The Size Debate: The High-Heat Pairs We Missed Out On

Is there anything worse than letting yourself get hyped up for a sneaker, only to find out it’s only dropping in men’s sizes? If you’re anything like us, the answer is no. Time and time again, it can feel like the sneaker industry lets us gals down, when really all we want is to give them our hard-earned cash. What gives?

It’s no secret that the footwear industry has issues with equality and inclusivity, and realistically, this goes way beyond us ladies complaining about the trainers we never got to own. However, moving towards a more inclusive size run would go a small way in making the female sneaker community feel valued, and should really be a relatively easy fix.

You might be reading this and wondering exactly why we’re complaining. After all, a lot of brands have really upped their women’s-exclusive offering over the past year or so, and we can’t deny that some of those styles have been even better than the men’s. But there’s something that doesn’t quite add up here. Take the Air Jordan 1 “Atmosphere” for example, or the A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 3. Both trainers claimed to be women’s exclusives, yet were available to purchase all the way up to at least a UK 9.5 during the initial drop, whereas when we’re trying to cop a men’s release, they start at a UK 6 or 7. Now that just doesn’t sound very equal, does it? Granted, we may then get access to a grade-school sized version, but even then, the materials seem to lack the quality that adult pairs do. Why not just make them in a full-size run?

In a time when there are now more women in the sneaker scene than ever before, the oversight to include smaller sizing still remains. If you’re a UK 6 or below, your selection is much more limited, and because of the low number of pairs in circulation, you're set to pay a premium for any that end up popping up for resell. If you feel our pain, be sure to read on to find out the list of sneakers we wish were able to cop in our size.

Personally, I’d have to pick the Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 550s. Although New Balance have tried to make up for them with their general releases, 550s are still incredibly hard to get in smaller sizes, with most restocks starting at a size 6 or size 7. Small sizes do exist, but you’re paying way over the odds for them – a recent StockX report cited that the demand for the 550 went up 20-fold over last year.

I’m also going to give a special mention to the JJJJound x New Balance 990v3. I know they’re hard to get hold of at the best of times, but the smallest pair on StockX right now is a US M9, and even they’re going for a cool 9k. New Balance, you’re missing out on some serious money right here!

The Travis Scott x fragment design Air Jordan 1s started at size 6 here in the UK, which then made that size crazy hard to get hold of. The hype we saw for this release was probably the biggest of 2021 and so it was a shame they weren't readily available in small sizes. I like the use of the Reverse Swoosh alongside the unique colour blocking on these which makes them stand out from other Jordan 1s. Being a global marketplace, you can find these on StockX, but you’ll be paying anywhere between 2-5k for a women’s size.

The “Smoke Grey Black” AJ1 Mids are set to drop soon, and with no indication of women’s sizes dropping yet, I am PRAYING that Grade School sizes pop up as well (as we've seen a PS release earlier this month). I love a neutral shoe and I believe that this release would go with anything in my wardrobe. These are a must-cop for me if my size does appear.

Another pair I’d love to have seen get a women’s release in the UK was the Air Jordan 1 Mid "Brown." I feel like these could've been a great "Mocha" alternative, but never dropped in smaller sizes here which was very annoying. No "Mochas" for me then!

I’m lucky with my shoe size as I’m able to get anything anyway, but I know a lot of ladies would have loved to get their hands on the “Neutral Grey” Air Jordan 1. It’s such a super-clean take on a classic silhouette, and they really do go with everything. I know there are some small pairs on the aftermarket now, but they’ll still set you back over double what they could have retailed for if they dropped in those sizes to start with.

The Nike Dunk Low “Team Green” would have been the perfect Autumn/Winter Dunk for me. I'm a big fan of the forest green shade and liked the retro look of them. As someone who's a size 4, it was really disappointing to see I wouldn't be able to get them as they didn't go down to that size. A lot of women would still be able to get these if they're a size 6 or over, so it feels even more frustrating when you're a girl with small feet. The smallest size on StockX right now is a 5.5, but the resale price is a crazy 6k, vs a men’s size 9 at £200.

I've now got my eye on the similar Nike Dunk Low "Vintage Green" which is women's exclusive. However, having these women's exclusives doesn't make the sizing situation any less frustrating.

Of course, there are some amazing women in the sneaker industry who consistently put out creative collabs and fire designs, so we mean absolutely no shade to the ladies who are flying the flag for us and attempting to change things from the inside. We can only hope that one day the gals get what they want, which is really exactly the same as the guys, but just a little smaller.

Which sneakers do you wish dropped in smaller sizes? Are there any you agree with here? Be sure to share your ‘ones that got away’ with us over on Twitter, and download our app to keep up to date with all the latest news and releases.