Seoul Sneakers: South Korea’s Best Footwear Collaborations of All Time

The sneaker and streetwear scene in South Korea is just as big as it is outside. Alongside some of the most hype collaborations from Europe and America familiar to many of us, such as Travis Scott x Nike and Virgil Abloh's Off-White x Nike, the Asian market also has plenty to offer.

With the ever-rising hype around Korean culture, such as K-pop, K-fashion, and K-dramas, we decided that Korean-themed sneakers shouldn't go unnoticed. In this list, we curated some of the best sneaker collaborations from South Korea.

From Busan to Seoul, Seoul to London, London to Paris and further, these are the best Korean sneakers of all time. Read on for a closer look!

Busan-based footwear and fashion store Kasina first opened its doors in 1997. Helmed by former pro skateboarder EunHyuk Lee, the dream was to establish a retail space in the heart of South Korea's largest city where street culture thrives at its finest: Seoul. The Kasina x Nike Dunk Low collaboration in 2020 is a homage to the brand's inspiring journey from Busan to Seoul, particularly familiar motifs to EunHyuk when travelling from his hometown to the capital city.

The "Neptune Green" and "Industrial Blue" colourways pull inspiration from the Gyeongbu Expressway (one of South Korea's busiest motorways connecting Busan to Seoul) and Seoul's vintage buses.

The store and the Beaverton sportswear giant later reunited in 2021 for the Kasina x Nike Air Max 1 "Made To Be Together" ensemble.

Nike's sneaker collaboration with PEACEMINUSONE is easily one of the most coveted designs. Founded in 2016 by the multi-talented G-Dragon (famously known as the King of K-pop under the legendary boy group BIGBANG), PEACEMINUSONE's partnership with Nike gained outstanding attention from the fashion and music industry of South Korea and the western market.

The duo debuted the PMO x Nike Air Force 1 "Para-noise" in 2019. It takes on Bruce Kilgore's timeless AF1 design and outfits it with a premium black leather base that reveals GD's signature underneath when peeled away. A year later, the AF-1 "Paranoise 2.0" arrived in a white colourway.

In 2021, the PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Kwondo 1 extended G-Dragon and Nike's relationship. The silhouette features an appearance similar to wingtip brogue golf shoes in a "Triple White" colourway. On the other hand, an official release date for the rumoured "Panda" version is yet to come.

There's no denying that New Balance is the world's most popular sneaker brand today. Its ongoing collaboration with South Korean streetwear staple thisisneverthat holds several designs considered grail-worthy to avid sneaker collectors and lovers of Korean streetwear.

thisisneverthat was founded in 2010 by Cho Nadan, Park Inwook, and Choi Jonkyu. It didn't take long until the brand transitioned into one of South Korea's most popular streetwear brands, with celebrity endorsements from K-pop group BTS and renowned rappers such as Giriboy contributing to its exponential growth.

The thisisneverthat x New Balance 2002R collab in 2020 undeniably boosted the brand's popularity, coinciding with New Balance's growing hype. One of the latest designs from the power duo is the thisisneverthat x NB 1906R, introduced in a "Silver/Navy" colourway plus many more. Other notable offerings from the pair include the thisisneverthat x New Balance 860V2, 827, 927, and 997.

thisisneverthat joined forces with American footwear favourite Converse in 2021 for a take on the classic Chuck 70s and the low-top One Stars.

The thisisneverthat x Converse Chuck 70 "Lemon Icing" showcases a vintage vibe with a prominent yellowish huge throughout, including the sole unit. The thisisneverthat x Converse One Star "Poseidon" continued the aged look, except with a nubuck leather base in a deep navy finish. Both pairs from the Seoul-based streetwear imprint reinterpret the city's '90s street culture.

If you're a fan of Korean brands, it's most likely you've already heard of Juun.J. After Jung Wook Jun worked on his first fashion label Lone Costume in 1999, Juun.J's inaugural collection debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 2007.

The Juun.J x Reebok Instapump Fury was introduced in 2021 and took on two glossy monochrome colourways: "Black" and "Blue". Reebok's Instapump Fury is commonly known for vibrant colourways like the "Citron", although Juun.J's take on the 1994 model sees a setup more fitting within his brand's avant-garde aesthetic.

Other Juun.J x Reebok collaborations include the Reebok Pump Omni Zone II released in three colourways and the Reebok Pump Court in four colourways.

Prior to the collaboration with Reebok, Juun.J's initial entrance to the western fashion and footwear industry involved a team-up with adidas in 2014 and its famous shell-toe sneaker, the adidas Superstar.

Juun.J's Superstar collab with the brand with the three stripes arrived in "Triple White" and "Triple Black" in low and high-top renditions. In 2015, adidas and Juun.J crossed paths once again. This time, the retro ZX 8000s were the star of the show.

KANGHYUK is one of South Korea's latest fashion brands. Royal College of Art in London graduates Kanghyuk Choi and Sanglak Shon debuted KANGHYUK in 2017.

KANGHYUK caught the attention of the general masses after being nominated for the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2019. This event certainly did not go under the radar of Reebok, thus inviting the Korean brand for a collaborative makeover on the Premier Road Modern silhouette in 2020.

In 2022, KANGHYUK and Reebok unveiled a mid-top Premier Road version, followed by three colourways of the Classic Leather SRS model. Other noteworthy collaborations between the two include the Zig Kinetica, the SRS Sole Fury, and the Reebok Advanced Concepts SRS.

Design collective brand ADER error is one of the few South Korean labels renowned globally. Up until today, the team behind ADER is still unknown; but that has not prevented its collaborative opportunities.

In 2018, the Korean brand delivered a retro-futuristic take on the RS-100 silhouette in collaboration with the German sportswear company PUMA. It featured a unique design with a mixed-material construction and an oversized TPU heel clip.

A few PUMA signature models, like the Suede and RS-X, have also appeared on ADER's collaborative front.

Korean sneaker collaborations go beyond fashion and footwear brands. The Taegukdang x adidas Superstar is one of the latest additions to the Three Stripes roster and the shelves of Taegukdang — famously known as Seoul's oldest bakery.

Taegukdang keeps this adidas Superstar simple but effective. It features a smooth white leather base, yellowed sole and shell-toe units for a vintage touch and classic Three Stripe branding details in black for contrast.

The highlights of these Taegukdang Superstars are the removable layer across the sides with a pull that reveals "SEOUL", the Korean text on the heel tabs that translates to “cookies among cookies", a playful graphic illustration on the outsole, and the bakery's store logo on the inner tongue.

A sneaker collaboration with the most famous K-pop group BTS rounds it all off. BTS debuted in 2013 under renowned Korean music agency Big Hit Entertainment. Not only is the group active in joint projects within the music industry but also outside.

The BT21 x Skechers collection was introduced by global character brand LINE FRIENDS using the official BTS LINE mascot dubbed BT21. The co-branded shoes use Skecher's UNO silhouette in eight colourways corresponding to each BT21 character: Tata, RJ, Chimmy, Cooky, Mang, Shooky, Koya, and Van.

There are plenty more exciting sneaker collaborations to come. Don't want to miss out Korean-exclusive sneaker releases? We recommend you check back here at The Sole Supplier for all the latest. Be sure to check out some of our related articles below!