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Year Released: 2020
Comme des Garçons has made what is usually considered mundane—black and white color schemes–feel special. Its trio of 95s from 2020 is a good example of that practice. While some may say is lazy, the look did the retro runner justice. There were tonal black and white options. The third styling, which was also the best, was a mixture of black, grey, and cream that took full advantage of the 95’s signature layered upper. Branding was kept to a minimum—just a CDG hit on the heel. For the CDG naysayers, there were also subtle differences that set this pair apart like exposed foam padding and imperfect suede overlays that extend past their usual panels. We like them because they make you more inclined to wear them without worrying about dirtying them up. These get better with age. Despite the well-executed collab, it still falls short when standing toe-to-toe with a lot of other pairs from the 95 archive. –Mike DeStefano
Year Released: 2003
We don’t have to pretend like the reception of these shoes hinges too greatly on its fans being legit fans of Juventus FC. Look, if you are a supporter of the club, there are special accents to make the shoe stand apart, like the two stars on the tongue signifying the more than 20 Serie A championships the Italian team had won when these came out in 2003. (It was a good time to be a Juventus fan—the squad also won the league that year.) Even if you don’t care about football, it’s a strong colorway with a Swoosh not too far from the original “Neon” and a colorblocking set up reminiscent of the original “Black Border” 95. —Brendan Dunne
Year Released: 1995
There’s something awesome about what brands did with women's-specific colorways in the ‘90s. It was almost a cheat code for collectors with a small enough foot that wanted to stick out from everyone else. The “Grape” colorway of the ‘95s is just that. It’s an original from 1995 and has since been retroed. It even got flipped into a “Black Grape” colorway for men in 2010. But this one is way better. Is it better than the Slates? That’s a big discussion we had on staff, but we’re giving this one the nod for now. —Matt Welty