From Nike to Balenciaga, the Seven Strangest Sneakers of 2020 – AROUND THIS TIME last year, I cataloged the strangest clothing items I’d come across in 2019: seven superlatively odd garments that stood out from the many, many pieces of fashion I’d encountered over the previous 365 days. (I’m still wondering who would buy Moschino’s bobble-head baseball caps.)
2020 has been another beast altogether. For the past nine months or so, I’ve been working from my kitchen table. Meanwhile, many of the trappings of the fashion industry are gone. Runway shows are rare now; on hold are the sort of in-person meetings I’d previously attended to review new collections; and red-carpet events—with their outlandish celebrity outfits—have largely disappeared. In short, I’ve had far fewer opportunities to inspect new clothes, bizarre or otherwise.
One facet of the industry felt like business as usual, however: the ceaseless churn of sneaker releases. For years, shoe brands have been hyping their shoes on Instagram and selling them through webshops or phone apps—a digital rollout system that seemed already designed for a socially distanced America. And so all year long, as we all shopped from home, brands like Prada, Nike and Vans rolled out an incredible number of new sneakers.
Many of these sneakers are immensely odd, marked by design elements like fake fur, colors more lurid than a bowl of Lucky Charms and convoluted soles that would look at home in Robo-Cop’s wardrobe. Many of these garish shoes have nevertheless become collectible, fetching thousands of dollars (or at least ten times their sticker price) on the resale market.
2020’s crop of sneakers further supported my theory that sneaker designs are getting stranger and stranger as a way to stand out on little phone screens. The sneakers that I remember from this year are those that made me stop my mindless scrolling and think, ‘What is going on?’ Here are seven contenders for weirdest of them all.
1. Ben & Jerry’s x Nike SB Dunk Low “Chunky Dunky”
This maximalist mish-mash from Nike in collaboration with the loveable ice-cream purveyors at Ben & Jerry’s triggered a different form of brain-freeze. Nevertheless, in all of its faux-cowhide and “melting”-Swoosh glory it became one of the year’s most collectable shoes.
Peak Resale Price on StockX: $1,990
2. Grateful Dead x Nike SB Dunk Low Grateful Dead Bears
It was a memorable year for madcap Grateful Dead shoes, the most manic of which were these fuzzed -out skate shoes made in partnership with Nike. Inspired by the band’s Dancing Bear mascots, these furry shoes sold out within hours of their release.
Peak Resale Price on StockX: $2,115 for Green. $3,000 for Yellow. $4,600 for Orange.
3. Maison Margiela x Reebok Tabi Instapump Fury Lo
I found these towering condiment-colored shoes unsettling. And then I realized that the toe box is split. Whoever engineered these should be working for NASA.
Retail price: $1,150
4. Balenciaga Toe Sock
Reebok and Margiela’s isolation of one toe is downright subtle compared to Balenciaga’s sock shoes which isolate all five toes. The orthopedic-looking teeter-totter thing tacked on the back will lift your heels and the eyebrows of anyone who sees you wearing them.
Retail Price: $1,290
5. Adidas Stan Smith Slip-On Mule
In a year where so many of us relied on slip-on house shoes, Adidas offered a backless mule that nobody really needed. It’s hard to imagine lounging about in what is still a hard rubber shoe. And it looks like your dog took a big bite out of your sneaker.
Retail Price: $70
6. Nike Air Max 720 ISPA Metallic Silver
That’s the worst case of podiatric chickenpox I’ve ever seen.
Peak Resale Price on StockX: $320
7. KFC x Crocs Classic Clog
Is a Croc a sneaker? For the purposes of this list, I’ll say yes. Each of these clogs, which are coated in the oh-so-appetizing image of endless chicken wings, is adorned with a “fried chicken Jibbitz” for extra poultry style points. When I Googled this shoe, one of the questions that popped up was “Do the KFC Crocs smell like chicken?” I’ll leave it up to you if you want to find out.
Peak Resale Price on StockX: $299
