Happy New Year, y’all. Hopefully your holiday runs were made complete with a #cleancop or two, or 5, and next year will be the same way.

But, speaking on next year, I’m challenging you to branch out and diversify your rotation. 2017 was flooded with a number of mainstream trends in the culture, and there aren’t any signs of disruption or slowing them down. That being said, let’s get into some reasons you should branch out and add some new flavor to your closet.

Jordan Brand Is Going To Be Limited Again…

Jordan Brand let us know with fair warning that the recent saturation of retros is coming to an end. This means even those general releases won’t be so accessible now. So if you sleep on them on release day, you’ll just be sleep.

But go ahead and sleep. With the tightening up of the availability, why not instead explore other silhouettes and brands? If you don’t have a single retro Jordan, then that’s another story. Otherwise, look at the silver lining in this development and take it as an opportunity to cop something other than a different colorway of a shoe you probably already have. Let’s just be real.

…But Yeezy will be more available, allegedly.

So, you won’t miss out, hopefully (because I really want the Sesame 350 v2). With Kanye’s proclamation of making Yeezys more available seemingly coming true, the future of Yeezy will be a seemingly easier one. That being said, take this as an another opportunity to maybe cop something different. In case you forgot, Adidas does have more than the Yeezy line, start there. Try New Balance, Puma, hell, even Reebok has some heat! Branch out.

The Resell Value Of Grails Are Only Going To Get More Expensive.

There’s no stopping that. If you happen to have the wherewithal to cop kicks with a pretty price tag, then go for it, by all means. But if you do not, don’t run up your credit card (or drain your savings) to cop. But consider this: Flight Club, StockX, Goat, Stadium Goods, and whatever your favorite reseller marketplace might be all have good steals on shoes, sometimes on models you may have never even heard of or seen. Why not cop a dope and a cheap kick? Better yet, for a fraction of what you were going to pay for those sought after joints you wanted, you could probably come up on 2-5+ shoes that you may have never even given the time of day to. Just food for thought, though.

It’s Never Been Easier To Cop Regional Exclusives.

It’s 2017 2018. If you don’t know how to use the internet to find international stores, we have a problem. Why not swoop on those limited and (somewhat) hard to find kicks that absolutely none of your friends will have? I can tell you from experience that it’s such a dope feeling when I rock kicks that nobody else in my locale has but me, because I can flex on a totally different level than they do.

Don’t Be Basic.

Yes, Air Jordans are fire. As are Yeezys. But what isn’t fire is when that’s all you’re going to focus on for your collection going into the new year. Furthermore, unless you grew up in the skating culture or southern California, Vans are a no-no. If you have more than 2 pairs, please dispose accordingly.

In a culture that is so broad and continuously expanding, so should you. I’m taking this year to explore sneaker brands that I don’t have, and to expand my collection, taste, and color palette in my rotation. If you’re going to make any resolutions, make this one of them. You’ll do yourself a huge favor. I promise.

Happy New Year, y’all.