The sneakers to have!

Today, there is almost no good streetwear outfit without a nice pair of sneakers. It's almost impossible, as they have become an essential element of fashion and urban cultures. Project X Paris invites you to discover its selection of must-have pairs in its current collection.

While sneakers are omnipresent nowadays, it hasn't always been that way, far from it. This type of shoe, previously more generally called "la basket" (in France), was born only at the beginning of the 20th century, and it took the rise of basketball as the number one sport in the USA for this type of shoe to become popular in the 60s/70s. Ultimately, Nike completed the surge in the 80s with the launch of the Air Force One and the partnership with the legend Michael Jordan. Since then, sneakers have truly appeared everywhere. But while they were once a style associated with youth, rebellion, in short, true streetwear, sneakers are now reclaimed by luxury brands and appear in some haute couture shows. The rise of rap as the number one culture in the West is not unrelated: luxury brands have reappropriated the codes of hip hop stars, like Jay-Z back then, or Kanye West today.

Sneakers may be one of the most important elements of a current streetwear outfit. But it's hard to navigate with the 10,000 pairs released each year, reissues of legendary pairs like the TNs, Air Force, Air Jordan, Stan Smith, sales organized with raffle systems. But the advantage is that there is definitely a model that will fit each of your desires, whether you like the most eccentric colors and designs or the most sober. When there are too many choices, it becomes difficult to decide, and that's precisely why at Project X Paris, we decided to select our 3 must-have pairs to complete your best outfits.

The Yeezy At PXP, we like it when all aspects of urban cultures collaborate to create something innovative. So we had to talk about Kanye West and the fruit of his collaboration with Adidas, the Yeezy. Originally a producer, then rapper, and finally fashion creator, he managed to disrupt sneaker codes thanks to his collaboration with the three stripes brand. Since then, the number of brands releasing models with increasingly futuristic designs (often directly inspired by the Yeezy) keeps growing, as does the hype around each Kanye-made sneaker release.

Of course, there are different models at different prices. At Project X, we have a slight preference for the Yeezy 700, a model initially released in 2017 (v1), then reissued in 2018 (v2), and now with a v3. Naturally, the further you go in versions, the more futuristic the design and color mixes available. In terms of avant-garde and originality, the Yeezy 700 V3 tops the list, but if you’re looking for something less flashy, the V2 is also a very effective pair in a streetwear outfit.

The Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP Fragment by Travis ScottNaturally, Kanye West’s success inspired other sneaker brands to find their rapper to collaborate with to release models made popular by featuring them in music videos. But some brands had bigger ambitions, like Nike when they decided to collaborate with Travis Scott. An artist who has always paid great attention to the visual/aesthetic side of his music and videos, and who is also an avant-garde in his rap style. Since 2019, the one nicknamed Cactus Jack has been working for the famous brand and has already released many different sneaker models.

At PXP, we totally fell for the Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP Fragment (yes, it’s a long name but worth it) designed by Travis, with a color choice both very sober and quite original, especially in the way the colors are placed on the pair. White, cream, blue, black, with a sole that’s not too thick. Some say the pair has a somewhat vintage look, that’s possible, but here we find it very current and very easy to match with several outfits according to your desires, whether with classic jeans or a somewhat original sweatpants.

The Nike Dunk Low Off White. It is with emotion that we talk about this last pair, as its creator, Virgil Abloh, passed away very recently on November 28th, at the age of 41. With him, sneaker and fashion fans lost one of the most important designers of the last ten years. He is perhaps the one who contributed the most to building the bridge between streetwear and luxury brands, notably through his role as artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, acquired in 2018. But above all, we salute the stylist for the work accomplished with his brand Off White and his numerous collaborations with Nike that radically changed the trend.

Today, we mainly want to talk about the Nike Dunk Low Off White, released in August 2021. One of the most beautiful pairs of the year, already a highly sought-after and well-rated piece. With its thick sole and stylized swoosh, it is our true favorite of the year. And despite a rather high price, it continues to sell very quickly, proof that success is there. Created in several different colors, the sneaker pair keeps a rather retro design without being outdated and remains effective with almost any outfit.

So, you got it, sneakers are essential, and that’s why we wanted to present you this little top 3. And that’s also why we gave away the 3 pairs (for the 3 winners) during a contest a few weeks ago. At Project X Paris, we like to be generous during the holiday season! We wish you a 2022 filled with quality gear.