The Y2K Style Guide To Sneakers
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By Stadium Goods |The Y2K Style Guide To Sneakers
Top Asics, New Balance, and Nike styles with the trending Y2K look.
Matt DeSciora
Vintage-looking sneakers are trending at an all time high right now.
While many retro shoes that were once popular ten, fifteen, and even twenty years ago have come back in style in recent years, there has been a noticeable amount of hype for shoes with a Y2K-era appearance in recent months. You know the ones weāre talking about: those ASICS you see with the tricked-out, tech-inspired overlays; the New Balances with airy mesh and thick midsoles; the Nikes with liquid-metal-looking accents. Basically any running shoes that look like they were on the shelves 10-20 years ago.
It seems like no matter where you look these days, everyone is wearing a pair of sneakers that looks as if it teleported from an era in time when Limp Bizkit was dominating the airwaves and the WWF was searching for the person who ran over Stone Cold Steve Austin at Survivor Series ā99.
We canāt really explain why shoes with Y2K style have become so popular, other than theyāre super comfortable and super interesting looking. But what we can explain are the different models you should be keeping in mind when shopping for Y2K sneakers in the days, weeks, and months to come.
Because without a doubt, Y2K-style sneakers are about to be the trendiest shoes of the summer.
AimĆ© Leon Dore x New Balance 1906R āJadeā
New Balance 1906R
When thinking about brands with an assortment of Y2K-style shoes, New Balance is one of the first brands that comes to mind. The Boston footwear company has several different models with a distinctly early-2000s look, beginning with the New Balance 1906R. Now, the 1906R didnāt actually debut in the early-aughts, but you wouldnāt know that by looking at it: the model has all the requisite details of a good Y2K shoe, including an airy mesh base, plenty of overlays, and a teched-out sole.
New Balance 2002R āSport Royalā
New Balance 2002R
We said that New Balance has several Y2K-style shoes, and the next one weāre happy to feature is the 2002R. Again, the 2002R wasnāt actually from the early 2000s, as it made its debut in 2010, but it clearly doesnāt matter. The 2002R has all the same great throwback vibes as other Y2K footwear out there.
AimĆ© Leon Dore x New Balance 860v2 āRedā
New Balance 860v2
The New Balance 860v2 is yet another Y2K-era-looking shoe by New Balance. We specifically called out the modelās collaborations with AimĆ© Leon Dore, but you can catch the 860 in a variety of non-collaboration colorways that are just as great. Itās important to note that, like the other New Balances on this list, the 860 didnāt actually first release in the early 2000s but rather around 2011. Hey, if youāre going to be wearing this stuff, you might as well know whatās on your feet, right?
Nike Vomero 5 āVarsity Maizeā
Nike Vomero 5
Earlier in the year we talked about the Nike Vomero 5ās unexpected comeback, and weāre happy to report that, several months later, the shoe is still as popular as ever. The Vomero 5 debuted as a performance running sneaker inā¦ you guessed it, the early 2010s, but its design is Y2K-adjacent all the way. You can read more about the Vomero 5 here.
ASICS Gel-Kayano 14
Just like New Balance, ASICS is another brand with several Y2K sneakers in its collection. Arguably the most popular model is the Gel-Kayano 14, which has been used in multiple collaborations in recent months and years. Other Y2K silhouettes to check out are the Gel-Preleus by Awake NY and the Gel-MC Plus by Bodega.