The Shoes That Mattered in 2025... Even If I Couldn't Afford Them
Why storytelling still beats spreadsheets when it comes to what actually moves us
I haven’t bought a pair of shoes this year.
Not one.
It hasn’t been in the budget. I’ve gone to see plenty of them in stores, held them, tried them on, appreciated the details. Talked to literally thousands of you about what you’re seeing. But when it comes time to make my own “best of 2025” list, I’m doing the opposite of how I usually approach these end-of-year things... I’m limiting myself to shoes I don’t actually own.
Because to me, the thing about “best” lists is they’re not really about the shoes. They’re about the stories the shoes tell, the moments they capture, the culture they represent.
The Air Jordan 1 is considered the greatest sneaker of all time because it was the first basketball shoe to sell millions. That’s the data argument.
But we all know that shoe doesn’t matter to anyone if Michael Jordan doesn’t wear it. If he doesn’t fly through the air in it. If the shoe doesn’t get “banned” and turned into some of Nike’s best storytelling.
The data gives you the numbers. The storytelling gives you the meaning.
And in 2025, I kept seeing shoes that told stories I couldn’t ignore.