Keeping an eye on the coolest shoe releases is just a part of the gig when you work at Boss Hunting. From the cleanest kicks on the block to the fastest runners on the start line and everything in between – we’ve got you covered. So if you want to stay across the best of what’s out there, here are the BH team’s favourite sneaker releases from 2022.
Tom Sachs x Nike “General Purpose Shoe”
In what has to be one of the best everyday shoes released in 2022, the Tom Sachs x Nike “General Purpose Shoe” builds on the rich history of collaboration between the man and the brand, which understandably saw them sell out everywhere. Boasting a creamy knitted upper material and a three-piece moulded cup sole with gum-wall midsoles and an instantly recognisable chunky rubber outsole, this colourway was the first of three that were released in 2022.
Dior & Birkenstock
While unexpected high-fashion collaborations were everywhere we looked in 2022, the link-up between Dior and Birkenstock was one of the best by a long shot. The popularity of Birkenstock over the last couple of years has risen meteorically, especially in the mule silhouette, but it was the Milano sandal that caught our eye from this partnership thanks to its grey felted wool and nubuck calfskin upper. With custom aluminium buckles and the iconic lined cork footbed, this was a heater.
George Cleverley ‘Jack’
George Cleverley is best known for making some of the finest hand-made leather dress shoes in the world, but that doesn’t mean an old dog can’t learn a shockingly high-quality new trick. As you’d expect, no expense has been spared in the creation of the Jack, the cobbler’s first foray into more casual everyday footwear in the form of a casual white leather sneaker. While you’re certainly paying for the privilege of owning a pair of George Cleverly shoes when you consider the cost of Common Projects sneakers today, the Jack makes an undeniable amount of sense.
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 Orange
It isn’t every year that the world marathon record gets broken but in 2022 Eliud Kipchoge broke his own four-year-old record by half a minute at the Berlin Marathon, completing the first 21kms in an incredible 59.51. What were the shoes on his feet? The orange colourway of the Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2, which features a full-length carbon fibre plate and a thick ZoomX midsole for efficient energy economy and soft footfall. If you want to run fast in 2023, these Nike’s are about as quick as they get.
The Basement x New Balance 2002R
New Balance released dozens of winners in 2022, but with its collaboration with The Basement – the best was saved till last. As the third release in a trio of colourways that employed the versatile 2002R as its template, this “Stone Grey” expression is thoroughly under the radar and is all the cooler for it, with waterproof suede uppers and blacked-out textured rubber soles. An unmatched exercise in effortless restraint.
A-COLD-WALL* x Converse Chuck 70
It’s difficult to create an iconic product, but it might be even more challenging to reinvent it without sacrificing the original DNA of the design, which is exactly what the folks at Converse have been working hard to achieve over the last couple of years. To this end, the A-COLD-WALL* x Converse Chuck 70 is our favourite of the attempts so far, with other new silhouettes accentuating elements in the right places, but not quite as clean as this black and blue collaboration.
New Balance 550 Monochrome
New Balance has enjoyed a year filled with winning collaborations, but that isn’t to say the core range of the brand hasn’t been equally excellent in 2022. It was a year that saw the retro-styled 550 take centre stage, after being revived in 2020 with a collaboration with Aimé Leon Dore, this triple white colourway could easily be considered the thinking man’s alternative to the Air Force 1 thanks to its sporty silhouette and crisp upper.
Dover Street Market x Salomon XT-6
As far as sneaker brands that have emerged from the caverns of the cognoscenti and been catapulted into the community at large, Salomon has enjoyed ruthless success in 2022. While collaboration has been the name of the game in the rise of the French-founded footwear name, this particular partnership with Dover Street Market deserved a rapturous reception when it was announced, thanks to its function-forward silhouette and razor-sharp colourway. Only for those who know.
