Sneaker Retros We Want to See in 2021!

While 2020 hasn’t quite panned out like many had expected, there were some very well received retro releases across everyone’s favourite sneaker brands. New Balance nerds essentially manifested the return of the 992, and while nobody specifically asked for the Nike Air Max Tailwind 5, it was a nice surprise.

Alas, some of Sneaker Freaker’s retro requests from 2020 ultimately fell on deaf ears (where’s that Air Zoom Citizen?), so here’s a new wish list for what the major players should bring back from their extensive archives. Like last year, there will only be one model per brand, lest it read like The NeverEnding Story. Or perhaps it’s simply just a case of which sneakers the author really really wants to return in 2021. Pray to the sneaker deities for these.

adidas_1

It might have been marketed as the ‘world’s first intelligent shoe’, but the adidas_1 was particularly clever for making wallets light (its $250 RRP was almost unheard of for running shoes back in 2004). Performance tech has come a long way since, but the mid-2000s aesthetic that’s recently been informing the sneakersphere would mean an adidas_1 retro could slot right into the assortment. Perhaps swapping out the clunky microchip and circuitboard for some adiPRENE would keep prices down, and actually improve comfort levels. There was a basketball version too, but let’s keep those as memories.

Regale yourself with some other old-school kick knowledge in our  Features section.