The Best Undefeated Sneaker Collaborations

Undefeated was founded as a sneaker boutique in Los Angeles in 2002 by Eddie Cruz and James Bond. Since then, the store has expanded across the globe, become a clothing brand, and transformed into one of the most powerful collaborators in the sneaker world.

Those sneaker collaborations stand as some of the most important, including some of the best of all time. With 2025’s return of the Undefeated x Air Jordan 4, we’re taking a look back at some of the brand’s best work. This is our list of the best Undefeated sneaker collaborations.

The 2025 Sneaker Collaborator Power Rankings

The Best Jordan Trunners of All Time, Ranked

Year: 2021

The Dunks from Undefeated’s Dunk vs. AF1 project weren’t as strong as the accompanying Air Force 1s, but there were still some highlights—specifically this “5 On It” pair. It features a bold mix of leather, nubuck, suede, canvas, and snakeskin. The colorway was loud too, but somehow everything just worked together and was surprisingly wearable for a design with so many competing elements. —Zac Dubasik

Year: 2020

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. The Kobe 5 Proto “What If” collaboration, a two-pair box set of sneakers released in August 2020, was originally intended to mark Kobe Bryant’s induction into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2020. Instead, it arrived during Mamba Week as one of the first truly limited Nike Kobes dropped in the wake of his death that January.

The response to the release was mostly negative—everybody wanted the shoes, but barely anybody was able to get them. That’s standard with high-profile projects from Nike and Undefeated, but felt twisted to some given Bryant’s passing. The sneakers make sense with their throwback colorways referencing the teams Bryant could have landed on when he entered the league, but a lot more about this drop didn’t.—Brendan Dunne

Year: 2007

This is the only entry for a New Balance collaboration on this list, but there were several collaborations contending for a spot. We thought that the brand’s work with Stussy and Real Mad Hectic on the MT580, for a certain type of collector, would be the most important. This shoe was wildly popular in Japan and took years to make its way to the States. The collaboration between Stussy and Real Mad Hectic was seen as more important, but these are a close second. Not something you often see among hype circles. —Matt Welty

Year: 2019

There were so many other shoes that were considered for the list. But Undefeated getting to do the Nike Kobe 4 is a big deal. It’s arguably the most important Kobe Bryant sneaker, definitely the one that changed the trajectory of his line, and influenced a generation of players to wear low-cut shoes. The sneakers come in four different colorways and reference different parts of Bryant’s career, with 8 and 24 on the heel, like him playing at Rice High School. —Matt Welty

Year: 2025

The Nike Air Zoom Spiridon is a bit of a cult classic as a model. It has its share of fans, but has never exactly broken into the mainstream. Maybe a collab could change that? That was seemingly the game plan for the shoe’s most recent return, partnering with Undefeated on a multi-colorway release. The first leaked at ComplexCon in 2024, then released in February 2025, and was limited to just 1,000 pairs. This was followed up the next month with even stronger “Cargo Khaki” and “Phantom” pairs, shown above. Did any of them move the needle and catapult the Spiridon into a more successful retro run? Nope. But they were a great project and a solid entry into Undefeated’s collaborative archive. —Zac Dubasik

Year: 2022

2022 was a momentous year for both Undefeated and the Nike Air Force 1 as the retailer and the sneaker celebrated their 20th and 40th anniversaries, respectively. This led to them creating several multi-colored patent leather Air Force 1 Lows. The styles drew inspiration from vibrant footwear releases from the early 2000s. —Victor Deng

Year: 2018

The hometown shop got to work the hometown hero on his first signature Nike shoe. That’s a dream come true. And they made a ton of pairs. Some referencing Undefeated’s past—white leather with a gum sole and another for the Air Jordan 4—and a handful of pairs in camo. Instead of just being something for streetwear aficionados, they actually made it to the court. DeMar DeRozan, the current Mr. Kobe in the NBA, wore them during the All-Star Game. Giannis Antetokoumpo wore them, too. Good job. —Matt Welty

Year: 2006

This sneaker is peak mid-2000s streetwear. First, it’s an Air Force 1. Second it has crazy materials. Three it’s purple. The list is Air Force 1 heavy, and we could have included a few more pairs, but we’re going with these instead. –Matt Welty

Year: 2023

This sneaker went double platinum in the Complex office. It seemed like someone strolled in with a new pair on a weekly basis. The Terra Humara is a criminally underrated sneaker in the first place, and Undefeated did a perfect job coloring up three unique iterations that pay homage to both Nike and Undefeated’s heritage. —Ben Felderstein

Year: 2017

Amid Nike’s year-long celebration of the Air Max 97’s 20th anniversary, Undefeated dropped a duo of Air Max 97s that paid homage to Gucci. Black and white-based pairs touted patent leather mudguards, and red and green stripes bearing Undefeated script branding wrapping the upper as a nod to the iconic fashion house. While both would sell out with ease, the brand would go on to drop a third pair featuring its signature olive green, black, and orange color scheme in much more limited fashion later in the year exclusively at ComplexCon in 2017 to much fanfare. Undefeated even had to shut down their booth to control the commotion once they sold out. When looking at the shop’s more recent work, this trio of 97s is certainly a standout from the bunch. —Mike DeStefano

Year: 2021

Undefeated’s military green-colored Nike Air Force 1 was easily the best pair from its multi-shoe “Dunk vs AF1” series. It was a reinterpretation of its “Bring Back 2003” Dunk High from 2013 and still captured the militaristic aesthetic that the retailer has long been known for, and was executed perfectly on the Air Force 1 Low. —Victor Deng

Year: 2013

Undefeated is no stranger to the triple collaboration, and this project between itself, A Bathing Ape, and Adidas on the ZX 5000 is its best of the bunch. It’s also the shop’s best Adidas work to date. At times Bape’s camo can be overbearing, but this shoe is the perfect balance. Also the gum sole sets it of just right. The red, white, and blue stripes are the element that ties it all together. Undefeated has worked with Bape and Adidas since, but it’s yet to top this project from 2013. —Matt Welty

Year: 2009

Undefeated got its big pop culture moment back in 2006 when Turtle from Entourage went over to the shop to try and score fictional graffiti artist Fukijama’s Air Force 1 collaboration. DJ AM (rest in peace) would cop the last pair, but later in the episode Turtle got something even better—a one-of-one pair lasered by Fukijama from his buddy Vinny Chase. An identical gold, white, and black pair would surface three years later in 2009. It never got a proper retail release, but a select few were able to get their hands on them. The design doesn’t necessarily hold up today, but it’s cultural significance makes it an important touchstone on the shop’s sneaker timeline. —Mike DeStefano

Year: 2002

If Undefeated’s Dunk Highs weren’t rare enough for you, these low-tops should do the trick. Created in 2002, only 24 pairs of these “Splatter” Undefeated x Nike Dunk Lows were made. They feature dark grey underlays mixed with a light-blue-on-burgundy splatter pattern. Pink accents adorn the Swoosh, laces, and heel, details which set this version apart from the more attainable non-collab grey and red “Splatter” colorway. It’s a polarizing look to say the least, but it also doesn’t really matter whether you like them or not, because the chances of actually finding a pair are slim to none. —Riley Jones

Year: 2002

Before the olive drab “Ballistic” collaboration, Undefeated and Nike teamed up for the very first time on a crisp white and gum Dunk Hi. This colorway was created to celebrate the opening of Undefeated’s first store and, like its “Ballistic” counterpart, was produced in a limited run of only 48 pairs. Originally unavailable to the public, the collab was revisited in 2013 with a “Bring Back Pack” that also included a Hyperdunk. Considerably more toned-down than many of the UNDFTD collabs that would follow, this Dunk Hi is literally where it all started and remains one of the best products of the ongoing partnership. —Riley Jones

Year: 2006

The Fukijama Nike Air Force 1 is a mythical sneaker for several reasons. First, it made its debut in an episode of Entourage where Turtle, played by Jerry Ferrara. Then it got a release. As said before, he struck out on the shoes at retail and his own pair made. These are the ones that Turtle couldn’t get his hands on. —Matt Welty

Year: 2005

Not every Dunk that holds legendary status is from Nike SB. When it comes to non-skateboard versions of the shoe, at least ones that exemplify the streetwear culture of the early 2000s, then few are better than Undefeated’s NL version of the shoe. If you’re not hip, the NL stands for no lining, which actually made this shoe divisive amongst some collectors. We think it’s great. The colorway is wild and was even recreated by Travis Scott even had himself a custom pair of AF1s made in a similar colorway. —Matt Welty

Year: 2002

Originally produced in a run of just 48 pairs as a gift to employees during the opening of the brand’s second store in 2002, the “Ballistic” Dunk High is among Undefeated’s most legendary collabs. Like many of Undefeated’s collaborations, this olive green sneaker takes inspiration from military apparel, specifically armed forces camping backpacks. Like its name suggests, the store’s second Dunk High uses tough ballistic nylon underlays and features its signature five-strike logo near the heel. In 2013, Nike gave the sneaker a wider release alongside a matching Hyperdunk, and although it wasn’t quite as premium as the hyper-limited OG, it was well received by longtime Undefeated fans. —Riley Jones

Year: 2025

Is this cheating? Yeah, probably. But how can we update our Undefeated collabs ranking list without mentioning the Air Jordan 4 retro. The OG 2005 version was already number one, so the only thing we could do was make another entrant. Arguably, the greatest sneaker of all time, dropped for the masses to cop and the release and rollout were incredibly successful. Never in my life did I think I’d have the chance to own an Undefeated AJ4, but they opened up the vault and brought them back, so now I have the chance. —Ben Felderstein

Year: 2005

This is the one. You knew this was coming. The Undefeated x Air Jordan 4 collaboration is considered the ultimate grail by many sneaker enthusiasts. Originally released in 2005, the military-inspired Air Jordan 4 was limited to 72 total pairs. Only 50 were raffled off in-store, while seven were part of an online raffle and the rest were reserved for friends and family. It’s scarce availability isn’t the only reason it’s so coveted though. It isn’t too often we see Air Jordan 4 collabs. Along with the Los Angeles-based streetwear boutique, who was the first third party collaborator bestowed the honor, other instances in the model’s 30-year history are few and far between. The color combination, inspired by military flight jackets, is also almost perfect. Samples of a retro were made in 2018, and the shoe returned for real in 2025. There’s plenty of debate to be had whether or not that should have happened, but it’s hard to find anyone that would argue that the original isn’t the best Undefeated collab of all time. —Mike DeStefano

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