The Most Outrageous, Over-The-Top Sneaker Collaborations Ever
This article was originally published on July 9, 2021.
Sneaker culture can more or less be boiled down to a never-ending game of one-upmanship. The rarest sneakers or most OG pairs – even just plain fresh colourways – can only get you so far over your peers. At some point in time, let’s say the early 2000s, as collaborations ramped up in frequency, so did the occasional levels of ridiculousness in a bid to out-weird each other. Here are some of the most over-the-top sneaker collaborations that were just that bit extra.
Tommy Cash’s Size 100 (Probably) adidas Superstars
Estonian musician Tommy Cash has done some weird stuff in his 29 years on this planet so far, but his XXXXLong adidas Superstars are from another world entirely! With 40 rows of eyelets as opposed to the usual half-dozen found on regular Shelltoes, adidas deemed Cash well-endowed enough to pull off these looooong shoes. Mere mortals had a chance at a handful of limited edition, albeit regular-sized pairs. Bemused sneakerheads on Twitter compared Cash’s feet to footlong subs and clown shoes.
The $65,000 Reebok Question
Reebok are currently continuing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their legendary Question signature sneaker of Allen Iverson, which seems to have hit another peak in popularity and sales. However, back in 2004, the AI3 line began to wane, so what did the ‘Bok do? They encrusted a pair of Questions with 246 diamonds – totalling 25.50 carats, of course. Who actually forked out the $65,000 RRP for this one-off pair? Only Eastbay will know after partnering with Reebok for this blinged-out project.,
‘The 50’
Credit where it’s due: Virgil Abloh was on a collaborative masterclass when he dropped ‘THE TEN’ back in 2017. That expansive collection with Nike was responsible for countless customs, fakes, homages, and ever-growing resale prices. So, Mr ‘3% Rule’ has tried to make lightning strike the same place twice and upped the ante to ‘The 50’, which, yep, entails 50 variations of the sneaker of the moment: the Nike Dunk. Except only about 49 pairs of this collection look identical.
@lizzo RECEIVING HER @Reebok COLLECTION FROM @iamcardib 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CsMCnYx0XE
— CB2 IS COMING‼️😤👠🐝 (@01beysmoke) December 8, 2020
Cardi B’s Mouthy Reebok Packaging
Reebok, currently a subsidiary of adidas (but perhaps not for much longer), took a leaf out of their parent company’s seeding playbook and emulated a similarly OTT rollout for their own popstar endorsee Cardi B. The WAPper sent out pairs of her Club C Cardi colab to celeb friends and influencers by way of a custom box shaped like an open mouth. And apparently, the uvula was like a Tickle Me Elmo that recited Cardi catchphrases when pressed. Never mind what the shoes looked like.
Practically Every Jeremy Scott x adidas Sneaker
Even if the Yeezy line initially raised some eyebrows, the public has embraced Ye’s designs en masse, thus legitimising his ideas. The same can’t be said for Jeremy Scott, the serial provocateur whose collections with adi last decade included all sorts of oddities that featured tongues made from pink poodle heads and winged attachments on glistening golden high tops. Scott is set to reunite with adidas this year, so who knows what other craziness he’s got cooking up…
MSCHF’s Mischievous Big Red Boot
Hot on the heels of their moon boot with tread, MSCHF’s Big Red Boot kicked off the brand’s entry into 2023 with a bang so loud it’d make Dr Tenma proud (or Boots, depending on who you ask). Over the top? Of course. But with a seemingly sure-fire formula for going viral in hand, it’s tough not to get excited for what delightful monstrosity the Brooklyn-based creative collective have up their sleeve next.
(Ok, so this isn’t officially a collaboration. But, thanks to a whole bunch of chatter coursing through the sneakersphere, it’s not a total stretch to say the Internet had a hand in turning the BRB into legitimately wearable – or at least Grammable – footwear.)
For some of the wildest moments the Boot has seen across the sneakersphere so far, head here.
