20 years ago, blogs, boutiques, and Twitter were all in their infancy.
The spheres of footwear, fashion, and forums were not just blending, but boiling over—opening the floodgates for a new era of sneaker culture that was wider in reach yet more niche in narrative. It was an era where retros forecasted a future in which art, sport, and culture would all exist in the same breath.
Sneakers became a decidedly more wearable canvas for storytelling, the subject of online lust and IRL chase, creating a collision course for collectors of all varieties.
As 2006 turns two decades old, it’s easy to forget just how big of a tipping point year it was—especially as its imprint never really left retail walls or comment section chatter.
Already, countless LS Air Jordans and numerous Nike collabs from 2006 have already returned with even more on the way in the coming months. Still, there are plenty of shoes celebrating their 20th anniversary in the new year that deserve a second run.
Here are the 20 pairs from 2006 that haven’t come back yet, or been confirmed to do so, that we want back the most.
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20.Nike Air Force 1 Low 'Scarface'
2006 was the precipice of online culture directing trends as much or more than outside input. Sites like Digital Gravel and rappers like Lupe Fiasco were ushering in an IYKYK stream of streetwear that might as well have been written in code.
The glitch in this new matrix? The “Scarface” Nike Air Force 1 Low. Inspired by the Al Pacino poster immortalized on mall kiosk tall tees and dorm room walls alike, the split-styled Forces blended Tony Montana mania with streetwear imagination at the same damn time. You didn’t need a MacBook to know these were cool, you just needed a homie at The Athlete’s Foot down to hold you a pair.
19.Nike SB Dunk High 'Mork and Mindy'
Before Timothée Chalamet channeled Soulja Boy in paparazzi pics, Robin Williams was Hollywood’s resident rule breaker when it came to outlandish fits. Bapes, Air Raids, Issey Miyake? He did that.
But even before Rob rocked red carpets, he landed on TV as an alien in Mork & Mindy. Referenced by the bizzaro brains at Nike SB, the Emmy-winning comedy series got a nod on the Dunk High a mere 24 years after it was cancelled. These back in OG or a 2.0 flip would create the conversation and energy the rinsed retro has lost in its post-“Panda” life.
18.Undefeated x Reebok Question
Last year, it was proven that UNDFTD knows how to do an anniversary retro. The flight jacket-inspired Air Jordan 4 collabs went from Sotheby’s rarity to wearable grail, checking all the boxes for rollout, materials, and storytelling that one could ask for.
Is the footwear purveyor’s celebration of Allen Iverson in the same echelon as its homage to Michael Jordan? Not even close. But this colorful collab meant something in ‘06 and remains a deep reference to when footwear started getting weird and wild in the best ways possible.
17.Nike SB Dunk Low 'Eclipse'
Nike SB is best known for brazen Dunk do-ups tied to diamonds from Tiffany’s and pooping pigeons. Somewhere in the less loud or irreverent lane lies the “Eclipse” colorway from 2006.
Simple, striking, and on the nose in regard to reference, the grey gradient pair pops oh so subtly thanks to Air Force 1 cues of the era like contrast stitching and intentional embroidery on the heel. Many moons ago, and even in 2026, these SB Dunk Lows line up with any trend cycle merely by not chasing them.
16.Union x Nike Air Max 97/360 'One Time Only'
The Nike Air Max 360 rollout was a big ass deal heading into January 2006. Predating Jordan Countdown Pack cadence, Nike’s History of Air Pack warmed up a dormant audience of Air Max mass consumers by re-releasing all the annual classics in the months leading up to the highly anticipated Air Max 360.
As icing on the cake, Nike took it two steps further by launching the “One Time Only” collection: a super-limited assortment of Air Max hybrids that stacked OG uppers atop the brand-new tooling, often in poppy or collab referencing colorways. The Union x Nike Air Max 97/360 was all that and more, merging two titans in full-length Air and dressing them up in a nod to the shop’s stupendous Air Force 180 drop from the year before.
15.Nike Air Max 95 'Eminem'
As it turns out, the bread and butter for the Nike Air Max 95 is less about re-releasing rarities and more about stretching signature grey gradients across every accent tone imaginable. We’re not mad at that, but every once in a while one has to shake it up.
The Nike Air Max 95 “Eminem” from a 2006 charity series is the type of grail that early aughts collectors lose sleep over and jump out the window for on auction prices. Lux leather, camo tongue trim, and all-over earth tones aren’t akin to the era or even really the image one conjures when thinking of Slim Shady’s wardrobe. Still, a small batch, big bubble flip on these would restore a feeling for sneaker culture’s forgotten foot soldiers.
14.Nike SB Dunk Low 'Day of the Dead'
Nike nails it on cultural celebrations when they don’t use it as a rinse and repeat tool to raise stock prices. They hit the hardest when the word ‘authenticity’ need not come up because it speaks for itself. Such a shoe is the “Day of the Dead” SB Dunk Low.
Released in the salad days of SB Dunks and on the heels of flag bearing Uptowns, the “Day of the Dead” Dunks were entirely fresh and not at all forced. Kyrie Irving paid homage on his signature hoop shoe years back, but a proper re-release, even if amended, would resonate and register real applause.
13.Nike Air Max 1 'Animal'
It hurts our hearts to say it, but the Nike Air Max 1 is currently on life support. The Big Bubble ‘86 retro, CLOT’s “Kiss of Death” bringback, and HUF homages all failed to connect in recent years. Maybe its allocations, maybe its denim going back to baggy, whatever it is, it is what it is.
Enter the “Animal” Nike Air Max 1: a shoe celebrated across many retro releases but never properly pulled back to the market in all of its extravagant glory. Retailing for $200 in 2006—roughly $320 today—a premium tiered take on the foundational Air Max is a proper reset for SNKRS and stores alike.
12.Crooked Tongues x New Balance 'Confederation of Villainy' Collection
In 2006, there was being in the know online, and there was really being on some other shit overseas. The crowd attached to Crooked Tongues was both, birthed in London all the way back in 2000 as a sneaker website. In its 15-year existence, it’d grow to become a beloved site, store, and brand, introducing much of the world to the late, great Gary Warnett, and being Team Early on the modern era’s most trusted commodity: New Balance collaborations.
Going dummy on the 1500, 577, 575, 991, the Crooked Tongues x New Balance “Confederation of Villainy” Collection was cheeky and well crafted, creating imaginary bad guy personas tied to each retro runner. Flimby Factory tooling, off kilter storytelling, and premium materials still hold up with OG iterations almost impossible to find as each silo was limited to a mere 99 pairs.
11.Nike SB Dunk High 'Send Help'
Illustrator Todd Bratrud’s Nike SB discography spans “Skunks,” “Cigars,” “Cheech & Chongs,” and much more. Where it all starts is the “Send Help” Highs from 2006.
Originally the title of a Bratrud drawn comic strip in The Skateboard Mag, “Send Help” came to life on the SB Dunk High in skateable suede and Smurf styling synonymous with his decks. Like lots of heat from 2006, bold blocking speaks loudly for the hidden figures responsible for each shoe.
10.Air Jordan 4 'Mars Blackmon'
If you’re wearing a pair of “Mars Blackmon” 4s from 2006 chances are you have a trail of crumbs behind you. Released at a time when quality control was at an all-time low for Jordan Brand—though face it, anything with an Air sole made before 2012 is falling apart now—the shoe is seen in destroyed fashion on Ebay auctions or in DS condition only in glass cases.
Or is it? In 2022, Spike Lee, of whom the shoe denotes, rocked said shoes for Nike’s “Seen It All” 50th anniversary commercial. In 2025, Travis Scott donned a box-fresh pair on stage for Boardroom & CNBC’s GamePlan conference.
Were these ‘06 iterations stored in the same chamber as Austin Powers or does someone in Beaverton take a Mars Blackmon stamp to 2020 “Fire Red” retros? It’s unclear. What is certain is that 2026 is the 20 year anniversary of Spike’s retail run at Jordan in which the “Mars Blackmon” 4s and Spizike debuted.
The latter has remained relevant at malls for two decades. The former is worthy of its own reintroduction, and that’s the double truth, Ruth.
9.Supreme x Nike SB Blazer Mid 'Red'
Sometimes an homage, flip, or 2.0 threads the needle of restoring a feeling for fans who missed out the first time while protecting all aspects of value for those who hit or hunted the original years back. The 2022 Supreme x Nike SB Blazer Mid collection was not that.
Paying tribute to 2006’s Supreme x Nike SB Blazer Mid trio, the same sense of luxness simply wasn’t felt. The OG run of red, black, and ivory installments spoke to skate, streetwear, and couture in the same breathe, from the fat belly python Swooshes to the quilted leather uppers. To this day, the best in show remains the red rendition Kanye West famously laced up at Fruition Las Vegas. A proper re-release is well warranted.
8.Ari Menthol 10s
Remember cigarettes? They were all the rage amongst adults, and even kids, before vapes came through and crushed the building. Thankfully, the internet never forgets.
The Air Menthol 10s, an arthouse hybrid of Uptowns and Newports, predated the sneaker stunts pulled by MSCHF but still speaks to Zillenials like Lil Yachty. Legal issues surrounding the original run of 252 pairs made by Ari Saal Forman all but extinguish any chance of a rerelease, but sneakerheads 20 years later still crave a fix.
7.Nike SB 'Three Bears' Pack
You know how a certain sect of sneakerheads hate Air Force 1 Mids and almost no adult with any sense of soul rocks with the Air Jordan 1 Mid? Well, imagine how folks were bound to feel when Nike SB unveiled a Dunk Mid 21 years into the college basketball shoe turned skate staple’s existence.
To have any chance at acceptance, they needed to make a splash. Enter the Nike SB Dunk “Three Bears” Pack: a furry fairytale foray on the SB High and Low/the debut of the Dunk Mid. Irreverent even by the Nike SB standards, the “Three Bears” Pack pushed the envelope of just how far collectors and amateur neck breakers were willing to take it. For that reason, we’ll take seconds.
6.Nike Air 180 'Easter'
Years after realizing pink polos wouldn’t hurt the Roc, pastels popped up atop not just every Ralph Lauren line item but also across New Era fitteds and LRG offerings. Nike, keen to consumer trends and commercializing holidays, doubled-down on the changing tides and Sunday best with the 2006 “Easter” Pack.
Led by a patent pair of Air Force 1s Low but backed by a leather take on the Air 180, the retro runner has aged as one of the sharpest celebratory sneakers from that time in footwear. Sadly, the sole on an OG pair is guaranteed to crack and crumble with even a few steps today. It’s about time Nike finally runs these back.
5.Nike Air Force 1 Low 'Fukijama'
Almost a year after the UNDFTD x Air Jordan 4 released to the tune of 72 pairs, HBO series Entourage riffed (no pun intended) off the Los Angeles happening and undercurrent of sneaker culture through the semi-fictional “Fukijama” Nike Air Force 1.
Adored by Turtle on television but made in a friends and family batch for the IRL cast and crew, the “Fukijama” Forces toed the line of reality as the unreleased exclusives eventually hit auction blocks and power buyers. To this day, rumors range of just how many powder blue pairs were produced—some say as many as 600, others claim closer to 100. What is certain is that these would still hit in syndication and that UNDFTD clearly knows how to make it happen.
4.Stash x Nort x Nike Zoom Kobe 1
As an auteur, Kobe Bryant was exactly the type of talent born to be at Nike—even if Adidas brokered his entry to the NBA. Raised with an appreciation for classics only surpassed by an insatiable appetite for innovation, Kobe could connect to all things the Swoosh was doing from Sportswear to soccer, retro to revolution.
In turn, the Nike Zoom Kobe 1 was all his ethos rolled into one. Inspiration hailing from court classics like the seminal Blazer and adored Air Jordans made way for modern tech and a unique stance. While court colorways and historic performances carry the Kobe 1 (he had the 81 point game in his first Nike sig), this wooly wear from Stash and Nort/Recon channeled an East Coast audience and lifestyle lane the Laker legend hadn’t quite captured. These, and the Premium Goods colorway, each deserve a second run in Protro fashion.
3.Nike Air Force 1 Low 'Invisible Woman'
Seeing was quite literally believing with the “Invisible Woman” Nike Air Force 1. The breakout star from that year’s Nike “Fantastic Four” Pack turned Sue Storm into a sneaker, revising the already red-hot Air Force 1 into a fervid gimmick that quickly went mass.
Taking a page from ESPO’s see-through Air Force 2 Low from 2004, the “Invisible Woman” Air Force 1s appealed to hypebeasts and parking lot pimps alike, instantly becoming one of the most sought after Air Force 1s of the year and one of the most faked footwear releases of that era.
2.Pharrell x A Bathing Ape Roadsta
Pharrell Williams works best with, or as, a collaborator. His greatest beats were created in tandem with Chad Hugo, his iconic shades styled aside Marc Jacobs. But when considering Skateboard P’s long list of creative partners, the most sustaining and world-shaping co-conspirator may be Nigo.
In the early ‘00s, the two hip-hop heads from across the globe grew a competitive love of jewelry into a collaborative clothing empire in BBC/Ice Cream. At the foot of their fashion tree was always Nigo’s A Bathing Ape, the thesis project for just how grandeur The General could reimagine American staples. One of the odder but also most beloved co-creations to come from their kinship was three Pharrell forays on the Roadsta: an Air assisted take on the Bapesta, painted in pastel patent leather swatches and made to celebrate In My Mind.
1.Nike Air Force 1 Low 'PlayStation'
A proper “PlayStation” Nike Air Force 1 retro release has been teased so much that the Beaverton brand is literally playing games with us. Introduced in 2006 at the apex of patent leather Air Force 1 launches, this uber limited promo pair has never made the retail turn that’s been batted around for what feels like forever.
Finally turning 20 in 2026, it makes sense. Video games are more ubiquitous in modern youth culture than anyone with a signature shoe, acting as the connective tissue between streamers, artists, and athletes. Nike’s made it clear in recent years that nothing is too sacred to be unarchived, so why would the surefire retro everyone wants be an exception?