The grass is always greener on the other side. We Europeans have long lusted after co.jp and US-only Nike releases, but you know what? We've had some amazing releases in our territory that had everyone else fiending but naturally, we took them for granted.
The grass is always greener on the other side. We Europeans have long lusted after co.jp and US-only Nike releases, but you know what? We've had some amazing releases in our territory that had everyone else fiending but naturally, we took them for granted.
50. Nike Air Force 1 Low "White/Gum"
Year: 2005
White on whites with a gum outsole is a perfect shoe, but this was a curious flip on a tried and tested formula. A gum midsole and white outsole was just strange in the best possible way, and you can thank a mix-up during production for that shift from the norm. That mistake created a shoe that was still simple enough for mass consumption via JD Sports (before Nike stopped any SMUs on "Icon" product at the end of the year) but generated a low-key favorite too. The heel stitch colors were a nice touch too.
49. Nike Air Pegasus 89 "Green/Maize"
Year: 2011
These JD Sports releases were part of a concerted effort to give the 1989 iteration of the Pegasus mass appeal on its resurrection with a throwback color scheme. Some Brazil-style palette picks on one of the best chapters in the Pegasus series made these a great deal better than most of 2011's other output. But collectors seemed more obsessed with limited offerings to pay attention to these while they were on the shelves and the pub shoe audience never seemed to take to them like they could have done. These, the AM1-inspired variations and the Berlin Wall QS are Euro exclusives of the Pegasus 89 that deserve a shout here.
48. Nike Air Windrunner TR2
Year: 2007
The Windrunner has a Euro heritage as a classic shoe that arrived just before Visible Air and the JD Sports Windrunner program meant a ton of excellent makeups. It's hard to pick a favorite but this homage to an original colorway (albeit with very different color blocking) was an eye-opener when it started appearing on UK streets.
47. Nike Dunk High "Shima Shima III"
Year: 2003
Foot Locker Europe's Shima Shima collection was a curiosity. Shima Shima supposedly stood for "stripe, stripe" and for the third collection, these UCLA-colored Dunk Hi makeups kept the vertical lines to the lining. All the style of a co.jp release in your local FL branch. Best of all, they hit the sale racks too during a time when the weekend discount friends and family voucher was rife.
46. Nike Air Max BW "Saint Germain"
Year: 2007
France took to the Big Window like few other countries did back when it dropped in 1991, so this makes a lot of sense. This is a model that had a ton of Euro-exclusive colors (it's not been out of production since it debuted) and this Euro Quickstrike is a thing of beauty. Using colors akin to the USA version of the BW but giving them more Gallic flair with a Paris Saint-Germain theme, that speckled sole finished these perfectly. People slept on these a little, but they hit their target audience with a certain precision.
45. Nike Air Huarache Light "JD Sports"
Year: 2004
Somewhere in JD towers, somebody noticed that connoisseurs were willing to lose limbs for the underrated Huarache Light design from 1993. They responded by retroing the Beams exclusive colors from 2003 (which are masterpieces) but threw in this blue and white variation too. Snoozed on at the time because while the original Huarache and Huarache Trainer were huge in Europe at retro level, this one never resonated like that. Now, with the unnecessary application of Free on the Light silhouette in 2013, these look better than they original did. There was also a sample of a JD edition with a Zoom Spiridon themed makeup that never made release.
44. Nike Air Lunar 180 x size?
Year: 2010
The Nike Air 180 retro was hampered by the fact it had the Aladdin whirly toe anti-swag thing going on and while Lunar on a 180 is unnecessary, these size? anniversary designs (part of a whole anniversary pack that's of an equal caliber) using it meant we had a good colorway on a shoe that didn't look like they'd been swaggerjacked from an ancient sultan. The Terra ACG colors date back to 1991, and they've been referenced on a lot of shoes (including an excellent women's Wildedge at Foot Locker) a real retro has never happened. There was the Long Ball (word to Larry David) version, but that sucked, so this was the most fitting tribute to date.
43. Nike Air Max Light "Grey/Black/Sport Red"
Year: 2007
For a lot of Euro fans, the Air Max Light on store shelves was the first experience of handling an Air Max design and this 1989 middleground between AM1 and AM90 was huge in Europe amongst kids in the know. The '90 was huge but this was a cult classic with that dual density sole and the ridged panels. The retro doesn't do the OG 100 percent justice in terms of shape, but that white, red, grey and black is one of the greatest colorways ever and it was good to see that the reissue wasn't in the hands of a limited-edition hungry few. As a result, this shoe got a new lease on life with a mass audience and size? and JD's new colorways have been largely excellent too.
42. Nike Air Max BW "White/Black/Orange"
Year: 2009
The Big Window has been discussed already and while we could write an essay on the white-on-white versions of the shoe, the fade stripes and everything else that's been applied to the shoe in Europe, this 2009 edition, exclusive to JD is crack. The recent green and white variations have been hard but this edition encapsulates all that's important about this model. There'd been version of the Air Max IV with orange back in the 1992/93 era, but these are an instant classic too.
41. Nike Dunk High "Euro Knicks"
Year: 2003
Another Foot Locker Europe exclusive from the round lace and SB inspiration era when Supa and Forbes "inspirations" were rife, this Dunk Hi takes some inspiration (unless it was a coincidence) from the "Reverse Supa" Dunk Low (which in turn, was reminiscent of the old Halloween Dunk Low) of the same year. While it doesn't feel as premium as Danny's NYC salute, it's a Knicks Dunk Hi and that's a very good thing to have on your feet.
40. Nike Dynasty Hi Vintage
Year: 2011
The sale rack paradox comes into play with a release like this. On one hand you're psyched that you can pick up shoes like this for next to nothing, but there's a melancholy in knowing that this might discourage future releases of this caliber. The white and blues are ultra clean and the soft leather was buttery. If you're mad that these don't look like the Nike Dynastys you remember, you might be thinking about the 1982 iteration rather than these replicas of the 1986 version. Salutes to size? for these.
39. Nike Air Trainer 1 "Black/Royal Blue"
Year: 2004
The Air Trainer 1 had a good year in 2004 and JD Sports got involved when these dark, UK-friendly versions seemed to appear from nowhere. The year of the AF1 rebirth brought us the awesome Zoom variant, the return of Lows and that prototype replica, but releases like this were the icing on the cake. A superior go-to shoe.
38. Nike Air Presto "Camo"
Year: 2002
Allow us some guesswork here. The Nike Air Presto enjoyed a moment as a shoe embraced by both the everyman and the connoisseurs in Europe - something unseen on such an experimental design since the Huarache first appeared in 1991. We think these camo editions were a Europe, maybe even UK-only, release that dropped in spots like First Sport. Exhaustive lists of EVERY Presto are few and far between, but forgetting about these is criminal - they're 50 percent better than any camouflage shoe released in the last couple of years. And if we're wrong, at least we got to talk about a great looking, underrated release.
37. Nike Air Force 1 "Portlands"
Year: 2004
The JD Sports Air Force 1 rollout strikes again. We're sure that nobody in the UK ever noticed that these were a Portland-alike colorway, but they were still conservative enough to get the everyman £. The tumbled leather was a nice touch and the stitched Swoosh, Oregon map and basketball jersey cues reinforced the Trail Blazers inspiration. As with some great NYC-themed editions, nobody really knew why something so US-centric was a UK-only drop, but that was part of the shoe's charm.
36. Nike SB Zoom FC "Fret Click"
Year: 2005
The Zoom FC has plenty of low profile Europe-friendly soccer/soccer training in the upper and it's a shoe for those that can pull it off. The rest can stick to fixating on colorful Dunks. One of the most underrated SB shoes (in fact, it ended up getting a non-skate variant that was stocked in spots like JD) got one of its finest colorways in this makeup, themed on legendary Dutch skate crew, the Fret Click. White and gold is a perfect combo, and with Fret Click member Parra on design duties and a tribute to Mike de Geus (R.I.P) on the tongue, plus a gum sole, Holland maintained its rep for effortless Euro style when it comes to collaborations.
35. Nike SB Dunk Low Pro "London"
Year: 2003
The Dunk SB city rollout was a sporadic one, but it created some shoes that had kids losing their minds (2003 was when SB Dunks were white hot). When these dropped at Footpatrol in limited numbers, in an appropriately drab colorway with a stitched on River Thames on the heel, the queues were substantial and resale was wild. The resellers were out in force, but because London has a certain decorum, there wasn't a riot like the NYC Pigeon Dunk drop. Instead, people seethed, then went on the internet and bitched about queue jumpers on shoe forums instead. Still, these are good and the Slam City Dunk drop a couple of years later delivered a serviceable sequel of sorts (complete with a rub-off swoosh) too.
34. Nike Air Max 95 SC "White/Polar/Midnight Navy"
Year: 2000
Europe loves a white leather shoe. Every Air Max of note has had a neutral makeup like that, but the Nike Air Max 95? Isn't that a shoe that needs its gradients to really work? This release proved that those nylon fastenings, the inside of the air-bag and a jewel swoosh could highlight what makes this shoe work on their own. Potentially bland but unexpectedly awesome.
33. Nike Air Force 1 Low "White/Royal Blue/Black"
Year: 2005
From a distance this Air Force 1 isn't saying a lot, but on closer inspection, that slightly frayed layer (questionable quality control upped the appeal in this case) under the conventional leather swoosh delivered some extra options for color correlation. It's just clean and simple, which is what makes a solid AF1.
32. Nike Air Max 1 "Jewel Swoosh"
Year: 2002
During the AM1's 1997 renaissance, we saw a few jewel swoosh editions hit the market at the same time as the Air Force was getting similar branding, but we got distracted by the OG colors in leather. In 2002, Foot Locker Europe started putting out some similar jewel swoosh colorways that we were on the fence about a little, but in this era of Air Max ubiquity, breaking these out is a powermove. 2002 was such a good time for Air Max at Foot Locker that it was easy to overlook these all over again.
31. Nike ACG Air Wildwood "Skyline/Khaki"
Year: 2004
Everyone remembers the AF1s in Skyline Blue and Khaki but everyone forgets how amazing that colorway was on a JD Sports exclusive Wildwood ACG too. A Skyline swoosh and murky shades that were perfect for this legendary model's trail looks makes this just one of several excellent Wildwoods that hit Europe around this time. From memory, these weren't afflicted with the peeling paint that afflicted Wildwood retros a few years earlier either.
30. Nike Air Force 1 "Cowboys"
Year: 2004
More UK-only Uptowns that are notable for some smart color blocking and excellent quality materials. That Dallas Cowboys colorway was probably deliberate, but once again, Britain's high streets were the location of some American themed shoes Americans couldn't get their hands on. JD killed it with these, just as they killed it with the oft-forgotten Jordan-alike Black/White/Varsity Red Jordan-looking 2003 editions a year earlier.
29. Nike Air Max 95 SC "Salsa"
Year: 1999
Europe got spoilt on the Air Max 95s when they got the sport classics makeovers in the late 1990s. While it was hard to find good colorways of this shoe in the USA (beyond spots like Finish Line putting out gems), Europe was awash with them. This kind of colorway on the polarizing (at the time) leather upper variant is rarely seen, unless you're at one of those Japanese consignment spots with the insane collections of global leftovers of Tokyo's AM95 obsession. In the UK, a primetime consumer affairs shoe's coverage of the AM95's infamous squeak led to a late 2000 mini-riot in a Leeds Foot Locker branch.
28. Nike Air Force 1 Low "University Blue/Medium Grey"
Year: 2002
Spotted in innocuous, budget UK retail surroundings when it originally dropped, this basic looking AF1's stitched glossy swoosh and sparing use of University Blue make it look like some kind of lost co.jp cult favorite. Drops from this era are often seen on the feet of older men, twinned with dad jeans, oblivious to the fact they're wearing such a hard shoe. In an odd way, that makes these even cooler.
27. Nike Dunk High "Euro Brazil"
Year: 2003
Euro Foot Locker Dunks from 2003 were wild. The shelves were awash with Dunk Hi colorways that got their own NikeTalk nicknames, with round SB style laces as a finishing touch. There were "un-Heinekens", "un-Stussys" and much more, all at budget prices while SB resell prices skyrocketed. These Brazil versions and the Euro Michigan editions took it back to the dual color essence of the Dunk and, as a result, still look tremendous.
26. Nike Air Max 98 "JD Sports Obsidians"
Year: 2001
The Air Max 98 is a pretty overlooked shoe. This model's chunk and resemblance to the Air Max 97 (which, with its mass appeal in Italy, had some great Euro colorways at NikeTown) meant that it hasn't had the same retro love since it released 14 years ago. JD Sports gave it a go though, with this 2001 resurrection with the killer orange hits over murky colors. There's plenty more gems in the Air Max line that have never been given the reissue love of the usual offenders and that's unlikely to change anytime soon, but some US-based connoisseurs flipped out over these at the time of release.
25. Nike Air Force 1 Low "Cinder/Bone"
Year: 2002
Never a hot shoe, this Euro AF1 is deeply underrated. Catering to the bad weather with those murky shades, the off-white bone color gave them a slight Raiders menace. No real resell scope, but the simplicity that makes an Air Force great made these contenders. Basic is best on this one.
24. Nike Air Force 1 Low "Classic Green/Ginger"
Year: 2004
Without some Morpheus-style guide to explain what the Matrix was as it related to regional AF1 releases, they were confusing. This entry is kind of a cheat, because they had a Canadian release too, but the hit rate on Uptowns with the circle swoosh and "1" embroidery was incredible. The suede swoosh, the ginger accents and the green outsole. One of the best Force colorways ever, but what was Matrix? What was with the logo? Why did it span Canada as well as Europe? Shoes don't have mystery, shock or awe any more, but strolling into a local store and clocking these had all those elements.
23. Nike Air Max 1 "Sima Shima II"
Year: 2003
The speckles on the soles and browns on browns that make up this shoe's makeup didn't cause too much hype when it debuted alongside an excellent matching Air Trainer 1 and okay Dunk at European Foot Lockers. Now, with the AM1 as a hot shoe, what was once salerack fodder becomes something of a rarity. The nubuck textures, mesh tongue and striped lining (a Shima trademark) is drabness executed in a way that elevates it to interesting and best of all, these were the kind of shoes you could punish all year round. Finding a replacement pair 9 years on isn't so easy.
22. Nike Air Force 1 Low "Medium Denim"
Year: 2004
One of the best JD Sports Air Forces ever, the denim tones on this colorway were complimented by that small does of pink. At a time when we thought the Diplomats' reign was unstoppable, wearing pink was perfectly acceptable and these made the feminine shade so low-key that even the most self-conscious goons weren't afraid to break a pair out. These were a nice counterbalance to British shelves of the usual all-whites, black-on-blacks and pallid greys - an entire Harlem hip-hop outfit of the time, big jeans, embroidery, white tee and pink fitted in one shoe.
21. Nike Air Max 90 "Sunburst"
Year: 2008
The Air Max 90's power in Europe can't be underestimated - ravers, hardrocks and casual shoe wearers all picked up pairs and the popularity's been there since they debuted. Europe's had many many exclusives (a wealth of white, greys and navy editions and black and gum soled variants) and had access to some Europe/Asia classics that bypassed the States in the early 2000s, but these 2008 editions, exclusive to JD Sports had people bugging out. Based on the original White/Hot Coral women's colorway from 1990, which also inspired the Foot Locker Mesa Oranges from 2002, the Sunburst is a middle ground between both those shoes, with that bolder orange swoosh. Nobody seemed to be able to retro the OG properly and the byproduct is three extremely collectible shoes.
20. Nike WMNS Air Max 95 Leather SC "Pearl/Dark Forest"
Year: 1998
Sparing use of that green on this leather Air Max 95, plus subtle applications to make the gradients work all make these a rare classic among classic colorways from the late 1990s. How many AM95 makeups have there been? Does it rival the AF1 yet? It's hard to make this shoe look unwearable but it's easy to make it look dull and this version is the kind of shoe that could floor those who understand shoes, even if grown men looking for basketball boots with constellations on wouldn't even understand how powerful they are.
19. Nike Air Max 1 "Shima Shima"
Year: 2003
Not even a leather toebox could ruin this shoe. Navy, white and grey with the Japanese-themed tongue label and striped lining makes these a now-rare Euro classic. Like part II, these Shima Shima releases were twinned with a great Air Trainer 1 and a Dunk and people weren't ready for them. Foot Locker needs to get back on the stripe lining movement for a part IV. With the Air Max Plus and recent Huarache's they've proven they've still got the ability to drop Europe-only bangers, and all they need is that Shima pattern. Alas, the mid-2000s ban on store AM1 SMUs has deaded any future FL variations using this model.
18. Nike Air Max 90 "Hot Lime"
Year: 2008
Salutes to JD Sports for making this colorway of the Air Max 90 available again after the cult-like devotion to the Infrared variation. This 1991 OG makeup got a Euro/Asia Foot Locker release in 2003, but this drop was a little more well documented and alongside the Sunbursts, it made 2008 a significant year for fans of this model. It's a little closer to the source material than the Sunburst is to the shoe it homages. The UMC's knew what time it was when it came to this shoe, but this edition didn't make it to Staten Island this time.
17. Nike Air Force 1 Low "Skylines"
Year: 2004
From a time when, if your shoe had a nickname it was probably going to be worth some money, JD Sports playing with the Skyline shade of blue paid off in a major way, looking as good as any hype AF1 colorway on the market. The best part was that they were available locally and could be swapped for some unattainable gems by Air Force oddballs wanting to triple up and sold to NYC stores looking for something different to their local releases. Those who bought multiple pairs and mastered their box flattening game indulged in a little export to hungry retailers and made some significant dough as a result.
16. Nike Zoom Spiridon "Courir"
Year: 2006
French chain Courir created some of the best SMUs ever (as you'll see closer to the top of this list) and their decision to rework the Spiridon after its Foot Locker resurrection a year earlier was an offbeat but good choice. Their decision to apply patent effect materials was controversial, but this tuxedo-style makeup is powerful in its two-tone execution and pretty scarce nowadays. If the amazing Opium version of the Spiridon had been officially released, that would have made two killer French takes on the shoe - it would have been in the top 20 too and a lot higher than Courir's version. But it wasn't.
15. Air Jordan V "Quai 54"
Year: 2011
Do we call Jordans Nikes any more? This gets included anyway. When the Quai 54 Jordan 9 dropped in 2010, new jacks hadn't started pretending they knew about that shoe yet and the color was dull, but when this 5 appeared at European Foot Lockers in 2011, the hype began. Made to coincide with the Parisian streetball tournament, that neon accent on white (and the white is better than the Hyperstrike black editions) is how a new Jordan colorway should be done. Unlike those monstrous Euro-only Miro VIIs, these were impeccable and it was refreshing to be able to go to NYC and get the "YO!" from the other side of the street followed by a loud footwear query. After a will-they or won't-they drama, America was denied these.
14. Nike Dunk High "Euro Celtics"
Year: 2003
Wandering into European Foot Lockers in winter 2003 was crazy, with the best array of Euro-only Dunk Hi colorways ever. Celtics colors on a Dunk had been done before back in the day, but it brings out the very best in the shoe and no matter how played out this model gets, breaking these out is always a respectable move. These went down to nothing in FL sales, still look better than those more recent vintage-styled versions and beat any St Patrick's Day themed release ever.
13. Nike Air Epic "Footpatrol"
Year: 2003
Only available at London's Footpatrol when it resided in St Anne's Court in Soho, this muted makeover of 1985's legendary Air Epic (a shoe that's been recently retroed) was released in incredibly limited numbers. A Hyperstrike edition was given away as a prize too, featuring even more detailing, making this a frequently forgotten collaboration on a silhouette that makes sense with its b-boy and terrace appeal. A shoe for those that know made by a bunch of blokes that knew.
12. Nike Air Max 1 "Greystone"
Year: 2004
Looking a lot like an original 1988 AM1 colorway (that's set for a rerelease), bar some slight tweaks, the Greystone Air Max 1 is a thing of beauty. Factor in the way the shape of the shoe has changed over the last eight years and it becomes even more desirable. We all took these for granted when they first dropped, much as we allowed the AM1 "USA" edition that was exclusive to Europe and Asia hit the sales, but while everyone was indulging in a treasure hunt for limited editions of 20,000, connoisseurs were picking these up.
11. Nike Vandal "Apartment/Berlin"
Year: 2003
Do Hyperstrikes count in this list? They do now. Plus, we know of people who wandered into Berlin's Apartment boutique and bought these back in the day. Berlin was getting those proto Tier Zero accounts back in the day and celebrating with shoes like this that were limited to around 24 pairs (credit is due to the berlin77 Escape colorway and again, the more recent Berlin Wall themed Quickstrike Pegasus 89). The pink and black combo captures the 1980s essence of the shoe as well as the high-end feel of the Apartment store at the time and the Fernsehturm tower heel embroidery was a nice touch too. It's rarely seen but the Berlin Vandal has held up well.
10. Nike Air Max 1/Nike Air Max 90 "Dave White"
Year: 2005
The 'Wet Paint' event in London's Carnaby Street branch of size? with Dave White was a celebration of the Air Max 95's 10th birthday, but the OG retro of that shoe was a letdown, as the modern retro of that retro invariably is and a white and neon 95 was dull. The Air Max 1 and Air Max 90 in that classic grey and neon palette were terrific though, becoming sought-after by the end of the day. A Stab on display in matching colours took another five years to release (losing points for the whirly retro toe), but it's those original Air Max in 95 colors that are the true stars of the pack. The following year's Clerk pack with size? delivered a great BW and AM90 too.
9. Nike Air Force 1 Low "NYC Gold Dust"
Year: 2003
What better place for an NYC-themed version of a shoe that NYCers go ballistic over than European Foot Lockers? This Gold Dust makeup's mix of good leather and a corduroy fabric on the side panels and toebox, with the NYC on the heel is the best NYC AF1 to date, applying a new fabric to a tried and tested formula without making a mess of it. High-quality, Euro-exclusive crack from the golden era of Euro Forces. Word to Dustin Rhodes.
8. Nike Dunk High "Pistachio"
Year: 2003
These Foot Locker Europe editions of the Dunk Hi are the best of that brace of colorways. It's all about the Pistachio mixed with the Midnight Navy to create another two-tone classic. Plenty of the FL drops of 2003/2004 riffed on past triumphs, but these seemed to have their own identity (though a pair of Deftones left on the windowsill in the summertime might fade to this colorway) and for that, and their low, low price tag while people were paying wild money for Dunks, they get a high ranking here.
7. Nike Air Max Plus "Black/Silver
Year: 1999
This shoe pretty much represents Europe. Just as you could create a top 25 Air Max 95 Euro exclusives between 1998 and 2003, you could easily create a listing for the Air Max Plus too. In the UK both models were also given the nickname "110" for their hefty price tags in pounds and the Tuned Air abbreviation also earned the Air Max Plus the nickname "TN" in Europe. To say this model hit hard in Europe would be an understatement and it made it big there before it made a splash in the States. It's always been a Foot Locker exclusive in Europe and London got the Black/Silver edition at least 18 months before America. Since then there's been a ton of Euro colorways via Nike's Amsterdam HQ. Corny Brits have written the Plus off for being a "chav" shoe, but they're underestimating the fact that this silhouette is a versatile masterpiece.
6. Nike Air Max 1 "Patta"
Year: 2009
This is a release that caught a few kids sleeping. Announced on the same day it dropped as an inshore only Tier Zero at Patta, this Air Max embodies all that's great about the shoe, with the classic mesh, the restoration of the forefoot Swoosh and purple denim used as a perfect AM1 color block. What's to dislike? This one beat the Amsterdam AM1 as the greatest Patta drop and the Parras don't count here, because they got a Mercer Street release in frugal amounts. A top 10 Air Max 1 of all time, so it belongs in the top 10 here.
5. Nike Zoom Talaria "Nort"
Year: 2004
Created around the opening of Berlin's Nort store, this Hyperstrike take on one of the greatest Nike designs of the late 1990s was a neutral antidote to the dumb colorways drifting around at the time and used the model because it was a favorite of serial Nike collaborator Stash. Little is known about how the shoe was distributed, but it's a quiet masterpiece that counteracts the boldness of the original tennis ball colorway (canceling the release of that version after sampling it in 2005 remains a baffling decision). Flawless.
4. Nike Air Force 1 Low "Campers"
Year: 2002
Low-key excellence was at work for this European exclusive. The yellowish dose of Camper Green on the heel shouldn't have worked but it did, complementing that gum outsole and elevating what could have just been very good to a necessity overseas. Why the green works with the Graphite is a glorious mystery, but this release represents an early example of American collectors catching the holy ghost over the kind of shoes the average Euro consumer was just passing by. Now this shoe is a perfect embodiment of a great time to be hoarding this model.
3. Nike SB Dunk Low Pro "Paris"
Year: 2003
What do you know about that expressionist hype? The Paris Dunk remains one of the few shoes of that era that seems to have maintained the wild resell, but crucially, is actually a great-looking colorway, thanks to that canvas reproduction of the legendary Bernard Buffet's art on the front and rear panels. Around 200 pairs got released (trimmed by some wild freeloading around the time of the Nike-endorsed White Dunk exhibition's launch in Paris) and what made it to Colette and Opium got snapped up fast. This is a shoe so desirable, that Croatianstyle's picture of his amassed horde remain one of the most right-click and saved images of envy in shoe collecting history.
2. Nike WMNS Air Max 90 B "Courir Denim"
Year: 2002
France owns another slot here with this makeup of the Air Max 90 that takes a concept and executes it perfectly to create one of the best shorts shoes ever. There's something quintessentially French about this colorway and the stitched task on the ribbed 'Air Max' panel finishes it perfectly. This one's rare too and whenever the AM90 flares up (even though the AM1 is flavor of the month right now) these are top of many wish lists. If a jeans-themed shoe seems done now, just bear in mind that when these dropped, they weren't. For that reason, these are one of the greatest of all time.
1. Nike Air Force 1 Low "Courir"
Year: 2002
The Courir takes top slot because it has all the elements - a timeless makeup and sleeper status that had everyone from NYC frantically Hotmailing and sending T-Mobile Sidekick messages to their Gallic connects to get a pair. Black, white and gum is all you needed - trust the French to do something this good with such a simple recipe, and it's as good as any AF1 that's ever dropped, embodying Paris' rep as one of the most hip-hop and discerning shoe cities on the planet. A perfect shoe and one that was exclusive to France - once word got out, this sports store chain almost certainly didn't know what hit it.