The Most Influential Celebrities in Sneaker Culture Right Now

There are a handful of constants in modern sneaker culture. For the foreseeable future, Michael Jordan is always going to have one of the most popular sneaker lines. Kanye West’s impact is going to continue to reverberate as his peers branch off into their own successful ventures. And despite talks of cooling off, Nike remains firmly seated at the throne. What’s far more volatile is the trend-driven influencer space, one which is constantly shuffling by welcoming new faces and quickly dismissing those who were once the wave.

The celebrity influencer sector is especially heated, with plenty of contention over who’s really moving the footwear needle. What was once a toss-up between West, Drake, and Pharrell has become overshadowed by proteges and new faces. Even unexpected names like Jonah Hill are finding ways to make a splash while social media continues to fuel the reach of people like Kylie Jenner and DJ Khaled.

Find out who’s really swaying sneaker audiences—and why—below.

Oddball sneaker influencers are always the most fun ones. No one ever thought that Jonah Hill, when he was making us laugh while being awkward in Superbad, would become one of the most stylish people on the planet. But he's truly been able to become his own person and has gained a cult following across the Internet thanks to his streetwear outfits. His most recent film, Mid90s, which is a cultural deep dive into '90s skateboarding, has become a critical success, and he's now Team Adidas. Word is that he might have his own sneaker on the way, and he debuted a new model at Hypefest recently that had people talking. If Hill wears something, people are going to pay attention, not just because of his celebrity, but because he makes it that much cooler. —Matt Welty

2018 will be remembered as the year Jerry Lorenzo really leveled up. After leaving his coveted Vans collaboration behind, the Fear of God designer has moved onto his biggest sneaker undertaking yet: a basketball collection with Nike. The Air Fear of God 1 is more than just a sleek-looking sneaker, it’s a full-on performance model built to be worn on the court by the game’s best. It’s territory that many collaborators don’t come close to, and it speaks volumes for a fashion designer to have that opportunity out of the gate. Along with the Fear of God 1 and SA (Shoot Around edition), expect to see a lot of the collection’s Air Skylon 2 collaboration in Instagram feeds—and that’s not even touching on all the co-branded apparel coming down the pike. Lorenzo’s impact has been steadily ramping up over the years, but this looks like it will be the year that he achieves all he’s been grinding toward—it’s already happening right now. —Riley Jones

Much like Virgil Abloh, it’s hard to talk about Don C without bringing up his association with Kanye West. Also similar to Abloh, Don has been able to successfully transition out of West’s shadow and make his own name in the sneaker and fashion space. A former manager and DJ of West, Don first made waves with his Just Don brand—most notably his $400-plus baseball caps which featured exotic materials. It didn’t take long after that for the designer to transition into the sneaker world, where he brought that luxury touch to the Air Jordan II. In 2018, Don took his work with Jordan Brand to another level, dropping his own Legacy 312 model, and making it available on a much wider scale than the previous limited releases. He’ll round out the year with yet another collab—this time with Converse, and has more lined up with the brand for next spring.—Zac Dubasik

Much like his role in music, it's hard to explain exactly what DJ Khaled does as a sneaker influencer—his name doesn't immediately jump off the page. However, his resume in the space is stacked. His state-of-the-art sneaker room is the pinnacle of celebrity collection storage, and he’s now two highly-coveted collaborations deep with his partners at Jordan Brand, each selling for more than $10,000. Khaled’s equally famous two-year old son, Asahd, even has a Jordan deal of his own. He also coined the phrase "Still in the Meeting," which, as it pertains to him, means he's working on something with the Jordan team. Perhaps Khaled's most impressive sneaker feat to date is that in 2016 he had his very own Champs Sports built inside We The Best Studios, and fully stocked with the latest releases. The next logical step for him is to work on a sneaker that's actually sold to the public, because he's everything a brand could want in a celebrity endorser—he's highly visible, has nearly 17 million followers between Instagram and Twitter, and uses his platform to tout his relationship with Jordan Brand on a daily basis. —Brandon Richard

Kylie Jenner’s 2018 takeover extended far beyond lip kits and selfies. For the first time, the social media superstar settled into her role as a legitimate sneaker influencer. After ditching Puma to align with Adidas, Kylie went all-in on her new relationship with the Three Stripes, appearing in numerous campaigns and becoming the face of the brand’s trendy Falcon women’s sneaker. It’s no coincidence that the colors she’s seen wearing are often the hardest pairs to track down, and that’s if you can find them at all. Jenner was also used to promote the widespread release of Kanye West’s “Triple White” Yeezy Boost 350 V2 in September. Along with athletic footwear, Jenner’s oft-imitated influence extends into the high-fashion world as she’s regularly seen in looks from Chanel and Gucci. However, her Adidas deal is arguably more impactful as it provides an accessible option for women who want to pull off the Kylie look. With this kind of reach, it’s not that farfetched to imagine a Kylie Jenner sneaker collaboration in the not-so-distant future. Check back a year from now to see where she winds up. —Riley Jones

For nearly 20 years, Pharrell Williams has influenced urban culture in every possible way, including its style, sneakers, and other influencers. He was at the forefront of the skate movement during the early 2000s, helped usher in Japanese streetwear influence with BAPE, wielded his power as a designer and pitchman by delivering Reebok a winner with the colorful, pattern-bearing Ice Creams, and has been a contributing factor to Adidas' surge in the footwear market since signing with the brand in 2014. What makes Pharrell special is that he makes moves free of ego, making his projects about inspiring acceptance, diversity, creativity, and love. Everything he touches seems to be successful on some level, and while most entertainer co-signs are fads, Pharrell remains a staple poised to span multiple generations of music and fashion. Skateboard P isn't a sneaker influencer—he's THE sneaker influencer. —Brandon Richard

Drake has long be chided for his past as a teen actor, the vulnerability of his lyrics, and his overall good nature. But he’s never hidden from being himself, and despite constant ridicule throughout his music career, he’s managed to rack up eight consecutive number-one albums, the record for the most number-one singles of any rapper, and over 85 million combined followers between Instagram and Twitter. So it’s easy to see why his services as an endorser were in demand when he reportedly left Jordan Brand in February of 2018. Believe what you want about why a supposed deal with Adidas never materialized, but there’s no denying the desirability of having Drake on one’s team when it comes to influence. The Toronto native was regularly spotted performing in an otherwise unseen variation of the Air Max Plus during his recent “Aubrey and the Three Migos Tour,” and while there’s been no official word that he’s back with the Swoosh, there’s little doubt as to the noise it will make if that happens. —Zac Dubasik

Say what you want about Kanye West and his politics, which he's since distanced himself from, but one thing's for certain: People still pay attention to everything he does, especially when it comes to his shoes. West's ongoing partnership with Adidas is now going on its fourth year, and the shoes show no signs of slowing down. There are over-exaggerated rumors that no one's buying his shoes anymore because they don't fly off shelves in .002 seconds, but Adidas is making more of them and releasing more of them than ever before. Everyone who wanted Yeezys now has a chance to buy them. The Yeezy basketball sneakers potentially might make it to this NBA this season too, giving him a whole new area of influence. Regardless of people getting bent over West's friendship with President Donald Trump, there are others who can divorce someone's personal views from the product they put out into the world. For what it's worth, Kanye is still Kanye. You can't cancel him, it's not that simple. Everyone still checks what's on Kanye's feet, and he's still married into the most powerful pop culture family in the world. —Matt Welty

After emerging from Kanye West’s oversized shadow, Virgil Abloh has quickly established his footing as one of the game’s most prolific designers. His “The Ten” collection with Nike was one of the biggest things to happen to the brand since West’s original Yeezy line, and the collaboration has remained relevant thanks to timely new colorways and staggered distribution. What may seem like too much of a good thing—a habit Nike’s been known to fall into—on the surface has done little to affect the popularity of the Off-White sneakers. The shoes are still hard to get, and unlike West’s Yeezy line, have yet to fall into the trapping of repeated restocks. His Off-White x Nikes have filled the spot once held by Yeezys, with pairs regularly reselling over the $1,000 mark.

And it’s not just what Virgil’s designing—it’s also what he’s wearing. Along with Travis Scott, Abloh’s been getting credit for the recent revival of the Nike Dunk, which he’s worn in several throwback colorways as of late. Beyond his work with Nike, Abloh has also made noise with his new Air Jordan-inspired Louis Vuitton shoes. They were one of the most talked-about sneaker moments of summer’s Paris Fashion Week and are sure to draw more attention when they see an official release with LV’s Spring 2019 collection. —Riley Jones

There’s a reason Travis Scott has been the most-requested “Sneaker Shopping” guest season after season, and that was even before his monster of a year in 2018. As part of one of the game’s most celebrated power couples with Kylie Jenner, Travis Scott did a little bit of everything this year including continue to raise his sneaker profile. Whether he was hooking baby Stormi up with OG Jordans older than himself, releasing some of the year’s top collaborations, or setting trends by breaking out rare Nike SBs and Js, all eyes were on Scott’s sneakers.

But what’s even more impressive about the Astroworld rapper’s sneaker output this year is that it looks like there’s plenty more to come. He’s been teasing new colorways of his Air Jordan 4 collaboration in purple and olive, and is also expected to release his own stash pocket-equipped Air Jordan 1 in 2019. Add in a colorful printed take on the Tinker Hatfield-designed React GOAT runner, and it’s clear that the “Cactus Jack” collabs are only getting started.

In addition to his ‘fits and releases, Travis also found a way to make an impact with his music. Astroworld featured one of the year’s most successful songs in “Sicko Mode,” where fellow Jordan Brand collaborator Drake rapped about his love for Nike, presumably signaling the end of his rumored Adidas deal.

By this time next year, the remaining nine influencers may change, but don’t be surprised if La Flame remains firmly seated at the top. —Riley Jones