10 of the biggest sneaker stories of 2021, from Nike cancelling its Travis Scott collab to Kanye West’s US$1.8 million Yeezys

The sneaker world has seen many stories this year and we take a look at the biggest of them, from the death of Virgil Abloh to the most worn shoe on Instagram

Director Chloé Zhao picked up her Academy Award wins in US$790 Hermès Avantage kicks, Nike cancelled its Travis Scott collab and a devilish shoe was released

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Sneakers on display at a StockX pop-up store in Hong Kong. Sports shoes set a new price record, prompted lawsuits and were worn by an Oscar winner to the Academy Awards in 2021.

Published: 5:15pm, 27 Dec 2021

In recent years, casual footwear has grown from a practical concern to a multibillion-dollar industry. The last 12 months in particular have been as hectic in the world of sneakers as anywhere else.

There have been births in the business sense, as newcomers went public on the New York Stock Exchange, and deaths – such as the shocking loss of streetwear style bastion Virgil Abloh.

The year was not without its controversies, as people lined up to claim that Satan was coming to steal the soles and souls of young America with one particular headline-grabbing collaboration.

Here, we take a look back at the biggest stories in sneakers in 2021.

Nike indefinitely postponed the release of Travis Scott’s Air Force 1s after the events at Astroworld. Photo: TNS

Travis Scott’s festival tragedy saw Nike pull the plug

Real life had an impact on the sneaker world after the tragic events at Astroworld, Travis Scott’s festival in his hometown of Houston, Texas, where 10 people were crushed to death and 300 injured as the crowd surged to see the headlining rapper in November.