The Ugliest Sneakers of 2008

You have got to hand it to Creative Recreation for being creative in the materials department by shredding shower curtains for these babies. It was actually very hard figuring out which of their sneakers were the ugliest - if you know what I mean? It's in their mission statement that they aim to produce sneakers of supreme design for young professionals with style. Where are they? I see the opposite.

Yikes! I'm blind. No, seriously. It seems as if the guys at Greedy got too greedy and accidently took the floor model at the sneaker factory. It was originally used to give examples of the available materials and fabrics the manufacturer worked with. Greedy thought it was a hot experimental sneaker in the works and so to save money on creative design went ahead and trailblazed with this gem! See, they got too greedy they even pulled off the name for these kicks off a tribe's website. I see no signs of genius in any of their sneakers as of yet. Perhaps these shoes should trade their name with Nike's adventurous design below?

What do a blue tiger, some Indian fringes, a forest backdrop and lime green laces have in common? Absolutely nothing. With a name like Matador, I'd expect to see some bulls and a Spanish guy waving around some red. I think many brands hurt their limited editions and new styles by picking names that have nothing to do with the actual theme of a shoe. It's becoming very common these days.

Dsquared2 started 12 years ago by Canadian twins Dean and Dan Caten. Known first for their clothing, the company branched into other avenues such as accessories and, more recently, sneakers. Yet sneakers have proven to be way beyond their forte. The Casseta Tonda 2 has a retail price of $440 and there are 2 things that stick out that make this sneaker a site for sore eyes. First, the hideous white/bordeaux colorway. Second, the misuse of a large patent leather strap across the upper. Yikes. Luxury has a price but it shouldn't lack style. Save your money and buy three pairs of slick kicks instead.

Can your cat Millie paint? If so, I bet you can get any major sneaker manufacturer out there to collaborate with your cat for a limited edition shoe. This is not a joke. It's seems like it's getting easier for anyone or anything to break into the sneaker design business these days. When I saw the Adidas Superstars called Stars, I right away thought Adidas was collaborating with Spencer's Gifts. Though these are UK exclusives, I can see them selling at a local costume or magic store near you.

Celebrating its 5th anniversary in 2008, the Yohji Yamamoto Y-3 collection released more mousy style sneakers to be found in Hong Kong exclusively. Thank goodness! The only people I can see buying these sneakers in America are little girls in beauty pageants. Seriously examine the design! I also see some inspiration was taken from the Supras in this narrow toebox model and platinum colorway. If Mork and Mindy were still on the air today, I bet ya these would be Mork's new sneaker upgrade. Yojhi Yamamoto should be designing shoes with Creative Recreation.

There is still lots of love and hype for one of the most greatly anticipated sneakers of 2008, those infamous air-pressurized, auto-lacing Nikes that Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly wore in the second Back to the Future movie. Many people waited a nearly 2 decades for these to come out. There was even a petition being signed pushing for its release. Unfortunately, Nike needs to go back to the future and have a look at the sneakers Marty McFly wore because these ain't it. No one expected the "auto laces", but sticking to the original design should have been a priority. Though these come with tons of admirers, these aren't pretty style wise.

When I first stumbled upon these sneakers, I thought they were made for Superman or some kind of action hero. Look at them. All that's missing is a cape! Then I found out they were limited edition kicks honoring the great Muhammad Ali. I can't even see his own boxing daughter or even Japanese Fruits wearing these things. Second, what does Warhol have to do with Muhammad Ali? Sure, they used his signature style artwork on the uppers, but don't you think it's a bizarre clash? A boxer meets a demented artist who made stencils that kiddie street artists of today could do even better - on the fly and without press. This sneaker is a mess! I think in 2007 to 2009, Adidas has lost its mind in the design department. These kicks prove it.

If Peter Jackson were to make another Lord of the Rings movie, I would tell him to have these kicks as part of the wardrobe for those black evil things that go marching around everywhere. These sneakers were made for Halloween! How about you dress up as Luke Skywalker in white Air Force 1s and I'll put on a black plastic table cloth over my head and these rat shoes and go as Darth Vader's wife? What more is there to say? These were made for the dark spirits we can't even visually see.

Since we are on the Halloween tip, may I suggest these ALIFE kicks for your Devo costume? Just throw a pan on your head and a pair of these and I'm sure you'll get whipped good.