PAUSE Picks: The 7 Best Sneaker Releases of 2022

Kicking off PAUSE’s 2022 sneaker round-up is unsurprisingly Salehe Bembury and Crocs, who truly did make this year their own. Making our weekly round-up a countless number of times, one of their earliest efforts has proven to arguably be their best, with the famous “Crocodile” colourway really standing out. Becoming everybody’s go-to slip-on sneaker, this pair boast Bembury’s unique ‘finger-print’ upper design style, with subtly darkened tonal shades and a perforated toe area completing a whole unique silhouette. This is one that, so far, has firmly stood the test of time. More colourways of the Crocs Pollex Clog x Salehe Bembury are expected to release in 2023.

ASICS were undoubtedly the year’s late bloomer, getting more and more popular as the year progressed. The iconic sportswear brand flowered just in time as their summertime collaboration with Seoul-born designer Andersson Bell took the sneaker world by storm. Arriving in a standout ‘Butter’ colourway, which included shades of brown, cream, black and lime green, the sporty-come-luxury pair were inspired by Andersson Bell’s affection for the film Indiana Jones (1981) when they were younger, with the true timelessness of that motion picture certainly being plain to see here. From the pair’s intertwined lacing system and use of tonal brown to its classy utilisation of metallic hardware, it’s safe to say that this is a sneaker that won’t go out of rotation any time soon.

We know, they’re TikTok’s very own… but sometimes, there’s no running from the truth. JJJJound and New Balance made sure everybody knew about what they had going on this year, releasing an array of collaborative efforts. The pick of the punch proved to be the “Olive” iteration of the classic 990v3 silhouette, being a shoe that channelled JJJJound’s typically minimalist design ethos through neutral cream and white toned midsoles, silver collar hits, and a faded “Olive Green” mixed suede and mesh upper composition. Despite being released back in February, this is a pair that still makes the social media rounds to this day.

Opting for a more recent release for this slot, the Jacquemus x Nike Air Humara LX “Pink” blew the rest of the previously released colourways firmly out of the water, with this standout pair proving very popular among sneaker heads after one Central Cee modelled the silhouette for Jacquemus’ recent “NEVE WORLD” campaign. Keeping the signature low-lying shape, this vibrant pair sees its mesh panels, tongues and side panels and straps wrapped in a bright hot pink colour, with gum soles, white laces, a gold Nike mini Swoosh, and Jacquemus tongue branding giving this ACG trail sneaker a luxe touch.

While admittedly not being everybody’s cup of tea, the Gucci x adidas collection dominated 2022, being a range that you couldn’t ignore even if you wanted to. Leading the way was the Gucci x adidas Gazelle, which arrived in a standout “Beige & Brown” iteration, with this pair donning Gucci’s famous “GG” house print across the canvas upper whilst bridging the gap between them and adidas by utilising the latter’s iconic Gazelle gum soles. Additional design features included customary adidas striping, collaboratively-branded tongues, red heels, and insoles, as well as timeless white lacing. As 2022 collaborations go, this is one of the picks of the bunch.

It’s up for debate whether this is a nailed-on 2022 release, but what is certain is that this pair of Marni Calf-Hair Sabots made its mark from the beginning to the very end of the year. This “Green” iteration proved to be the most popular iteration of Marni’s divisive silhouette, being seen on the likes of Trippie Redd and Travis Scott, with the original silhouette boasting a simple light green across its all-hair upper, a calfskin leather lining, as well as a minimally-branded insole. Go Grinch-chic this Christmas.

There was only ever going to be one way to round out this year’s list, and that’s with the boundary-breaking Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Low “Monogram Brown Damier Azur”. Bridging the seemingly immeasurable gap between classic Louis Vuitton x Nike flea market fakes and the real deal, the late Virgil Abloh honed in on his ability to mesh street culture and high-fashion yet again with the release of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Low capsule, underlining once again why he is one of the greatest to ever grace the fashion industry. Encapsulating Virgil’s vision perfectly were the “Monogram Brown Damier Azur” Air Force 1, which boasted Louis Vuitton’s legendary brown logo monogram print across the rich leather uppers, while Nike’s iconic Swoosh emblem layered loud and proud over the luxury panelling. Keeping his signature hits well in the mix, doubled-up “AIR” midsole text and typical brand collar lettering made their customary appearances, making this sneaker one of the most poignant to ever grace the sneaker world. RIP Virgil Abloh.