It’s that time of the year again. As December draws to a close you cannot escape from running into countless “Best of” lists, be it on TV, in magazines or on the internet. We at KICKZ.COM decided to give you something different. Instead of selecting the best sneaker that ends up sitting in a box or a display cabinet because it’s too precious to actually wear, we show you what our crew has been rocking throughout the year. The sneakers that are too delicate to rock day in and day out are an important part of sneaker culture, no doubt. But it’s the beaters, the shoes you rock ’cause they’re so comfortable or match your outfit perfectly that develop their own distinct value in your sneaker drawer. And as you will see with the KICKZ family’s most worn shoes it’s often a mix of both.
This way of showing our most worn sneakers is not an entirely new idea and by no means our invention. In fact, it’s been a popular topic on social networks like Instagram under #beenworn and similar hashtags. Our idea was inspired by the likes of YouTuber Mr. Foamer Simpson and Pete Forester. Shout-out to them!
Of course, we don’t just want to show off our kicks. We rather would like to create an interactive experience. Share your own most worn sneakers with us! What’s in it for you? Apart from becoming part of a larger sneaker-loving community you can also win something.
Competition
Win a pair of sneakers of your choice from KICKZ.COM!
How to participate:
1. Follow us on Instagram @kickz93
2. Post a picture of your most worn sneakers of 2015 to Instagram
3. Use hashtag #mostwornkickz and tag @kickz93
4. Also tag 5 of your friends
The winner will be selected by us. The criteria we pay attention to the most are originality and execution. And we also love basketball. In addition to the first prize, we will also select 10 runners-up who’ll each receive a goody bag. The winners will be announced on Instagram @kickz93 and contacted through direct message. The jury’s decision is final, there is no legal recourse. The competition is not supported, sponsored or organized by Instagram. Last chance to participate is Sunday, January 10, 2016, 11:59 PM.
The KICKZ crew’s most worn sneakers
Alex (Graphics)
K1X Paradoxum (black/white)
My no. 1 beater, everyday-shoe, f***-I-overslept-and-have-to-hurry-to-the-subway-station-but-first-let-me-get-a-coffee-shoe … You name it. At first I wanted to treat it nicely and take care of it, but a pick up game after work ruined it all forever. An awesome combination of basketball performance and lifestyle. You can wear this one to all pants or shorts, thanks to the clean black/white colorway. Might get me a second pair – but surely not to ball in.
Nike Kobe X “Fundamentals”
I bought these bad boys on my trip to the US on release day in New York City. The silhouette is a beast, really aggressive. I love white/black colorways in general, so this was a no-brainer. Great memento of my first ever vacation in the States – especially because it was a non-European release.
Nike Kobe IX “Dusty Cactus”
Fresh to death. The teal with the white did it for me. And look at those red accents! The special patch on the tongue is insane with the different logos and the typography. Light and comfortable shoe with flawless craftsmanship.
Nike Kyrie 1 iD
My second pair of Kyrie 1s (after the BHM). Super comfortable and the perfect combination of basketball peformance and lifestyle in my opinion. I love the silhouette, but didn’t trust Nike to release great colorways for this shoe (turned out I was right). So I just created my own – somewhere between Independence Day, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers (get some wins already, man!) and the old Atlanta Hawks.
Franziska (Retail)
Air Jordan 1
My favorite pair of Jordans. Super clean and easy to match.
Nike Air Huarache
The most comfortable sneakers. Period. The colorway is also easy to match.
Adidas Originals Stan Smith
Super comfortable and stylish. The materials are awesome and the honeycomb pattern is great as well. I think it’s a great shoe for girls ’cause you can wear them with a dress as well.
Reebok x FACE Stockholm Classic Leather
OK, I think you might have figured out a pattern. Comfortable and easy to match. That’s how I roll. Great metallic colorway on this one.
Dustin (E-Commerce)
Nike SB Dunk High “Chairman Bao”
This shoe is one of my favorite pick ups from the past two years. I got my hands on a cheap DS pair from an Italian collector after it was already sold out. I just love the bright outsole in combination with the high quality upper on the „Chairman Bao“ and the fact that I haven’t seen anybody else wearing them.
Nike Flyknit Racer
The Flyknit Racer is one of the nicest silhouettes out there and just an incredibly cool shoe for the summer. I like a lot of colorways on them, but this one is definitely my favorite with the clear color blocking on it. On a side note, I’ve actually worn this one on 3 different continents this year.
Adidas Ultra Boost “Triple-White”
Adidas made a huge step this year with the boost sole … It’s crazy comfortable and with this sneaker in particular Adidas defined a new way of bringing together topnotch performance features with style. I really have to find a way of getting it back to it`s original bright white, but it’s just too good to not wear it – no matter what weather.
K1X Anti-Gravity Street
The AG is just a great basketball shoe – i prefer its clean design far over the plasticy stuff you see on most other bball performance sneakers and it’s really comfortable. Used it to play a bit, but mostly i just wore it for any casual day. This one is actually a sample that i got for a really nice price from our friends over at K1X … nice thing to have the sample size 😉
Sandra (Buying)
Adidas L.A. Trainer (silver/black)
I love grey/silver sneakers. This is the shoe I was asked about the most so far. It is also the one I travelled the most with. Once I walked 20 km through NYC in them. No blisters or sore feet in the evening.
Adidas ZX Flux Tech (silver)
Another grey/silver one from my drawer. They are ultra light and incredibly comfortable.
Adidas Superstar Patent (Argentina/white)
Bought them at KICKZ Monaco 15 years ago. At the time, I was only wearing Superstars. I beat up a lot of them but this particular one with the teal patent leather stayed with me through all the years.
Nike Dunk CMFT Premium QS “Snakeskin”
Everybody needs at least one pair of high tops. I fell in love with them on first sight and love to wear them especially during the cold season. A real head-turner.
Martin (Content Marketing)
K1X All-Net (all-black)
Monochrome colorway. Great comfort. Lightweight, breathable mesh. This became my no. 1 beater in the summer.
Adidas Originals x Star Wars Attitude “Jabba the Hutt”
A couple of years ago, Adidas re-interpreted the basketball classic (originally released in 1986 and famously worn by Patrick Ewing) in collaboration with the Star Wars franchise. They really captured the essence of the iconic villain. They sat in a box for a while but in anticipation of the new movie(s) I had to break these out again.
New Balance x Ronnie Fieg 530 “Central Park”
My favorite color “Maroon”, insane comfort and the sick details make this one of my all-time favorites. It also features the Sycamore leaf logo of the NYC parks and thus an essential part of basketball history. This is a shoe where I honestly don’t care how expensive they were – I just wear them all the time.
Asics Gel-Lyte III “Crane”
It’s no wonder that the GL3 is one of the most popular Asics silhouettes. The sleek shape and the split tongue are classic. Great colorway on this one as well. Not too fancy, not too boring, nice color-blocking and speckled midsole. Plus it’s inspired by Japanese mythology, so it was basically a no-brainer for me.
Robbin (Editor-in-chief)
Nike Air Max 90 WR
I’m not a particularly big fan of the Air Max silhouette, but when the WR (Water Resistant) came out I had to have it. I liked the colorway and the fact that I can wear them in pouring rain without getting my feet wet convinced me.
Nike Free Flyknit Chukka
Flyknit & Free. When it comes to innovative concepts these two are hard to beat. The free sole provides a barefoot feeling, while the flyknit upper is so light it seems like I’m wearing sandals. The ultimate summer sneaker for me.
K1X J-Tra1n (volt)
Sure to make heads turn. Apart from glowing brighter than the sun the J-Tra1ns are super comfy and lightweight. Just in terms of fit this is one of my absolute favorites. If I was still playing basketball this would probably be the shoe I’d use.
Nike Air Trainer SC II
The SC2 is Nike’s homage to Bo Jackson, one of the most iconic sportsmen ever. This guy excelled in football, baseball and basketball and made everything look easy. I have 7 different pairs of SC2s and this is my favorite colorway.
Danny (Buying)
Air Jordan XI Retro “Playoffs”
Simply the best colorway. Black and red. What more can you ask for? Combine that with a nice checked shirt – super fresh!
Nike Air Huarache
One of my favorites. Bought them from one of my best friends when he was released from prison #easymoney #noquestionsasked
Air Jordan XI Retro “Space Jam”
Also one of my all-time favorites. You can actually wear them in the rain as well since they are surprisingly forgiving. Trust me.
Nike Air Experience Slides
During summer this was really the best. What could be better than slides with Air cushioning?! On the bike, at the river Isar or on the way to the swimming pool – killer!
Update!
These are our runners-up:
And the winner of a pair of sneakers of his choice: