interview
Sneakers will remain relevant – especially in the streetwear scene – in 2025, even if more classic shoe models become more popular among younger consumers. We reviewed the year with sneaker expert Amadeus Thüner and talked about his top releases, highlights and wishes for 2026.
Which sneaker releases particularly impressed you this year?
Like every year, the “Sneaker of the Year” discussion is a kind of love-hate relationship. On the one hand, you completely rack your brain, listen to the podcast episodes again and look at the content you have published on social media, only to then forget something again. On the other hand, it also shows you again and again that great products are released every year.
One of my highlights in 2025 is definitely the Nike Air Jordan 5 Re-Imagined "Black metallic"one of many retro sneakers from this year. Nike’s Jordan brand in particular has really brought some models out of the archives, including the Air Jordan 1, which celebrated 40 years, and the Air Jordan 5, which is 35 years old.
The ‘Eric Koston x Nike Air Max 95’ is also a smart move. This has given a shoe designed for running a place of honor in skateboarding by selling it via Nike SB [Anm.d.Red. Skateboard-Linie des US-Sportartiklers] and launched in collaboration with the skateboarding legend. It was the story behind it that first caught me more than the shoe per se. But it was right on my feet that it completely convinced me.
What’s special about the Nike Air Jordan 5 Re-Imagined "Black metallic"?
The silhouette, as the name suggests, was part of the Re-Imagined program, in which Nike looks at how they can bring the original into the present. Most of the time, the materials – full leather becomes canvas – or smaller nuances were changed to give the shoe a new twist, while the DNA remained the same.
At first I wasn’t a big fan of this program, but now I’ve become friends with most of the releases under this umbrella, and the Air Jordan 5 “Black Metallic” is definitely one of the highlights. A retro that has lost none of its appeal even after 30 years. Of course, fans also remember the first scene from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
You just touched on the skateboard topic. What role does the topic play in the sneaker scene in 2025?
Of course, Nike SB had a relatively weak year with the Dunk compared to the last hype times from 2020 to 2022. But this only applies to those who want to make money with shoes on the secondary market.
There were still some highlights for fans, including the collaboration with Supreme. Together they released five different colorways, some of which were only available in certain regions. White and black were available worldwide, purple was for Europe and the United Kingdom, blue for North America and green for the Asian market.
How do you assess the local availability of the colorways?
Thinking locally in global times and giving the communities there something special is a type of storytelling that was learned but forgotten for a long time, and I should honor it accordingly. In addition, Nike SB and Supreme have paid homage to the beginnings of Nike SB over 20 years ago with their choice of colors and color divisions as well as a majority of suede material choices.
What other sneaker collaborations have impressed you?
Nike and Patta, who have now continued their wave of success with the Air Max 1 Wave with the Air Max 90 Wave, are definitely among them. New Balance and Action Bronson 2025 were also a great team again.
Was there a collaboration that particularly surprised you?
At first it was a bit unusual, but then I found the collaboration between Paraboot and Dime very good. Here a classic lace-up shoe meets Canadian skate brand aesthetics and a lot of smileys in the design. That is – my grandma would be happy with the choice of words – “cheeky”, but in the best sense of collaboration. I didn’t see it coming, and that’s why I think it’s even nicer that you can still be pleasantly surprised. That is fun!
Let’s move on from footwear to the rest of the look. What are your top 3 streetwear collaborations of the year?
Supreme and Anti Hero is the best “skatebrand-meets-skatebrand” collab the scene has to offer in years. Then Carhartt WiP and Sacai, who have once again brought great styles to market. Unfortunately, the collaboration was quite expensive, especially by Carhartt standards.
‘Palace Skateboards x Nike’ is one of them because there was always this rumor that once Palace stopped working with Adidas and went to Nike, Supreme stopped working with Nike and then went to Adidas. Now I’m excited to see what happens in 2026…
But also like in the sneaker sector: 2025 had some great highlights to offer. Shoutout to all designers and responsible teams who have come up with more than just a logo plus a logo equals a collab.
What special moments excited the streetwear scene this year?
Dedicating an exhibition of his own to Virgil Abloh, especially in this setting and scale, was not only a highlight of the year, but also a deserved tribute to a great visionary. Additionally, Canadian music reporting legend Nardwuar got his own collab with Nike SB, which was definitely more than deserved – and once again shows the creative power and fun at Nike SB.
In 2025, a lot has also changed at the creative top of the brands. Which appointments were you particularly happy about?
I thought that Grace Wales Bonner became creative director for Hermès Mens was a great appointment. And Glenn Martens’ start at Maison Margiela was really exciting! Those are big shoes to fill!
Finally: What would you like to see in fashion in 2025?
Of course, we live – fashion-wise – in a wild time of short-term hype and TikTok videos. It bothers me a bit that people no longer seem to want to take the time to really curate, to delve deeply into the matter, to ask and discuss the whys and wherefores. Instead, you’re just looking for quick likes. And this is usually combined with negative rage baits. That’s disgusting to me.
I would like more exchange, more deep dives, more positivism. In a tense world, fashion should, above all, be fun. More “Fun in Fashion!” – that’s what I want for 2026.