Whether you’re a fan of Star Wars, comic books, or video games, there is a sneaker designed to showcase your inner geek in a subtle yet fashionable way. The best kind of geek sneakers don’t simply print art onto the shoe’s canvas. Instead, they take advantage of the unique properties of the shoe’s silhouette to create a custom work of art that can be worn every day. The following 10 sneakers not only accomplish this but also look great, show off your favorite fandom and are available to own today.
Fantastic Four x Nike
Nike’s “Fantastic Four” Pack was released in 2006 and featured a unique colorway for each character on various Nike sneaker models. The standout sneaker of the pack was clearly (pun intended) the Invisible Woman colorway of the Nike Air Force 1, which has clear paneling throughout the forefoot of the shoe.
Spider-Man x Vans Sk8 Hi
- Price: $62
- Available on: Canvas
This Vans hi-top sneaker is available in a multitude of colorways, but this unique web pattern gives a subtle nod to our friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man. The red and black colorways match the superhero’s classic costume and Symbiote variant.
The Simpsons x Nike Kyrie 2 iD
- Price: $165
- Available on: Nike iD
Many of the major sneaker brands provide a way to customize certain model shoes by letting users choose their own colors upon ordering. This custom Kyrie 2 iD completely captures the look of The Simpsons, from the bright, poppy colors to the pink sprinkles in the outsole.
Toy Story x Vans Old School
- Price: $70
- Available on: Vans
The recent collaboration between Pixar and Vans has introduced a plethora of new merchandise from socks to backpacks. The best, however, are these Vans Old School shoes that are the embodiment of Buzz and Woody in sneaker form. They even have Andy’s signature at the bottom!
The Dark Knight x Adidas Jeremy Scott
This flamboyant sneaker doesn’t have any direct application of the Batman symbol, but it clearly resonates the look and attitude of The Dark Knight. Jeremy Scott’s Adidas line is unfortunately very expensive, but there are replica alternatives available if you want to pull off the flashy look at a cheaper price point.
Batman x Nike Stefan Janoski
- Price: $90-180
- Available on: eBay
For a more subdued style, look no further than Nike’s 2015 release of the Stefan Janoski Freestyle model from the Doernbecher Foundation. It was 8-year-old Isaiah Grubb’s wish to create a custom Batman shoe with Nike. It features an all-black upper that reveals the Bat symbol when flashed with bright light.
Star Wars x Irregular Choice
- Price: $99-149
- Available on: ThinkGeek, Neptunes Harvest
For the female Star Wars fans, Irregular Choice has a wide array of shoes to show off your fandom, from tall boots to skinny flip flops. Their styles can get pretty crazy, but their most successful look are their flats, featuring characters like C-3PO and Darth Vader on the toe box.
R2-D2 & C-3PO x Adidas Top Ten Low
- Price: ~$150-400
- Available on: eBay
This 2010 Adidas release may be the ultimate Star Wars sneaker, featuring half R2-D2 and half C-3PO, complete with exposed wiring on the medial side of the shoes. They even come in an action-figure style blister pack, furthering their collector’s appeal. Sadly, these sneakers are very hard to come by these days, but pairs do pop up on eBay every once in a while.
Nintendo x Vans Authentic
- Price: $65
- Available on: Vans
Vans also have a collaboration with Nintendo to showcase their video games on the sneakers. Most of them are of the simple ‘art on canvas’ variety, but the Duck Hunt camo-style colorway is the most unique of the bunch. All of them come with “Game Over!” plastered to the bottom of the outsoles.
PlayStation x Air Force One
Showing your love for PlayStation now comes in sneaker form. Unfortunately, many hardcore sneakerheads also covet this release, limited to only about 100 pairs. This makes their resell price very high, but if you’re lucky enough to snag one, you’ll be the envy of all the Sony (and sneakerhead) fanboys.