Like every year sneakers lead the conversation on multiple websites and this year sneakers played a big role in the fashion culture for 2016. Which brand do you think had the biggest year? Can you get around and beat the heat that was adidas with their YEEZY, BOOST and NMDs? or was it the classics and the retro releases that grabbed your attention? or was it something else? These are some of the most hyped and favorite releases of the year in conclusion with hits on this site, comments on social media and more. Hit the jump and weigh in. Read more…

10. Air Jordan 1 Retro “Top Three”

After all the rumors and photoshop mockups of what the Air Jordan 1 “Top Three” would look like, official images were finally released back in October of this year. Celebrating the iconic Air Jordan 1 silhouette, the special edition model combines some of the silhouette’s most sought-after colorways. -Hypebeast

9. Air Jordan 4 “White Cement”

From being an O.G. colorway that Michael Jordan actually played in to crossing over to mainstream popular culture in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, it’s a safe bet that this sneaker will always rank amongst the best Air Jordans. Even with a Jumpman logo on the back, the 2012 pair still sold out instantly, so when news broke that this year’s would have a Nike Swoosh, we already knew it was doing to fly off shelves. In a year that saw the borderline over-marketing of the “Banned” 1 and “Space Jam” XIs, this pair was just as big without the advertising dollars behind it. —Marco Negrete

8. Nike Special Forces Air Force 1

I think my boy Ben [Kirschner], who actually did the shoe, killed it. I love Air Force 1s, but I can’t appreciate too many extra things happening to it. But what he did to it, he just killed it! Material wise, design aesthetic, thought process—everything he put into the shoe is really dope. –DJ Clark Kent

7. Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 “Glow in the Dark”

Kanye West set off this summer with a Yeezy 750 drop in grey upper with a glow-in-the-dark gum sole. As expected with anything Kanye drops, the release sparked massive hype and the shoes were sold out in minutes, if not seconds, despite not exactly being summer-friendly. -Sole Collector

6. Air Jordan 1 “Banned” Retro

They redid ‘em. They came back. They tried to get ‘em as close to the Banned 1s, but they’re perfect. I even like that the red is a little darker. The leather on ‘em [takes a deep breathe] is crazy. It fit well. They’re a classic. You can’t mess up a Bred Jordan. I call them black and red Jordans. They’re supposed to be reminiscent of the colorway that was banned by the NBA. If you get a pair of the original black and red Jordan 1s, the leather on the new ones are better than the old ones. Look at that red leather—that red leather outstanding. -DJ Clark Kent

5. Air Joran 11 Retro Space Jam

Michael Jordan first wore the Air Jordan XI that would eventually be dubbed the “Space Jams” in the 1995 NBA Playoffs, before Space Jam was even filmed. Over the summer, Jordan worked harder than ever on his game, once again indisputably becoming the best player in the world—and filmed a little movie starring some of his animated best friends from Warner Bros. As one of the most popular sneakers of all time, any year a “Space Jam” Air Jordan 11 drops, it will be in contention for Sneaker of the Year. What made 2016 a particularly strong release for the shoe was its tie-in to the 20th anniversary of Space Jam the movie. –Russ Bengtson

4. adidas Originals Ultra Rare NMD “Pitch Black”

In terms of impact that shifted the direction of the sneaker industry, there wasn’t a more important sneaker in 2016 than the Adidas NMD. It’s a lifestyle sneaker that features a full-length Boost sole, the brand’s highest-performing technology, but it wasn’t created with athletics in mind. Rather, it’s a lifestyle shoe meant to meet the challenges of a life on the run. And the public ate the concept up. Adidas made over 100 different colorways of the shoe this past year, but the best was one that was limited to 500 pairs. The “Pitch Black” NMD was the perfect execution of the sneaker. It was the first time Adidas put a black Boost sole on any sneaker, but the rollout of the “Pitch Black” version turned it into one of the most-coveted shoes this year. Simply put, it was the best execution of the most popular sneaker of 2016, and, man, was it good. —Matt Welty

3. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2

It’s hard to say how the Trump-endorsing, Beyonce-dissing, late 2016 version of Kanye West will impact the future of the Yeezy line, but when the first V2 edition of the 350 dropped, it was met with open arms. While it wasn’t exactly a new model, it was different enough to provide a fresh feel for fans who’d been craving something different. -Sole Collector

2. Acronym x NikeLab Air Presto Mid

The ACRONYM x Nike Presto Mid’s functional design is unrivalled. The zipper system makes stepping out of the house easy — worn zipped on the go, or unzipped for comfort in the office. Compared to the widely released Utility Presto Mid, this NikeLab release seems unfinished but is a work of art. — Drew Pulig

1. adidas Originals & Pharrell Williams Hu NMD

Pharrell Williams is no stranger to sneaker collaborations, but his initial Adidas offerings didn’t move the hype needle as expected after his 2014 signing to the brand. That all changed with the HU NMD—an updated take on the already hugely popular NMD model that was met with instant sell outs and high resale prices. -Sole Collector