stop production on the FlyKnit Racer here. To me the FlyKnit Racer is the greatest shoe ever created. Next year when you ask me to write a paragraph about my favorite sneaker of the year, there is a very good chance it will be the FlyKnit Racer again.
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Who: Jordan Ramirez | @JRAM_91 | WarriorsWorld.net
What: Nike Kobe IX Elite 'Perspective'
I learned at a young age to despise everything that has to do with Los Angeles, but I can’t deny the greatness of the Kobe IX’s. The “Perspective” edition pays tribute to a Spanish artist who commonly used shades of blue and blue-green in his work during the blue period (1901-1904). The shoes are high-tops, which have never been a preference of mine when looking for basketball shoes. But, with the Flyknit technology these are easily the best basketball shoes I’ve played in. They’re not light, but they don’t play heavy. The colorway (along with most Kobe IX colorways) of the “Perspective” is gorgeous and shines on the court. Finding the right mesh of performance and style is always key for a basketball shoe, and this version of the Kobe line finds that perfect balance.
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Who: Yong Yu | @retrospeaks | ToLiveandStyleinLA.com
What: Nike Air Command Force
My most anticipated shoe of 2014 was the Nike Air Command Force, aka the "Trilly Hoyles." They were an easy cop unlike most Jordan releases these days, and the quality is on par with the original release. I have a penchant for mid '90s basketball kicks, and White Men Can't Jump is my GOAT basketball movie. If Billy Hoyle could get loose playing on the blacktop, there was hope for a young Asian like myself. Never panned out for me unfortunately. But at least I got to cop these almost a quarter of a century later.
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Who: Channing Beumer | @chan_lo | Chan-Lo.com
What: Jordan Future GS
I had a hard time deciding between a number of releases this year primarily because there were a few silhouettes that still find themselves saved under my favorites tab. However, two stood out more than most and resulted in me shelling out my hard-earned dough in order to secure their additions to my collection.
Since its debut, the Jordan Future has bombarded us with a number of solid, 3M-based styles. While it's probably the hypebeast favorite for 2014, I'm here to say that my GS pair (Jordan Future in dark grey/volt) is probably the most comfortable and eye-catching shoe I've bought this year. With a look that oozes sleek and futuristic, the AJ11 outsole adds a splash of old to a brand new reflective finish. Plus, it looks pretty dope when I turn on my flash. Win, win and win.
Bonus: I'd walk away from my keyboard with a major case of the sads if I didn't give props to the folks at adidas for taking the ZX Flux to infinity, and beyond, this year. See what I did there? While the three-striped silhouette offered a number of snazzy selections, I was lucky enough to cop the ZX Flux "Galaxy" print, which sees the shoe decked in monochromatic tones with black, purple and white depicting the galaxy and its constellations. Pretty snazzy, huh? I thought so.
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Who: John Gotty | @johngotty | SmokingSection.net
What: Nike Air Tech Challenge II
To be fair, we've had a lot of really good releases this year, and all the big-name players did great work. That makes it extremely hard to boil things down to one shoe alone. But my favorite model had to be Nike's Air Tech Challenge II. The Swoosh brought back older colorways — hot lavas, clays, pixels — and mixed in new ones as well as well as special makeups for the Grand Slam tournaments.
Unlike other older models that have been overdone and reissued to the point of no one caring, the ATCII only comes around every few years so it's very welcome. In fact, Nike knows it owes Kanye a small amount of back pay for reigniting the furor around these, otherwise they would've suffered a slow sales death on store shelves. Not that I'd complain. Just means more cheaper pairs for me.
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Who: Eddie Maisonet | @edthesportsfan | TSFJ on IG
What: Nike Air Trainer III Premium
I guess I have a thing for earth tones in 2014 because some of the top shoes on my list included the Reebok x Distinct Life GL6000's in olive green and the Nike Air Max Lunar90 "Suits and Ties" collections, but the most desirable pair of kicks on my list was a pair of sneakers released just this month.
The Nike Air Trainer III Premium in the shale and gum bottom combination is my perfect shoe. It's a great choice for my daily casual uniform (a hoodie, camo shorts and a fitted cap) and is flexible enough to enhance my happy hour/date night uniform (a button-up, tailored dark blue jeans and a fitted cap). Props to Gotty for getting me hip to the entire Trainer collection, as the strap across the toes always gives the shoes the extra touch of character to bring it over the top. Hopefully Santa drops a pair under the tree for me in a size 13. (Sidenote, I am Santa, and I already ordered a pair.)
