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Sneakers, in particular, have stood out as cultural indicators since as far back as the 1800s.
In the last decade, athletic brands like Nike and Adidas have dominated the sneaker world with their innovative and modern designs. And each year, one pair has stood out from the rest.
Business Insider consulted with sneaker resale marketplace Stadium Goods to find the most popular sneakers of each year throughout the last decade. In formulating the list, Stadium Goods store manager Fresco Wilson and senior writer Zack Schlemmer looked at the hype behind each sneaker release as well as the cultural relevance and significance of each pair to this day.
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From celebrity collaborations to long-awaited releases, the reasons for each shoe's popularity vary.
Here are the most popular sneakers from every year of the last decade:
The shoes were released in 2010 as a welcome to LeBron James as he began playing for the Miami Heat. The sneaker sold out instantly.
2011: Nike Mag
This first iteration of the shoes that were worn by Marty McFly in the 1989 film "Back To the Future Part II" was released in 2011 after much anticipation. A product description on the Stadium Goods website describes the shoe as "perhaps the most sought-after sneaker of all time."
2012: Nike Air Yeezy 2
This sneaker was the second edition of Kanye West's collaboration with Nike and his last before heading to Adidas.
2013: Air Jordan 3 OG '88 White/Cement
This pair was wildly popular when it was released in 2013 because of its iconic colorway and silhouette that brought the Nike Air Jordan 3 back to its original form.
2014: Fragment Design x Air Jordan 1
This collaboration between Hiroshi Fujiwara and Nike had a very limited release at the end of 2014 in December. The shoe combined an iconic colorway and shape that made this pair one of the most sought-after versions of the silhouette.
2015: Adidas Ultra Boost
These sneakers were originally released in 2015 and then re-rereleased in 2018. The sneaker was popular for its blend of performance and style, Wilson and Schlemmer said, adding that Kanye West has also worn this pair before.
2016: Adidas Yeezy 350 V2 "Beluga"
Kanye's second collaboration with Adidas was the Yeezy Beluga, which was considered to be the most iconic colorway of the most popular Yeezy sneaker, Wilson and Schlemmer said.
2017: Off-White x Air Jordan 1
This shoe was considered the sneaker of the year for 2017, according to a product description from Stadium Goods. This shoe garnered hype for the collaboration between Nike and Virgil Abloh and was considered the shoe that made the off-white colorway popular.
2018: Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 1/97
Some pairs were given away at the end of 2017, though the official release was in 2018.
The pair merged two classic Nike styles — the Air Max 1 and Air Max 97 — and was considered one of the most popular sneakers of 2018.
2019: Nike x Sacai LDWaffle
This shoe, released in 2019, became popular because it combined two vintage Nike running shoes: the LDV and the Waffle Racer.
