Sneaker of the Year 2023: Editor's Pick

Now that we have reached end of the year, Sportskeeda takes a look at the multiple Sneaker of the Year 2023 contenders.

The sneakers community is ever-growing and incredibly vast. Every year, hundreds of sneakers are added to the catalog, with multiple new colorways, new innovations, and new style. Within these hundreds of new addition, their are a few sneakers that stand out and wins the heart of sneakerhead community.

This year (2023) too, multiple sneakers created dynamic changes in the sneaker and streetwear scenes and became nominees for the Sneaker of the Year 2023. So, now with the New Year 2024 just around, Sportskeeda takes a look at this year's best sneakers, from exciting colorways to unexpected collaborations such as

Many popular brands constantly attempts to craft the perfect sneaker of the year 2023 by adopting new technologies, new looks, new designs, and new colorways. While winning the favor of every sneakerhead is quite not possible, there are a few sneakers that went viral and won over the hearts of the majority of the community. Ahead, Sportskeeda has listed down the Sneaker of the Year contender according to our editor.

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The 5 best contenders for sneaker of the year 2023

1) MSCHF Big Red Boot

MSCHF is an art collective brand and it has created a few of the most viral sneakers of the year 2023. The brand's eccentric designs and their approach to creating something unique won over the hearts of multiple sneakerheads.

The brand's MSCHF Big Red Boot became one of the most popular sneakers of 2023. The cartoonish shoe distorted reality and created a 3-D design over the anime's 2D sneakers. The Big Red boots were launched via MSCHF on February 16, 2023. The shoes topped the list as the most viral sneaker of the year 2023 for Sportskeeda.

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2) Nike x Tiffany & Co.

The Swoosh label yet again topped the list when it came to the best and most expensive collaboration of 2023. The label connected with the luxury Tiffany & Co. label to release two sneakers, one for the general public and another for friends and family. Both sneaker pairs were highly anticipated by fans and were bound to have astronomical prices on the secondary market.

The current reseller price tags for the shoes are $1500 for general release and $25000 for the Friends and Family pair. The shoes topped the list as the most expensive sneaker of the year 2023 for Sportskeeda.

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3) Adidas Samba OG

Adidas bounced back into popularity in 2023 when their Adidas Samba OG became trendy amongst Gen Z for being stylish yet affordable. The silhouette can be styled with anything ranging from a casual jean tee to a dress. Moreover, the silhouette comes constructed out of premium leather and suede material, which is very durable and can help one get a lot of rotations. The shoe can be availed for $100 in the resale market and $120 in retail directly from Adidas.

The shoes topped the list as the most affordable sneaker of the year 2023 for Sportskeeda.

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4) Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 "Pine Green"

Only a few brands in the footwear industry can collaborate among its two labels and gain such hype, and Nike achieved it in 2023. The Nike skateboarding label collaborated with the Nike Jordan label to create the Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 "Pine Green." The duo's collaboration was one of the most hyped amongst sneakerheads with it restocking in the same year twice as a shock drop.

The shoes topped the list as the best collaborative sneaker of the year 2023 for Sportskeeda.

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5) Hidden.NY JW customs Asics GT-2160 "Crystal Pine 0.5"

This year's best customs can be named the Asics, Hidden.NY and JW Customs for making one-of-a-kind and holiday-inspired shoes just before 2024 arrives. The shoe also ended the things on a sweet name for the sneaker brand Asics. The triad launched the HIDDEN NY x ASICS GT-2160 “Crystal Pine” sneakers on December 13, 2023, and sent sneakerheads into a frenzy.

The shoe gives a nod to Hidden.NY green color scheme, while JW handcrafted each piece of the shoe. The custom pair was hand dyed and hence no two pairs would be identical for the two sneakerheads, justifying its high resale market price of $2500.

The shoes topped the list as the best custom sneaker of the year 2023 for Sportskeeda.

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Other than the aforementioned pieces, many other shoes caught our attention including the SB Dunk Low x Born x Raise, Nike Ja 1 x Swarovski, SB Dunk Low "White Lobsters," Nike Air Jordan 1 Low "Year of the Rabbit" sneakers Jordan 1 x Travis Scott "Olive," Air Force 1 x Kaws, New Balance x Joefreshgoods, Fortnite x Ralph Lauren boot, Adidas x Fear of God, and much more.