The Editorial Team Picks Our Favorite Sneakers of Stadium Goods’ First 7 Years
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By Stadium Goods |The Editorial Team Picks Our Favorite Sneakers of Stadium Goods’ First 7 Years
Matt and Zack pick our personal favorite sneakers from the last seven years.
Matt DeSciora & Zack Schlemmer
In the last seven years since Stadium Goods opened its doors on October 20, 2015, there have been countless amazing sneakers pass through our doors. From 1-of-1 rare gems to hundreds of pairs of, say, Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1s, you know we’re always bringing the heat.
Last year for our sixth anniversary, we tallied up The 6 Most Insane Sneakers To Pass Through Stadium Goods In Our First 6 Years, featuring the most rare and valuable pairs to ever hit our shelves. This year we decided to take a different route. Instead of focusing on the high-dollar items, the Stadium Goods editorial team—which is composed of two very cool (debatable), very knowledgeable (facts) writers—decided to compile a list of our personal seven favorite sneakers to release since 2015.
While this list is indeed our own opinion, we aimed to pick sneakers that were a balance of meaningful and aesthetically pleasing to us, as well as influential to sneaker culture as a whole. OK, you’ll soon see that maybe not all of our picks fit the latter part of that bill, but close enough. After all, it’s an anniversary celebration, so let’s have some fun.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 “Wave Runner”
Released: 2017
Picked by: Zack and Matt
Since there are two of us and seven sneakers to pick, we decided to have one joint pick. The Yeezy Boost 700 “Wave Runner” isn't a sneaker either of us own, but we certainly can’t deny its massive impact on sneaker culture since it dropped in 2017. Where would the dad shoe movement be without it? Nowhere. How much less money would Stadium Goods and all of our valued consignors have made without it? A lot! But seriously, it’s a great sneaker that will go down as one of the most influential and popular designs ever.
Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago”
Released: 2017
Picked by: Zack
Speaking of influential sneakers, it doesn’t get much more influential than the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High, whether we’re talking about just in the last seven years or all of sneaker history. Any list of the “best sneakers ever” from here to eternity is probably going to have the Off-White Air Jordan 1 on it. It holds a special place in my heart because I was lucky enough to get a pair at retail and attend the awesome “The Ten” buildout on Wall Street in NYC when the collection launched.
Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 “Neutral Grey”
Released: 2021
Picked by: Matt
The Air Jordan 1 High ‘85 “Neutral Grey” was the first shoe that came to mind when I started thinking about my favorite releases from what I’ll phrase as the “Stadium Goods era” in sneakers. I’m still agonizing over whether or not the shoe is actually my favorite from the past seven years, but that has more to do with my indecisiveness rather than the colorway’s greatness. Which is to say, the modern “Neutral Grey” is a truly great shoe, one that is faithful to the OG release.
Admittedly, I don’t buy or wear as many shoes as I used to. I run the same beat Chuck 70s day after day. But the Jordan 1 High ‘85 “Neutral Grey” is the one shoe from the last seven years that would make me switch from my beloved Cons. And so for that, it gets the nod.
Released: 2015
Picked by: Zack
Another landmark sneaker that I was actually able to get my hands on was the original launch—and arguably still best—colorway of the Ultra Boost. I pride myself for being ahead of the hype wave on this one, as I was able to get a pair at retail easily when they launched during NBA All-Star Weekend in NYC in 2015. That’s right, I didn't need Kanye West to wear a pair before I decided it was a great shoe.
Jokes aside, the Ultra Boost is such an incredible sneaker because it’s a perfect running performance shoe, as well as one of the most comfortable and effortlessly stylish casual sneakers ever. It helped make adidas “cool” again, in a sneaker world that sorely needed something new and exciting at the time.
Nike Air Force 1 Low LX “Turtle”
Released: 2021
Picked by: Matt
If you know me, you know I love turtles. My affinity for these strange, prehistoric-looking creatures stems from my own pet turtle, Tank, who I bought for a cool $19.99 at the Petco on West 96th on the Upper West Side in 2012. Honestly, it was the best $19.99 I ever spent.
Since Tank and I became pals, I’ve amassed a collection of turtle-inspired memorabilia in her honor. I have turtle Christmas ornaments, a turtle-shaped lamp, and other gizmos and gadgets, but curiously don’t own the only shoe released in the last seven years with a turtle embroidered on it: the Nike Air Force 1 Low LX “Turtle.” That should change soon, though, because my life just doesn’t feel complete without it.
Grateful Dead x Nike SB Dunk Low Collection
Released: 2020
Picked by: Zack
Skateboarding is fun. Sneakers are (supposed to be) fun. What better example of that sentiment than a Nike SB Dunk that looks like Grateful Dead’s classic teddy bears? To be honest, I don’t even really listen to Grateful Dead (I need more riffs!), but I’ve always been a fan of their album artwork and iconography. Whoever it was over at Nike SB that designed these straight up killed it. Perfect execution. I don’t even have a pair, but they’re still one of my favorite designs of the last seven years. More than seven, for that matter!
Jeff Staple x Nike SB Dunk Low “Black Pigeon”
Released: 2017
Picked by: Matt
I love sneakers, but I just don’t buy as many as I used to. At my advanced age, you tend to stick to a few models you know and love, and that’s mostly how I roll these days. But every once in a while I’ll come across something that’ll break my “one in, one out” philosophy. The last shoe being the Nike SB Dunk Low “Black Pigeon.”
My love for SB Dunks dates back to the original “Pigeon” Dunk from 2005. I remember hearing about the shoe on NikeTalk, and always loved its symbolism and the fact that there was a riot over its release at Reed Space. For some reason, I remember wishing I was a part of the ruckus that day, probably because I grew up in a sleepy suburb outside of the city and to a teenager, nothing is more exciting than a sneaker riot.
I bought the “Black Pigeon” SB Dunk when it dropped on release day. I even got the newspaper Staple and Nike SB put together that mimics the New York Post’s “Sneaker Riot” article. Both bring me back to a simpler time in my life when I’d lay up in my bedroom back home thinking about how sweet it would be to make a career out of my love for sneakers. For real.
Sometimes sneakers are more than just something you wear to protect your feet or show off to other people. The “Black Pigeon” reminds me of how far I’ve come in my own sneaker journey.