Our Favorite Denim Sneakers
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By Stadium Goods |Our Favorite Denim Sneakers
Because you can’t truly complete a “Canadian Tuxedo” without denim on your feet, too, these are our picks for the best denim sneakers.
Matt DeSciora
There aren’t too many style “rules” these days—you can pretty much wear whatever you want, whenever you want. Weather permitting, of course.
With that being said, we wouldn’t advise you to wear your heartiest pair of denim in the middle of summer. The same goes for the trusty denim trucker jacket you wear as a top layer in the fall and spring and as a mid layer in the winter.
But a pair of denim sneakers? Those you can wear anytime of the year, making them one of the most versatile pairs of shoes you could own.
We did a little digging through our inventory to bring you some of our favorite denim sneakers for this summer, fall, winter, spring, and anytime in between.
Oh, and like we said, you can’t truly complete a classic “Canadian Tuxedo” look without denim on your feet, right?
These are our favorite denim-constructed sneakers.
Levi’s x New Balance 990 V3 “Blue Denim” and “Elephant Skin”
Levi’s is the first name in denim having created the first-ever pair of blue jeans all the way back in 1873. Since then, the San Francisco based brand has released a wide range of products in the material, including sneakers. The brand has also collaborated on sneakers with sportswear stalwarts Nike and Jordan, too. Most recently, Levi’s teamed up with New Balance on two colorways of the 990 V4 in 2021.
The Air Jordan 1 Low debuted as a performance basketball shoe in 1985, but has enjoyed far more success as a casual lifestyle option in the present day thanks to its ability to be featured in a variety of interesting materials, like denim. As you can see, the hearty fabric looks great in a mid-wash on something as classic as the Jordan 1 Low.
Supreme x Vans “Hole Punch Denim” Collection (Sk8-Hi & Slip-On)
Supreme offers one of the most underrated pairs of denim on the market with its Rigid Slim Jean in indigo. The brand also knows a thing or two about creating covetable footwear made from denim, too, as evidenced by its “Hole Punch Denim” collaboration with Vans.
Criminally slept-on, the Denham x Nike collaboration from 2020 finds timeless silhouettes like the Air Max 90 and Air Max 95—which we’ve featured here—arranged in denim in lieu of their traditional materials. The results are stunning, but we’re even more surprised that the collaboration has flown under the radar… until now.
Air Jordan 3 SE “Fire Red Denim”
The Air Jordan 3 SE “Fire Red Denim” is based on the original colorway of the same name, and it welcomes a few noticeable design modifications while retaining the model’s core details. What does that mean? The modern version has the same white leather upper with contrasting elephant print detailing as the OG, but unlike that model, it features denim elephant patterning.
Air Jordan 1 Mid SE “Denim Red Suede”
If you dig the Air Jordan 1 Low SE “Denim” we mentioned earlier, you’ll almost certainly find the Jordan 1 Mid SE “Denim Red Suede” appealing—it’s the same colorway, but on the mid-top version of the popular shoe.
From 2005, the Nike SB Dunk Low “Medicom 2” is the much anticipated, highly desirable follow-up to the original collaboration between the Japanese toy manufacturer and Nike SB. It’s also a sequel of sorts to Reese Forbes’s classic “Denim” SB Dunk from the early years of the line. This very well may be the “holy grail” of all denim sneakers.
Our review of some of the best denim based sneakers wouldn’t be complete without the Levi’s x Air Jordan 4. Perhaps the most quintessential denim shoe, the original “Blue Denim” Jordan 4 by Levi’s is as timeless as it gets, although the brand’s “White Denim” and “Black Denim” colorways of the Jordan 4 are just as classic.