It's a big day today.
Any Thursday during a Supreme season is a big day, but this one's extra special. Supreme's latest collaborative shoe with Nike, the Air More Uptempo is dropping, and like any other Supreme/Nike collaboration the hype surrounding it is unreal.
This marks the 21st collaborative effort between the Swoosh and Supreme (a relationship that stretches back 15 years), and since it's one of the biggest releases of the S/S '17 collection we figured the time was ripe for one of our infamous top 10 lists. We took a look back at the full catalog of releases dating back to 2002, and narrowed all 21 down to the 10 best (11 if you're counting the honorable mention), which we present to you here. Let the hype consume you ... cause we're getting right into it.
Honorable Mention: Fragment Design Air Zoom All Court-2011
In the 21 times Supreme and Nike have mashed minds to create a shoe, they've only brought on a third party once ... and that third party is legendary Japanese design house Fragment (a brand that Nike also shares close ties with). The three titans came together to create an extremely clean shoe that missed inclusion on the top 10 list by the narrowest of margins. Usually shoes with all-over logo print are tacky and overdone but Fragment and Supreme subscribed to the "less is more" mentality by slapping small yet noticeable logos all over the old-school All Court. It's an extremely rare shoe too: it was set to be a Japan exclusive, but Supreme mysteriously pulled the plug on the shoe's official release.
10. Air Max 98-2016
The Air Max 98 is a model that's often lost in the sauce among Nike's iconic silhouettes like the 90, the 95, and the 97 ... but Supreme gave it a chance to shine in 2016 when they released it in three Prada-inspired colorways (red/silver, navy/silver and black/black), plus a unique snakeskin jawn that's our personal favorite out of the pack.
9. Air Trainer 2 TW SB-2007
The first of many SB's to make an appearance on our list, the Air Trainer 2 TW (short for Totally Washable) SB is another great example of Supreme putting a unique touch on a mostly-forgotten shoe. It was their first collaboration to actually feature their logo (check the outsole), and will still get you an approving nod from many an SB head today.
8. Air Jordan V-2015
All hell broke loose in 2015 when it was officially announced that Supreme and Jordan Brand would be collaborating. Many a sneakerhead assumed the collaboration would be done on a Jordan I (owing to its close ties to skateboarding), but the Jordan V was the lucky silhouette to get Supreme's special touch. Replacing MJ's 23 on the heel with a 94 (their first year in business) and slapping a big "SUP" logo on the side netting, Supreme released clean black/red and white/red pairs ... and also a desert chip camo that for our money is the coolest out of the pack.
7. Foamposite 1-2014
Foams: a very New York shoe. Supreme: a very New York brand. This collaborative shoe is about as New York as it gets (even though the Versace-esuqe print screams Miami if you ask us), and that was proven when the NYPD shut down the Lafayette Street release due to the absolute chaos caused by these beauties. Sidenote: for our money, these had the best apparel of any Supreme/Nike collaboration too. A matching basketball jersey/shorts? Game over.
6. Air Force 1 High-2014
Between the Foamposite and the Air Force 1, 2014 was a pretty damn good year for Nike & Supreme. After working on an Air Force 1 Low in 2013 (another shoe that barely missed inclusion on this list), Supreme lent their touch to another quintessentially NY shoe, the Air Force 1 High. Loud, in-your-face Supreme branding on simple colorways was the name of the game for this release, and although we love all three colorways, we'd have to pick the white/black if we were forced to choose.
5. Dunk Low Pro-2002
The Don. The true OG. The very first. Supreme and Nike first joined forces way back in 2002 on a Dunk Low Pro, which paid homage to New York's love of skating in Jordans with MJ's iconic elephant print adorning the shoe's upper. This was a power move for both Supreme and Nike: Nike got a giant street culture co-sign, and Supreme showed that they were much more than a New York skate brand.
4. Flyknit Lunar 1-2012
We know, we know. We can already hear all the SB and OG Supreme lovers collective gasp of disbelief: a Flyknit Lunar 1 over the first-ever Supreme/Nike collaboration? These might not have quite as rich of a backstory as the SB's ... but the fact of the matter is they're a much cleaner sneaker. Plus, Flyknit was all the rage at the time, having just debuted the summer prior. Bright and colorful was the norm, so Supreme did what they do best and went with the polar opposite: dark and tonal. These are extremely wearable and clean (arguably the cleanest shoe on the list), and in an odd and humorous twist actually came packaged in an SB box.
3. Dunk High Pro SB-2003
Let's be real here: sometimes shoes don't age well. A shoe that was a classic a decade-plus ago can look garish in the current day and age. Thankfully, these Supreme Dunk High Pro SB's from way back in 2003 don't fall in that category. The clean, bright, gold-star adorned pairs inspired by OG Dunk colorways got all the little details just right, and are just as clean today as they were 14 years ago. Our favorite? The orange joints.
2. Blazer SB-2006
Have you ever seen a more luxe Blazer than Supreme's? If you were about to say yes , do yourself a favor and stop lying. Inspired by legendary Harlem designer Dapper Dan's ultra-luxe design, the quality and high-fashion influences of these were on point ... and a lot of sneakerheads might just label these the best Blazers ever. Our personal favorite? The red joints. Ultra-luxe has gotta be loud.
1. Dunk Low Pro SB-2012
We're finally here at #1 ... and could it have really gone to any other shoe than Supreme's second crack at the Dunk Low? One of the most iconic dunks of all time, the 2012 edition celebrated 10 years of Dunks by keeping the elephant print from the original ... but slapping Supreme's signature red all over the upper, and finishing it off with black accents. The hype for Dunks in 2012 wasn't nearly as high as it had been before but these still blew off the shelves, signifying Supreme's influence and paying homage to a decade-long relationship between the Swoosh and the box logo.
What do you think of our Top 10 Supreme/Nike collars list? Would you re-arrange the order or put in any pairs in that you think missed the cut? If so, what and why? Hit us up and let us know on Twitter, check our Facebook page for updates, and, as always, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire pictures you can handle.