Imagining Your Favorite Sneakers in a Triple-Black Colorway

All illustrations by Erin Kelly

The Air Jordan 1 KO is roughly a canvas version of its more notorious leather counterpart, the Air Jordan 1, and was first released around 1986. No one knows for certain what the KO actually stands for, but the silo has seen several re-releases this year alone and features a Vandal-inspired midsole among several design differences from the AJ1. The triple-black treatment coupled with a classic, all-canvas upper make these a great choice as part of an everyday rotation.

Introduced in 1989, the first ZX 8000 runner featured a Torsion system and bright hits of aqua, yellow, and purple all over the shoe which pushed the boundaries of the relatively conservative market at the time. Here we see the ZX 8000 completely stripped of its hue to really let the design speak for itself.

Arguably the most significant Nike tennis signature shoe of all time, the Air Tech Challenge II was made famous by Andre Agassi in its most memorable colorway: Hot Lava. As was the trend in the 1980s, they were released in a multitude of bold, eye-catching colorways and have been retroed plenty since, but never in all black. And let's be honest, it doesn't hurt that this shoe partially inspired Kanye's Air Yeezy II.

Back when the Reebok Pump first dropped in 1989, it became somewhat of a status symbol on the courts, and kids in high school clamored for a pair because they were super expensive compared to other basketball sneakers at the time. They were also the first shoe to incorporate Pump technology, which adjusted the fit of the sneaker with an internal inflation mechanism. The blacked-out look gives the Pump a futuristic appearance and a welcome update to an old-school classic.

Designed by legendary Nike vet Tinker Hatfield, the Air Mowabb was a lightweight sneaker meant for hiking, hence the ACG (All Conditions Gear) designation, but was soon adopted by sneakerheads because of its aggressive look. The Mowabb was essentially a beefed-up, high-top Huarache runner with a full-collar neoprene bootie, and given that a triple-black version of that shoe already exists, it's time for its all-terrain successor to get the same treatment.

Not many people know that the Air Max 93 was originally known as the Air Max 270 because it was Nike's very first shoe to utilize a 270-degree Air unit. As the first Air Max to use a colored Air unit and neoprene sock liner, the 93 proved that Nike was serious about pushing the envelope when it came to progressing its line of runners. As it's only been retroed a few times in its O.G. colorways, don't hold your breath for Nike to drop a triple-black version any time soon.

One of New Balance's sleeker and most popular silhouettes since its inception in 1993, the 998 featured a hearty ABZORB midsole for soft impact and shock absorption, and is typically draped in mesh and suede. The model has seen countless iterations from the likes of J.Crew, Concepts, and Horween, but none have ever produced a black beauty such as this.

Ever since the first Flyknit was introduced in 2012, it's spawned a movement of its own. The innovative knit technology was unprecedented at the time and has since been adopted by a bevy of other Nike silhouettes. Few can argue the Flyknit Racer's place in a sneakerhead's rotation and it's for this reason that this blackout version needs to exist.

2014 is definitely the year of the Stan Smith given the countless collaborations that it's seen so far with the likes of Pharrell, Concepts, Raf Simons, and more. And even though one of Pharrell's collabs featured an all-black Smith, adidas' Primeknit technology is the way to go if you're looking for lightweight subdued comfort. 

Designed with Kobe's insights in mind, Nike's Kobe 9 Elite High is one of the most technologically innovative basketball sneakers of 2014. One of its notable features is the extremely high silhouette and combination of three Nike technologies: Flyknit, Flywire, and Lunarlon. For a truly stealthy look on the court, Nike would be wise to drop this murdered-out version.