2018 Sneaker Style Retrospective

From the streets outside Somerset House in central London to the concrete expanses of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, throughout 2018 we have watched as the global style elite have congregated at the world’s leading fashion week events to absorb the latest collections, setting their own style from the ground up as they flexed in the lastest and most coveted sneaker drops throughout the year.

Following on from our 2018 street style roundup, END. looks back through the year’s sneaker style reports to present a global retrospective of the footwear which characterised 2018 and shaped the global sneaker conversation.

A year that undoubtedly centred upon a three-way battle between industry titans - Demna, Virgil, and Kanye - the sneaker market was driven by the resurgence of chunky silhouettes and the power of careful collaboration. From Virgil's re-issues of 'The Ten' silhouettes to Demna's consistent re-conceptualisation of the infamous Triple S silhouette followed by the release of the Trail Runner, 2018's crossover between luxury and streetwear trickled down from apparel and into the footwear game like never before.

Honourable mentions are in order for Errolson Hugh at Acronym who's collaborative Vapormax Moc, Air Presto Mid, and Air Force 1s with Nike each set the market ablaze and distilled Acronym's tactical DNA into a slew of familiar Swoosh silhouettes. Comme des Garcons' ongoing collaboration with Converse continued to prove itself as an effortless statement of evergreen style, with the Japanese design house's heart motif's excursion across a range of classic Chuck Taylor silhouettes showing no signs of stopping.

What's your number one for 2018?