Top 30 Hot New Shoes in 2008 H1

From killer heals to skateboarding sandals, this super gallery profiles the hottest new shoes in 2008.

The rankings are based on our visitors in the first half of 2008.

This is one of many features in our new FREE Micro Trend Reports section.

Top 30 Shoes in 2008

1. Killer Heels - Cruel Designer Shoes (GALLERY)

We’ve seen some innovative shoe designs, but these are truly wicked. Ladies, you think you have a pair of shoes that kills? Unless you’ve worn some of these, you can’t complain about having a tortured… [More]

2. Ancient Greek Sandal Skateboard - Tougher than Leather (GALLERY)

The Tougher Than Leather skateboard by Greece is For Lovers fuses the modern sport and lifestyle of skateboarding with the ancient style of Greek handmade sandals.

You can not get any more old school… [More]

3. Painted Skin Shoes - Temptu Paints (GALLERY)

The shoe, the stilettos and the Adidas sneakers you see in the gallery are all trompel’oeil paintings applied directly to the feet by a company named Temptu Paints.

The New York City-based company specializes… [More]

4. Top 50 Eccentric Shoes (SUPER GALLERY)

Obviously, girls love shoes, but our interest doesn’t stop at the ones we wear. We envy those of our friends, we’re fascinated by the Manolos in stores and Choos in magazines, we ogle the pumps on… [More]

5. Shoe Made of Garbage - Nike Trash Talk

Nike’s latest line of shoe design is garbage. Literally. The Nike Trash Talk are actually made from manufacturing wastes, which is kind of hard to believe looking at their crisp white design.

They were… [More]

6. Design Your Own Shoes Part II - Custom Vans

Custom Vans for fifty bucks? Nope not a mommy van, but a shoe. Van’s has developed a whole lifestyle around their brand. By sponsoring skateparks, events, entertainment, they have a very loyal following.… [More]

7. Racing Shoes - Porsche 911 GT3 RS Nike Air Max Light (GALLERY)

Next time you put the pedal to the metal, why not do it a pair of Porsche branded Nikes?

These Nike Air Max Light shoes were inspired by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The car will be created in silver, black,… [More]

8. Sneaker of the Gods - Nike Air Jordan XX3 (VIDEO)

Continuing its wildly successful Air Jordan franchise with the new $230 Air Jordan XX3, Nike dust’s MJ off for another over the top ad campaign. The Air Jordan has been credited for sparking the “big… [More]

9. 26 Kick Ass Sneakers (SUPER GALLERY)

Sneakers aren’t just for sports, they have become a tremendously powerful mode of self-expression. Both men and women are using the flat, athletic shoe inspired kicks to display their personalities.… [More]

10. Top 42 Functional Shoes - Footwear Beyond Fashion (SUPER GALLERY)

This Super Gallery showcases shoes that are more than just fashions statements. While some may still look stylish, each has a purpose beyond protecting the foot and looking chic. Some have high tech functionality,… [More]

11. Folding Flat-Pack Footwear - EIN/Tritt Origami Shoes (GALLERY)

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto one might say when opening the shoe box to find these folding shoes from EIN/Tritt shoe concepts.

Designer Catherine Meuter has shown how shoe manufacturing can turn flat shoe… [More]

12. Horror Fashion - Freddy Krueger Nike Sneakers (GALLERY)

Freddy Krueger, from the Nightmare on Elm Street film series, is my favorite boogyman, so to see a pair of Nike sneakers made in his honor just fills me with the obligatory fright.

The blood-spattered… [More]

13. Slimming Fitness Sandals - FitFlops (GALLERY)

Just in time for summer, here’s a sandal that helps you tone up your gams. FitFlop recreates the feeling of walking barefoot in the sand, working the calf, hamstring, thigh and gluteus muscles. The multi-density… [More]

14. Tennis Shoes Stilettos - The Converse High Heel Sneakers

This Chuck Taylor combination of the retro high top sneakers and ankle high boots is kind of odd. The High Heel Converse Style Sport Costume Boots feature wicked six inch heels, pointed toes and are made… [More]

15. Car Shoes - Opel Agila Heels (GALLERY)

These aqua-colored Opel Agila high-heel shoes are real. They were designed by Luca Stappers and were unveiled on April 2nd at a special party that took place at the Shoebaloo Boutique in Amsterdam. The… [More]

16. Electric Light Shoes - OniTsuka Tigers With Mini City of Lights

The electric light shoes were designed for a Japanese footwear company, Onitsuka Tiger, by Freedom of Creation.

The shoe is 3 feet long and contains a miniature city inside, the stripes resemble streets… [More]

17. Virtual Shoe Museum II - Whacked Concept Shoes (GALLERY)

“Concept” designs are hot in cars, furniture, tech, etc. Fulfilling that need to fix that addiction to novel design ideas for those who also have shoe fetishes are these concept shoes.

The answer to… [More]

18. Fuzzy Zebra Sneakers - Nike Horse Packs (GALLERY)

It’s clear animal prints have made a comeback, but many of us still want to ensure we stand out from the rest of the herd. That’s why we love these Nike Blazers so much.

Not only do these sneakers from… [More]

19. Shoe Designers Tackle Concept Car - Nike ONE (GALLERY)

Asking a shoe designer to come up with a car, is like asking a sex toy designer to come up with a shoe. Oh wait, I forgot about the Dildo Shoe. So why shouldn’t Nike ONE design team have a go at a concept… [More]

20. Wi-Fi Sneakers - A Step in the Right Direction (GALLERY)

I thought the Wi-Fi Detector T-shirt we featured was truly awesome, albeit so geeky, no one with a hint of fashion savvy would dare wear the digital display. These sneakers, on the other hand, aren’t as… [More]

21. Toeless Boots - Contradictory Shoe Fashion? (GALLERY)

Perusing the latest footwear collection at Nine West, my eyes were rattled when they happened upon a pair of toeless boots. Isn’t the whole point of boots to keep your feet warm? And the ideal excuse to… [More]

22. Metallic Luxury Shoes - Jimmy Choo Lance Metallic Sandal (GALLERY)

Jimmy Choo does it again. Always coming up with wicked glam shoes and bags, this time these gold glittery lance metallic sandals are grabbing your eyeballs.  These beauties have a buckle fastener at the… [More]

23. Wingtip Sneakers - Nike Still Has Design Tricks (GALLERY)

If I’m Nike, I’m getting these awesome shoes to North America and Europe as quickly as possible. Nike Wingtips have just been released in Japan and they look wicked. Obviously taking their cue from the… [More]

24. Sneaker Wheels - 8 Shoe Walking Bike (GALLERY)

This is hilarious. When creative, wonky heads have time on their hands and too much energy, they come up with this kind of stuff. It’s a great way to recycle old shoes as each wheel has eight separate… [More]

25. Top 11 Custom Shoes - Artistic & DIY Footwear (SUPER GALLERY)

One of the biggest movements in fashion footwear is giving customers the opportunity to customize. Both in store and online personalization are now options being offered by a number of shoe companies.… [More]

26. Leather Space Boots - Matsumoto Sneaky Boots (GALLERY)

Sneakers made of cow hide - patent and premium leather - are at once stunning and styling. Ato Matsumoto’s brand was highlighted when Kanye West had a pair of boots. Now the Japanese designer has a new… [More]

27. St. Patrick’s Day Shoes - Puma Sky 2 (GALLERY)

Although we’ve seen just about every holiday become commercialized, smaller ones, like St. Patrick’s day, don’t seem to gather much attention from bigger brands. That looks like it’s changing. Just look… [More]

28. Organic Sneakers in Amsterdam - Veja Collection By Christine Phung (GALLERY)

Trend Hunter covered the launch of Veja in 2006, the first organic sneakers made out from organic cotton from Brazil, natural latex from the Amazon Forest and ecological leather. From that time, an enormous… [More]

29. Sock Sandals - Cocobelle Bahia Elastic Sock Thongs (GALLERY)

We covered sock boots in the winter, now with summer around the corner, it’s time you were shown the Cocobelle Bahia Elastic Sock Thong Sandal.

The flip-flops have a sock-like attachment which weaves… [More]

30. High Heel Shoes for Men - The Latest in Male Shoe Fashion?

High heels for men are here and women the world over are rejoicing and… Wait, you call these high heels? I mean, I don’t expect to see 6 inch stilettos on men’s shoes to become wildly successful.  But… [More]