Apparently checks over stripes is what everybody likes. 2018 was the year Nike fully reclaimed its spot at the top as their efforts on various fronts were well-received from fashion, tech, and athletic demographics. It was somewhat of a “must-win” year for the Beaverton brand as its primary competitor seemed to have a stranglehold on the industry with its trend-forward direction, but Nike relied on innovation and proper timing to position themselves atop the heap.

For the sneaker-enthused, the Swoosh hit on all the right pressure points as they delivered powerful blows on the retro front while introducing some stylish new design language on fresh silhouettes. They made sensible celebrity partnerships, aligned with progressive fashion labels, created some dope new shoes, and even made the SB Dunk hip again, all within a congested twelve month period of unrelenting shop drops. Here’s are the ten best of the year.

10. Off White for Nike Quite the busy year for Virgil Abloh’s Off-White imprint, with his Air Max 97 for Serena Williams, the “Queen” of tennis, sending fans of the collaboration in a frenzy. An entire collection was created for the sports legend, which also included a special iteration of the Court Flare for her U.S. Open play.

9. Nike Air Max 270 The Swoosh sought out to create an Air Max shoe specifically for the streets. They arrived at one of the sleekest casual shoes of the year while setting the table for a new phase of Air meant for casual wear.

8. COMME des Garcons x Nike Air 180 It’s just a simple color-up of the 180 model, but the shoe was widely embraced by sneakerheads and fashionistas alike, even with its hefty price-tag that neared $300. CDG was also responsible for other pristine takes on classic Nike shoes like the Air Mowabb, Cortez, Waffle Racer, Night Track, and the Air Force 1.

7. Diamond Supply Co. x Nike SB Dunk Low “Canary” The unexpected comeback of the SB Dunk was spelled by the LA-based skate/street purveyor as brand founder delivered three different updates to his earth-shattering release from 2005. The super-limited “Canary” version currently fetches insanely high dollars, bringing the most devoted fat-tongue collectors out of the woodworks.

6. Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 1/97 While technically releasing in late 2017, this concoction by the Round Two second-hand store founder was one of the most sought after shoes on the planet. It appears that the relationship was short-lived, however, although it doesn’t rule out future collaborations.

5. Kendrick Lamar x Nike Cortez Kung Fu Kenny and the Cortez was a marriage made in heaven. January’s “Damn” drop kicked off a series of drops that coincided with The Championship Tour, with the brand executing some interactive shoe releases using the SNKRS App. The shoes were so good, it almost made us forget their campaign with Bella Hadid.

4. Nike LeBron 15 “Equality” LeBron James is more than an athlete, and his “EQUALITY” PE was more than a shoe. It raised an incredible amount of funds for charity as the King himself continued his concentration on raising awareness on social issues and providing a voice for the underserved.

3. Undefeated x Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro The global footwear retailer made its LA connection with the Lakers legend by introducing the Protro onto the market during All-Star Weekend. In addition to the camo and white/gum iterations, several friends-and-family versions as well as a team-colored camouflage pack deemed the Zoom Kobe 1 Protro one of the year’s most talked about releases.

2. Nike Air Fear Of God 1 Jerry Lorenzo worked in tandem with Leo Chang of Nike Basketball to bring their lifestyle/performance silhouette to life. While utterly stylish and befitting the Fear Of God’s founder sporty aesthetic, the shoe packed a punch as it feature double-stacked Zoom and a last that prepped it for on-court use.

1. Nike React Element 87 First grabbing our attention during Jun Takahashi’s runway show at Paris Fashion Week in March, Beaverton’s new silhouette took the world by storm thanks to its deconstructed build and technical qualities, a formidable counter-offense to the chunky dad shoe trend. Debuting in a sleek black and sail options, the popularity of this model was further accentuated by the quartet of colorways by Undercover and a selection of other impressive “GR” units that sold out immediately.