Accessing the 2024 Archive
2024 was a crazy year in the land of the aah; the world of sneakers, pop culture and the universe of Archive. 2025 seems to be gearing up to be a great year with great art, threads and kicks. Before getting into what 2025 has in store for us. Let’s reflect on the fire moments our culture has enjoyed in 2024. Before we talk about sneakers lets touch on some engaging culture moments.
On the music front the world was set a light by the battle of the century, Kendrick vs Drake, which we still tuned into as the latent effects of the feud have spilled into this year; whoever thought we would see Law and Order special bars edition in our lifetime. In the land of the Aah, SA Hip Hop had an interesting uptake as we saw more brands investing in it as well as the release of fire albums that enjoyed healthy chart positions, accolades and streams. One album that definitely made the charts its home is Loatinover’s “Pray 4 Pitori”. This makes sense as the Punyete lord made his presence felt in 2024 through merch, features and a very solid album. The gqom scene also went crazy in 2024 and DJ Lag’s “The Rebellion” was definitely a force of note.
The Archive family didn’t hold back with the heat last year. From collaborating with local artists and dropping great capsules and pieces. One must tip their hat off to the gang as they continue to deliver greatness. Even from an event perspective, the Archive Collective First Thursdays were always a great time. The product launches boasted creative flair and great energy. One that sticks out is the launch of the artist project with Ziyaad and his great take on the Grasshopper. The launch included a documentary screening and an insightful panel discussion as people gathered to celebrate a three way South African collaboration between Flying Duck, Archive and Grasshopper.
In terms of sneaker drops there was enough to go around for any sneaker lover. From subtle tennis court shoes to aggressive basketball sneakers everyone could compile a list and it would differ depending on taste. Each major brand had some notable collaborations that would entice sneaker lovers. However New Balance had the sneaker blogs in a choke hold with their collabs and it seems like a lot of sneaker heads really took a liking to the 1906 Rosewater that Action Bronson worked on. Adidas also kept up with their collabs, but it is their AE1 basketball shoe that had people impressed as it’s been a while since we could rock basketball shoes in lifestyle fashion. In the Aah; Archive, Flying Duck and Grasshopper gave us something gorgeous and that’s a shameless plug.
Let’s see what 2025 has for us, it feels like a milestone heavy year. Let’s see what sneaker brands celebrate what’s in their archive.
