| For The Riches |
| If a sneaker doesn’t resell for a ton of money, was it ever released in the first place? With the secondary sneaker market being a billion dollar industry, it’s put more focus on what a shoe’s worth is after it releases than what it costs in stores. Good luck getting a pair at retail, bud. You’ll have to fork your dollars over on eBay or Flight Club. And that’s what you’ll need to do for the latest Air Jordan collaboration, Pharrell x Adidas sneaker, or shoe that drops only at an obscure pop-up shop half-way across the world. We’re not talking chump change either, people are shelling out major coin to cop some of these exclusive kicks. Here are some of the Most Expensive Sneakers of 2017. AIR JORDAN 1 "SPIKE LEE"  Resale value: $2,397
Besides Michael Jordan, Spike Lee is the face of the Air Jordan, coming in with the Air Jordan III to sell it as his Mars Blackmon character. In the film She’s Gotta Have It, Mars wore a pair of Black/Royal Air Jordan 1s while having sex, and now Spike has his own Air Jordan 1s. Done up in a similar colorway, the sneakers featured Mars’ face on the heel, were only sold in Brooklyn, and retailers for $300. Now they’re re-selling for over $2,000. Call that a cultural cash-et.
ADIDAS FUTURECRAFT 4D
Resale value: $2,892
Adidas was supposed to release this sneaker to the public by the end of the year, but it hasn’t hit retail yet. But the brand did give away 300 pairs to friends and family… .and most of them ended up on eBay. They feature cutting-edge technology in the midsole, but they look badass, too, even if the majority of people who get them saw them as a way to cash in.
ADIDAS PHARREL NMD HURACE TRAIL"N*E*R*D"
 Resale value: $5,185
Pharrell and Adidas figured out the hype train this year, and it came to a culmination at ComplexCon with a special pair of Pharrell’s Hu Race NMD Trail that was made for the release of N*E*R*D’s new album. Kids literally fought over the shoes, which drove the resale price up even higher.
CHANEL x ADIDAS PHARREL NMD HU RACE TRAIL
Resale value: $11,135
Pharrell got Adidas to collaborate with Chanel on his signature sneakers and released them at Colette for the retailer’s send off after 20 years of business. The demand was so great for them that they had to get a court bailiff to read off the auction winners. Coupled with the fact that there were only 500 pairs made, and that put this shoe as one the most in-demand releases in ages.
AIR JORDAN III "GRATEFUL"
 Resale value: $13,250
DJ Khaled is one of the most divisive people in the sneaker game. For some, he possesses the enthusiasm they’ve been looking for. For others, anything he touches instantly makes the product uncool. But Jordan Brand rewarded his faithfulness to the company this year with this own Air Jordan III. The shoes were given away to select folks who bought his new album, which means very few pairs are circulating. Sneakers are good investment, indeed.
|
