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For sneaker brands, Valentine’s Day-themed releases have generally fallen to the wayside thanks to the excitement surrounding the NBA All-Star Weekend typically happening around the same time. With that being said, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been plenty of solid releases for the holiday over the years.
Even as recently as last week, Jordan Brand dropped a sail and red-colored Air Jordan 4 for the occasion. Looking even further than that, Nike has subtly released heart-covered iterations of classic silhouettes, including the Air Max 90 and the Air Force 1 Low. Adidas has also dropped many Valentine’s Day sneakers throughout the years, including adding heart details to the iconic Stan Smith.
Ahead of this year’s holiday, we’ve put together a list of the best Valentine’s Day sneakers of all time. Vote in our poll below to tell us your favorite.
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Year: 2022
The five-year partnership between Beyonce and Adidas with their Ivy Park line spawned a Valentine’s Day-themed “Ivy Heart” collection in 2022. In the range was a very loud Ultra Boost colorway doused in a bright pink hue. Aside from the bright makeup, Ivy Park’s version of the runner features an updated loop pull tab at the heel and toggle laces.
Year: 2023
All-red uppers with heart detailing is the easy choice when it comes to Valentine’s Day sneaker designs, so we appreciate something that’s a little different. Both the colorway (mostly brown) and model (a ‘90s basketball silhouette) here are unexpected, yet it’s unmistakably a tribute to the February holiday thanks to its terrycloth textured pink detailing. It released alongside a pack that included a Dunk Low and Air Trainer 1, but the less traditional entrant gets our nod as one of the best Valentine’s Day sneakers ever.
Year: 2019
Adidas’ Stan Smith is one of the brand’s best sneakers of all time, and the minimalist Three Stripes on its upper have been the source of many creative logo flips on the silhouette over the years. This “Double Seventh” (known as Chinese Valentine’s Day) edition sacrifices breathability for style with embroidered hearts taking the place of the perforations, adding just enough of a festive feel but not ruining its signature clean aesthetic.
Year: 2018
The Air Jordan 8 isn’t the first shoe that comes to mind when thinking about seasonal-themed sneakers. That sounds like a task better suited to a model like the Air Jordan 1. But it turns out that Michael Jordan’s eighth signature model handles the job pretty well when dressed in a tonal colorway. It’s the detailing though that really puts it over the top, with its signature chenille tongue patch turned into a heart and hidden “Love Me…” and “Love Me Not…” script on the underside of the straps.
Year: 2026
One of the common complaints among female sneaker fans is brands releasing women’s exclusive colorways that are “overly girly.” That isn’t an issue with the most recent “Valentine’s Day” Jordan 4. It sports a predominantly sail makeup paired with red accents. The sneaker also doesn’t actually have any Valentine’s-themed graphics on the shoe itself (only the removable tag), making it a more versatile makeup.
Year: 2000
There have been many Valentine’s Day themed Air Max 95s over the years—many of them good—but this suede version from 2000 stands out for its simplicity. It doesn’t scream Valentine’s Day either, until you take a closer look at the heart-shaped play on the iconic tongue logo. These are tough to come across these days, and probably crumbling, but a deserving entry to this list of the best Valentine’s Day sneakers.
Year: 2019
Verdy’s “Girls Don’t Cry” Nike SB Dunk is easily the most limited release of all the sneakers here. It launched in 2019 at select stores exclusively in the Japanese designer’s hometown of Osaka. In terms of design, it isn’t too complicated. It’s a red and white shoe with “Girls Don’t Cry” branding on the lateral side and hear cut outs on the medial portion, but its limited run has kept prices exorbitantly high on the secondary marketplace.
Year: 2013
Jordan Brand blessed the sneaker fans with smaller feet in 2013 with a GS-exclusive “Valentine’s Day” Jordan 5 release. The colorway was bold, donning a red patent leather upper and offset by pink hits throughout, including the heart-shaped “For the Love of the Game” logo on the heel counter.
Year: 2020
The StrangeLove x Nike SB Dunk collab from 2020 feels like the quintessential Valentine’s Day shoe. It was designed with the help of artist and StrangeLove Skate Company founder, Sean Cliver. In addition to the typical red and pink color palette, the sneaker features a premium velvet and suede upper. It’s such a beautiful shoe.
Year: 2006
This red, white, and heart covered Nike Air Force 1 Low might seem straightforward with its theming now, but when it released in 2006, it was more than just a Valentine’s Day sneaker. When the A Bathing Ape Bapesta arrived in the early 2000s, it inspired a patent leather-covered sneaker aesthetic that was inaccessible to many, yet integral to the era of streetwear that was exploding behind it. Nike’s themed Air Force 1s from the mid-2000s captured that energy, and represented more than holidays they matched. This was streetwear first, themed with holidays—not the other way around. And that’s why this is our best Valentine’s Day sneaker of all time.
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