This year’s Highsnobiety Gift Guide is all about the presents that’ll make a difference in these new and strange times. From gifts that encourage connection with loved ones, to self-love suggestions you entirely deserve at the end of 2020.
The life of a committed sneakerhead can get quite lonely at times. Hours spent in cold queues, hours spent in online queues, waking up early only to catch a huge L on a sneaker they’ve been eyeing for months, the list goes on. Sneaker fanatics are so accustomed to the throes of disappointment that sometimes they can forget the good times.
If you know a sneakerhead then consider this your call to action: show them they’re not in this alone, show them you see their plight, and show them a shiny new box containing a coveted pair this Christmas. The hardest bit of buying for a sneakerhead is knowing what to buy but you’re fresh out of excuses because below, with the help of GOAT, we’ve detailed the best bits to get your favorite sneaker lover this year.
Check our gift ideas for the sneakerhead in your life.
Nike x Off-White™ Rubber Dunk
Rubber Dunk
Nike x Off-White
Off-White™ is building a lengthy co-sign catalog with Nike and most of us are still hanging on each and every release. One of the most recent sneakers in the saga comes in the form of this punchy, black & green iteration of the classic Nike Dunk.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Shattered Backboard 3.0'
Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Shattered Backboard 3.0'
Nike
Back in 1985 Michael Jordan literally shattered a backboard with the power of a dunk. Of course, rightfully, the orange and black Jordan 1 colorway he was wearing at the time has been immortalized as the 'Shattered Backboard'. This 2019 reissue features a crinkled patent leather upper for a twist on the original.
Nike x Sacai VaporWaffle
VaporWaffle
Nike x Sacai
Sacai designer Chitose Abe's take on classic Nike silhouettes is completely unique and the VaporWaffle proves it. After the wildly successful LDWaffles, the VaporWaffle has big shoes to fill, but with a blend of classic and futuristic design elements, it should be no problem.
YEEZY 700 V3 'Arzareth'
700 V3 'Arzareth'
YEEZY
There are almost too many YEEZY silhouettes to keep track of, but if you're going to remember one of them, it's likely the YEEZY 700 V3. This recent model has made its mark with a streamlined running silhouette and a range of eye-catching colorways like 'Arzareth'.
Nike Dunk Low SP Retro 'Veneer' 2020
Dunk Low SP Retro 'Veneer' 2020
Nike
If you're a regular reader of the Highsnobiety sneaker pages you'll know that we love a color-blocked Nike Dunk Low. 'Veneer' may well be a 2020 release, but its faded uppers are giving us sincere early '00s vibes.
Nike Air Jordan 5 Retro SE 'What The'
Air Jordan 5 Retro SE 'What The'
Nike
So you can't decide which pair of Jordan 5s to buy your beloved sneakerhead for Christmas? Opt for the Nike Air Jordan 5 Retro SE 'What The' which mashes up the best bits of eight iconic Jordan 5s. Yes, eight colorways in one.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG
Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG
Nike
Earth tones have had a strong few years. Perhaps riding the coattails of Travis Scott's signature color palette, having a brown suede hit to your footwear is a sign you're with the times. This pair of Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Mocha' is at once up-to-date and brimming with retro appeal.
Nike x Undefeated Zoom Kobe 5 Protro 'What If Pack' Special Box
Zoom Kobe 5 Protro 'What If Pack' Special Box
Nike x Undefeated
When Kobe Bryant was drafted thirteenth in the 1996 NBA draft, the twelve teams that passed on him couldn't have known that they were passing up on what would be history's greatest basketball player. They also didn't know they'd be the inspiration of a Nike x Undefeated collaboration on the Mamba's signature shoe.
Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro 'Bruce Lee'
Zoom Kobe 5 Protro 'Bruce Lee'
Nike
Kobe's signature Kobe 5 has become even more of a collector's piece this year after the legend's passing, and with fire, limited colorways like this pair, dubbed the 'Bruce Lee', it's not hard to see why.
Vans x Notre Vault OG Old Skool LX
Vault OG Old Skool LX
Vans x Notre
The Vans Old Skool is one of those models that most of the time should just be left alone, locked away from the eyes of potential collaborators because of its classic status. It turns out that Notre took on the challenge and passed with flying colors, though, replacing the Vans logo with a pair of shaking hands for a subtle twist on the original.
New Balance x Aimé Leon Dore 550
550
New Balance x Aimé Leon Dore
Aimé Leon Dore can do no wrong right now. The retro-centric styles coming out of the New York label are second to none, so when they dug up the criminally underrated New Balance 550 as the basis to a collab, we were fixated. We still are.
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