5 of the Best Patent Leather Sneakers of all time

Prior to retiring from basketball in 1993, Michael Jordan had a request for his next signature shoe. He wanted it to incorporate patent leather. It was a perplexing request, even for the innovative minds behind the scenes at Nike. The common thought at the time was that the market wasn’t ready for patent leather on a basketball shoe. So Jordan’s plans for 1995’s Air Jordan 11 to feature a patent leather lower, which helped define the genre-changing silhouette.

Today, 2000s fashion is unironically back in fashion, and with that brings more patent leather sneakers, which the big brands seem to be all too happy to bring back and make a quick buck from.

1. Kaws x Bapesta ‘Chomper’

By the time the KAWS ‘Chomper’ collaboration hit the streets in 2006, BAPE had perfected their formula for patent leather sneakers. Throwing all sensibilities and inhibitions out the window, these multicoloured candy kicks licked every colour of the rainbow, with the Bape swoosh feather Kaws’ famous “X”. It also features a half-circle design on its toe and a durable rubber outsole. It was Nigo, the founder of Bape himself, who designed this pair personally and forced Nike to go in the direction of Patent leather.

2. Adidas Originals Mid-Patent Concords

This vintage adidas design is the match for those real old heads. These rad kicks were originally made in France, as were many Three Stripes shoes back then, and debuted in 1983 with plenty of innocuous designs featuring a wide range of colours before diversifying and releasing proper luxurious editions like snakeskin. There's something special about them in the way the leather is softly crinkled all throughout, as opposed to the deep creasing of today's patent. True sneakerheads will know the pain behind creasing and would likely turn to this shoe for solace.

3. Air Jordan 1 ‘Patent Bred’

Despite its success on the original Air Jordan 11 in 1995, patent leather did not completely rule the world of sneakers until the early 2000s. Patent leather's second run as a favourite material was significantly more influential than its first. It was used to make vintage models appealing off the court. This was seen on the patent leather Air Jordan 1 Mids released in 2003, and was further built upon in 2021. The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG Patent "Bred," reimagines the OG model in the material that revolutionised everything. This redesigned original is not only dressed in patent leather, but it also has the favoured high-top cut.

4. Nike Dunk Low x Katsuya Terada

In 2003, Nike invited 25 Japanese artists to interpret the Dunk in unique ways as part of a travelling ‘White Dunk’ exhibition. Illustrator Katsuya Terada, one of the talents, utterly ignored the 'White' aspect of the brief and designed these wild all-red Lows with patent trim and suede inserts. Only 12 pairs were made, making them one of the rarest Dunks ever, and they were gifted to friends and relatives. Since then, just a few have appeared on the open market, with a pair selling at Sotheby's in late 2020 for a 'relatively low' $5292.

5. Chanel PVC Patent CC Lace up sneakers

Chanel is one of the few luxury brands that creates patent leather sneakers in addition to just boots. These CC lace ups are made of PVC and leather, include signature CC details, and are set on extremely comfy soles. They also include a mesh inside for comfort and are made of high performance rubber for athletic wear as well as to provide for timeless quality and style. You are sure to receive nods of approval when you step out in them.