10 Underrated Sneaker Silhouettes You Should Be Wearing

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Brooks has been in the game for 100 years and is now just making a push in the sneakerhead market. The American footwear company has big plans for its Heritage category, and it all starts with the return of the Chariot. The quintessential old-school runner was reissued this year for the first time ever, and it came by way of a limited-edition collaboration with New England retailer Concepts. After its debut over three decades ago, we’re glad the vintage runner is back.

While Nike’s Free cushioning technology, introduced in 2004, gets the credit for promoting barefoot running, there was a sneaker released back in the ’80s that laid the foundation for it all. The Nike Sock Racer and its lightweight, bare-bones silhouette is in the lineage that eventually developed into Free. This year, the Sock Racer made a return in true original form, releasing in its vibrant yellow mesh colorway and even an all-black version. With minimal runners being all the rage, it would only be appropriate for Nike to produce more variations.

adidas has a rich history of tennis sneakers. From Rod Lavers to Stefan Edbergs to, of course, Stan Smiths, the Three Stripes reigned supreme when it came to kicks on the hard court (or grass, or clay). The Matchplay, worn by tennis great Arthur Ashe, was a simple silhouette with its clean leather upper and low-profile design. While it resembled the Stan Smith, there was no face of approval on the tongue, resulting in a truly minimal sneaker—an aesthetic that you see many high-end labels pushing today.

The Diadora N.9000 has returned in a big way this year after first hitting the running scene in the ’90s. The Italian company has brought back O.G. colorways and even teamed up with premier overseas retailers like Patta and Hanon to introduce the sneaker to a demographic that might just be seeing the N.9000 for the first time. While international releases have been relatively easy to come by, ’heads in the States haven’t been as fortunate. Product launches have been extremely limited and only carried at a select number of boutiques, whose release methods typically benefit those that are local. Wider releases would be nice—collaboration or not—to give more ’heads a chance, but until then, consider this one of the more underrated and hard-to-find silhouettes of today.

The Nike Air Max Triax 94 has always gone under the radar. And when you have to follow the likes of the Air Max 1, Air Max 90, and Air Max 180, it becomes a bit easier to comprehend. The oft-forgotten sneaker in the Air Max collection, which also preceded the coveted Air Max 95, celebrated 20 years in the game this year with a release of some ’90s-inspired colorways. Complete with leather and mesh paneling and a bubble unit at the heel, the runner’s vintage silhouette serves as the perfect base for bold color-blocking possibilities. Retros have been rare relative to its Air Max counterparts, but additional colorways would sure be welcomed.

Retros, reissues, and re-releases—call them what you want—have proven to be important pieces to footwear brands’ bottom lines. The Shaw Runner doesn’t fall in any of those labels because it’s an all-new model that just made its debut earlier this year. From the catalog of Onitsuka Tiger, a brand whose bread-and-butter products are focused in the running category, the silhouette is a modernized version of traditional runners. Its design is familiar and classic, but contemporary and bold. Granted, the sneaker is less than a year old, but it’s one that should be on the radar of every sneakerhead who considers themselves a fan of runners.

The Solarsoft Moccasin made its debut at the perfect time. Casual runners were becoming all the rage and ’heads were making room in their rotation of retro Js to fit in sneakers typically worn in the gym or track. The Solarsoft Moccasin followed up the widely successful Roshe Run model and was set to become the next big lifestyle sneaker. The breathable runner made some noise with its Yeezy-esque “Year of the Horse” design and floral print iterations, but, for the most part, has remained relatively low key, not quite reaching mass levels like the Roshe Run. At just $65, coupled with a super clean design, it’s really hard to go wrong with the Solarsoft Moccasin.

After debuting in the ’70s, the Auckland Racer was brought back by Converse in 2012. The runner, named after the city in New Zealand known for its popular jogging movement, quickly became a retro hit after receiving a knitted update as part of the Converse x Missoni collection. There have since been many other variations of the vintage sneaker, including a collaboration with streetwear elite Undefeated and a wild “Animal” pack. Inline releases may not receive as much notoriety, but they’re just as good as any other limited-edition style. Converse has been mostly associated with the Chuck Taylor and Weapon, but with the rising interest in runners and the jogging movement infiltrating sneaker culture in the States, the Auckland Racer is one to pay attention to.

The Ventilator epitomized running culture in the ’90s with its bold colors and striking silhouette lines. The lightweight runner was all about performance with its side panel vents and Hexalite cushioning. While it was equipped with the latest and greatest in Reebok technology, it always had a street-ready vibe that made it the perfect casual sneaker. This year has been all about another ’90s Reebok runner, the Instapump Fury, but don’t sleep on the Ventilator. The sneaker has been dropping in a bunch of new iterations decked out in materials and color schemes that give the retro a more modern aesthetic.

Born in the era of ’90s hoops, the Nike Air Raid was made specifically for the blacktop. Appropriately branded with “For Outdoor Use Only” on its molded heel, the Tinker Hatfield-designed sneaker was a game-changer with its signature cross-strap and lateral bumper. While it was retroed this year with various color schemes, including O.G. styles, it wasn’t until its collaboration with Parisian label Pigalle when ’heads started to take notice.