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Tomorrow, the last of the expected “Year of the Rabbits” sneakers will release. While it’s unfortunate that we’ll see no more bunny-inspired designs, it also means we can start looking forward to next year (dragon) and begin speculating on what types of kicks we’ll see. Before we can guess about next year’s zodiac designs, we have to check out where they’ve been. To beef you up on your knowledge of long gone kicks, we’ve assembled the history of Chinese Zodiac inspired sneakers.
2002: Year of the Horse
Nike Air Force 1
The first of the zodiac inspired kicks, the “Year of the Horse” Forces, started it all. “Horse 1” featured a simple White/Samba colorway with detailed tongue and heel tab designs. “Horse 2” came equipped with “Horse” embroidery on the foxing, a red-outlined Swoosh and an icy outsole. The simplistic nature of both shoes went on to start a trend we’d see for many years after.
