Complex’s 25 Greatest Sneaker Innovations Of All-Time

In the end, all that matters is if the shoe looks good on your feet. If it doesn’t, chances are it won’t be a popular item, even if the shoe promises to make you jump twice as high or perform some other physical feat that was at once unattainable. Over the last few decades, footwear designers have successfully welded design and function into some of the greatest sneakers of all-time, starting with the debut of Air Max technology in 1987 to the six-combo interchangeable cushioning presented by the Air Jordan 2012. Sprinkled in-between this chronological list is some of technologies that you might’ve forgotten, like Reebok’s DMX or Converse’s Helium, so check out some of what made Complex’s list below and head to Complex for the full twenty-five.