The 50 Most Influential People in Sneaker History by Jeff Staple

This past week, Complex Magazine released their list of The 50 Most Influential People in Sneaker History by Jeff Staple to much controversy.  The internets were a buzz for most of the day with complaints and praises alike. Most of the negative reactions were expected as with any Complex Top ‘fill in the blank’ List, but what differed with this list was the large amount of negative reactions from people within the industry, including people on the list itself, like DJ Clark Kent. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Tweets of “so and so should have been on the list” and “why is this person on the list?!” echoed through the twitterverse, but I think what a lot of people are missing  is that this is not their list.

I actually like the list that Jeff Staple put together, not necessarily because I agree with every choice he has, but because I appreciate it for what it is. The list is very representative of the person who made it, as it should be. A lot of the choices are New York, design/marketing, and 80s/90s influenced. If this list were made by someone else, say from the West Coast, it would definitely be different.

At the end of the day, it was his list. And if you don’t agree with it, make your own.

For the record, I think Retro Kid, Matt Halfhill (Nice Kicks), and others deserved to be on there.

Let me know what you think about the list in the comments below.