For decades, sneakers didn’t have much style to them and were more about function. That began to change in the 1970s and by the time the 1980s came around, sneakers began to show a mastery in the combination of great looks and terrific performance. These are the top 30 sneakers of the 1980s.
30. Adidas Lendl Competition
A world number one and the winner of seven Grand Slams in the 1980s, Ivan Lendl was a marketable tennis star with a really fun cutting-edge game. The Czechoslovakian superstar signed a deal with Adidas and the Lendl Competition was one of the better looking shoes a player could sport.
29. Nike Sock Racer
In 1985, Nike released the Sock Racer, a barefoot style shoe that was ultra lightweight, two things that are wildly popular now. The world wasn’t ready in the 1980s and the shoe bombed but it is easily to see the sneaker’s influence in the decades going forward.
28. Nike Pegasus
The Nike Pegasus was one of Nike’s earliest running shoes and the company just recently released the Pegasus 41, so it has certainly had staying power. It’s easy to see why. While the earliest version of the shoe was simple, it was also streamlined and attractive and easy on the feet.
27. Saucony Jazz
As the sport boomed in the 1970s, Pennsylvania-based company Saucony began to be recognized by serious runners as a high quality shoe. As the brand gained in popularity, they released the Jazz in the 1983 and it would become one of their most revered models.
26. adidas Conductor
Attempting to fight back against Michael Jordan and Nike, adidas inked on of his biggest rivals, Patrick Ewing, to a major deal. The best looking shoe that the brand produced for the star New York Knick was the Conductor, which looked especially great in an orange and blue colorway.
25. Puma California
It has long been a tradition for Pumas, whether there made for sports or for the streets, to just look really cool and the Puma California, released in 1983, was no exception. This particular model was made for tennis and was worn on the court by Guillermo Vilas.
24. New Balance 996
During the 1980s, the prices of sneakers were rapidly rising despite the fact that many of them were being made overseas. The New Balance company is based in Boston and the 996 was proudly positioned as being made in the USA when released in 1987.
23. Nike Mac Attack
John McEnroe was one of the greatest tennis players of all-time and also had an outsized personality that made him a perfect pitchman for tennis shoes. The company released the lefty player’s first shoe, the Mac Attack, in 1984 and McEnroe made sure to keep himself in the news.
22. adidas Marathan TR
As running was booming in 1980s, interest was generated in different kinds of running as well. adidas released their Marathon TR in 1985 and the sneaker quickly became known for its innovative traction pattern which kept runners upright regardless of the terrain.
21. adidas Oregon
In 1982, when the adidas Oregon was released, the German company was king of the running shoe and Nike was little more than just an upstart. adidas responded to the challenge by releasing this attractive shoe and naming it after the state where Nikes are made.
20. ASICS GT-II
ASICS was one of the many companies trying to cut their slice of a rapidly growing running shoe market and they had a trick up their sleeve with 1987’s ASICS GT-II. This was the the first of their sneakers to feature gel technology, making many runners eager to try them out.
19. Gucci Tennis
While one would be considered crazy to hit the court in a pair of Guccis, these sneakers were ostesibly a tennis shoe. Today super high end sneakers are fashionable and readily available and that craze was set off when the Italian fashion house released these in 1984.
18. Converse Weapon
The Converse Weapon had two of the coolest endorsees of the 1980s in Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. While Bird’s Weapons were kind of a bland black and white, Johnson’s featured the colors of the Laker with bold purple and yellow.
17. Nike Air Jordan II
Nike had set the world on fire with the release of the first Air Jordan, and it was going to be tough to come up with a followup. The Nike Air Jordan II is considered to be one of the more bland offerings in the storied history of the shoe, but it was still cooler than most other things on the market at the time.
16. adidas Ultrastar
Hip Hop has always been connected to sneaker culture and kind of the start of that was Run-DMC and their love for adidas. The brand paid back the rappers for all of their loyal and free support with their own signature shoe, the Ultrastar, which was released in 1987.
15. Nike Terminator
The coolest team in college basketball throughout the mid 1980s was the Georgetown Hoyas, led by John Thompson. The Hoyas were so cool, in fact, that Nike made a signature shoe just for them, the Nike Terminator, which came in a sweet gray and blue colorway.
14. Reebok BB 5600
Big in the world of aerobics and tennis footwear, Reebok made its play for basketball in the mid-1980s with the 5600. The performance shoe combined attractive looks with plenty of ankle support and was worn by Celtics stars Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson.
13. adidas LA Trainer
adidas released its LA Trainer in 1984 to coincide with the Summer Olympics happening in the city that summer. The trainers featured a peg system that was meant to create more shock absorption and also allowed the company to incorporate a pop of red, white and blue into the sneakers.
12. Vans Caballero
Vans was the biggest brand in skating shoes and few skaters were more prominent than world champion Steve Cabellero. Caballero not only gave his name to the shoe, he also helped with the design of the shoe adding touches that were important to skaters.
11. adidas Rod Laver Super
The Rod Laver Super, first released in 1980, has a similar color palette to adidas’s iconic Stan Smith shoe. But there are significant changes on the Laver shoe including a polyurethane sole that made the tennis shoe lighter and enhanced the sneaker’s performance.
10. adidas Forum
Dropped in 1984, the adidas Forum was the first shoe the company offered in hi, low and mid heights. The iconic sneaker was worn by several basketball players, including Michael Jordan, who sported them during the 1984 Olympic Trials.
9. Nike Dunk
Now largely recognized as a skating shoe, the Nike Dunk was first released in 1986 and got plenty of exposure as the shoe for some of the top teams in college basketball. There was even an exclusive Air Dunk version given to certain players but not available on the retail market.
8. Reebok Workout
To look at the Reebok Workout now, one might think, wow, that’s a really plain shoe. It would later become a street staple, especially in England, but in 1987, the year of its release, it was considered innovative for the way it fit runners and tennis players.
7. Nike Air Jordan IV
This seems a little far down the list for such an iconic shoe, but Nike put out an awful lot of cutting edge sneakers during the 1980s. The Jordan IV pushed sneaker technology forward providing a shoe that was increasingly lighter, allowing for more explosiveness.
6. Nike Air Force One
Nike’s run of success had to feel unfair to other companies trying to keep up. Their first big basketball shoe of the 80s was the Air Force One, which was designed by Bruce Kilgore. Thanks to its sleek and classic design, the shoe remains incredibly poular to this day.
5. Nike Air Trainer
With this shoe, again designed by the iconic Tinker Hatfield, Nike wanted to make athletes comfortable no matter what sport they were taking part in. It was certainly considered effective for tennis as pro John McEnroe began to wear them on this match days.
4. Reebok Pump
As Nike continued to release Air Jordans, companies were desperate to come up with something to stop their momentum. Reebok had the most audacious attempt with its Pumps, dropped in 1989. They didn’t quite end Nikes supremacy, but they present a unique look into a particular time in history.
3. Nike Air Max
The Air Jordan wasn’t the only classic shoe that Nike first released in the 1980s, the Air Max came out in 1987. Like the Air Jordan, the Air Max was designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield. While originally made as a trainer, the Air Max now stands as one of the staples of sneaker culture.
2. Nike Air Jordan III
Believe it or not, the second Air Jordan wasn’t as well received as the first and the company was going to need a hit to keep Jordan with the company. Luckily, Nike employed designer Tinker Hatfield who released yet another incredible shoe, this being the first to include a Jumpman logo.
1. Nike Air Jordan
The most iconic sneaker of all-time and one that started a revolution, the Air Jordan seemed 20 years before its time and it remains timeless. These days, you are more likely to see someone wearing Jordan I’s with a suit as you are to see someone wearing them on a basketball court.