KYW Holiday Special — 🤑 Sykes' year in review
All biggest likes and regrets from 2022
Goooood morning, family. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate the time.
We’re finally here, y’all! It’s the week where you completely mail it in at work before chucking up the deuces on Friday for the year. Huzzah. Congratulations to you! You made it.
With this being the Kicks You Wear’s final week of the year until January, I figured it’s as good a time as ever to share my personal account of 2022 through my sneaker collection with y’all. It’s, uh, pretty ridiculous. Let’s dig in.
A quick overview
So I did a quick run-through of every sneaker I purchased so far in 2022. It was an absolute headache, no doubt. I made the mistake of not logging everything I purchased this year and, well, let’s just say I won’t make that same mistake in 2023.
Here’s how I did it:
I counted the pairs that I knew I purchased this year in my collection. And, well, it was a lot. Luckily I keep them all in the same place.
Then I cross-referenced them with receipts logged in my e-mail and paypal account.
It was a bit of work but it was also pretty fun. It gave me a chance to reflect on 2022 and revisit some pairs that I’d somehow forgotten about. If you haven’t done so already, I’d definitely recommend it.
The results:
I purchased 34 pairs (!!!!) of sneakers this year. I have absolutely no idea how.
Of those 34 purchases, 8 were on the aftermarket. I sold 18 pairs, too, offsetting that cost a bit. Many of them were also expensed for Special Delivery.
The first pair: The Ishod SB for $110
The final pair: The Salehe Bembury “Sand Be the Time” 990v2 for $200
Whew. That was sobering.
My favorite things
This is the part where I tell y’all what I loved the most this year. These are my favorite pickups from 2022, ranked.
TO BE CLEAR: This is NOT my sneaker of the year pick.
Joe FreshGoods ‘Inside Voices’ 9060: One thing I wish sneaker culture would do in 2022 is give us more…new. Give us things we haven’t seen before. The 9060 was exactly that for New Balance and JFG’s debut of it was phenomenal. You know. Aside from the actual release.
Air Max 97 "Silver Bullet”: This is probably a weird one for some of you to see because it went so under the radar. But I’d been waiting on these joints for years. It’s one of my favorite Air Max designs and a beautiful sneaker. I’m not sure I’ve worn much of anything else through November and December so far. Well, except for…
Lost & Found Air Jordan 1: Never in a million years did I think I’d own a Chicago Air Jordan 1. I finally have one. And while the story is a bit of a slap in the face, I do think it’s a gorgeous shoe. I’ve been wearing these things into the ground.
The Ishod SB: This is the shoe that got the most “Yoooo what are those?” reactions from people for me this year. I want to say that’s surprising, but it’s not. This SB isn’t a Dunk, so it went under the radar. But Ishod Wair’s signature sneaker is phenomenal.
New Balance 990v4: This is just a plain jane Grey NB 990v4. It’s in my blood as a native DMVer. Sorry, y’all. This was my first v4, though, and I’ve got to say it was the most comfortable shoe I wore all year. I hope the v6 is even better.
My biggest regret
I very, very rarely regret sneaker purchases. I try to be very intentional about my purchases. But there was one pair I regretted buying this year.
My biggest regret purchase: The Union x Nike “Passport Pack” Dunk in the Court Purple colorway. Boo me. It’s fine. I deserve it.
The shoe itself is fine. I don’t think it’s bad. It’s just that it didn’t work out for me. Let me explain myself, though.
This was one I told myself I didn’t really want, but I bought it anyway. I liked the story, I liked the City Attack Pack homage and I thought the materials were interesting.
When I finally wore it, though? WHEW were they uncomfortable. The Ripstop material made the sneaker so stiff. And I didn’t want to go through the hassle of peeling it to make the sneaker more comfortable.
I also ran into the problem of immediate creasing because the leather quality wasn’t very great. And I paid way too much for those to have them crease after one wear.
Again, people love these Dunks. And I don’t blame them. This just wasn’t one meant for me and that’s just fine. If you have them, I hope you enjoy them.
The one that got away
I somehow managed to cop most of what I wanted to cop this year. But, dog. There’s one pair that continues to haunt me. Y’all know the vibes.
My biggest L: The Ice White Patta Air Max 1s. THEY’RE SO COLD. And even better in hand. I just couldn’t get up at 7 a.m. to cop them. My heart remains broken.
Patta don’t got no love for me. Runner up would be the YCMC 990v3 but, honestly, do they really exist? Who knows.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Nike Air Max 1 “Ugly Duckling” pack — Tuesday, December 20
Stussy x Nike Penny 2 — Tuesday, December 20
Adidas Supernova Cushion 7 “Cosmic Way” — Tuesday, December 20
Concepts x Nike SB Dunk Low “Lobster” — Thursday, December 22
Salehe Bembury x New Balance “Sand be the Time” 990v2 — Thursday, December 22
That’s a wrap! Thanks so much for reading, fam. Appreciate y’all. You’re the best.
Quick update: An overwhelming majority of y’all wanted the monthly mailbag so we’ll be doing that throughout 2023! I’m excited about it. Let’s have some fun with it!
KYW will be back on Friday for the final time in 2022. Til then, fam! Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯
You inspired me. 2022 was wild. I'm totally gonna keep track of my 2023 pickups.