The Most Valuable Sneakers of 2020
As most of you will know, hype doesn’t ever seem to sleep. And that insomnia has led to some wild amounts of money changing hands on the secondary market for this year’s hottest releases. 2020 was punctuated by its fair share of high-profile drops, peaking in June with the x ‘Air Dior’. But it was a crowded mountain range, as filled the release calendar with hit after hit, and prompted those nursing salty Ls to dip into their savings to get that coveted W. But at what price? We’ve taken a look back at the sneakers that attracted the fiercest feeding frenzies in 2020.
Cactus Plant Flea Market x Nike Dunk Low ‘Spiral Sage’ ($4800)
It’s still early days for the x , but it’s already fetching a decent amount on the resale market. Dropping in mid-November this year, the hypnotic design is currently averaging $4800 for secondary sales, and it will be interesting to see how that value settles as time passes from one of the more eye-catching releases in the back half of 2020.
Nike SB Dunk High ‘Reverse Skunk Dunk’ ($5200)
Sticking with their reputation for sparking up special releases for 420, the Swoosh rolled up a doozy this year, looking back to one of their most famous chronic creps with the . Flipping the OG colourway, the Reverse rendition was an ode to Purple Haze but, upon release, was just as hard to cop as the most mythical of strains – with only 420 individually numbered pairs hitting the market. The resale value has held fairly strongly throughout the year, despite the drop seeming like a long, long time ago.
CLOT x Nike Air Force 1 ‘Rose Gold’ ($1900)
The first dropped way back in January, and the edition with the special box is still going strong, averaging a resale price tag of $1900. That value actually peaked at $5000 at one point in the calendar year, which kind of made sense when you looked closely at the intricate details. The design also featured tearaway silk uppers, which is devastatingly on-trend right now, but also means it’s best you keep them firmly in their box if you ever want to cash in on that sweet resale value.
Dior x Air Jordan 1 ‘Air Dior’ ($10,100)
As mentioned in the intro, the was a high-water mark in hype this year. Considering that it retailed for $1800, and released in relative scarcity, it comes as no surprise that the ‘Air Dior’ is averaging a positively head-spinning aftermarket price. It seems that when we declared mid-year this was the we were on the money. Meanwhile, the Low version of the same colab is averaging $6800 on the resale market. That’s some serious coin.
New Balance 1300JP Made in Japan ($2600)
The caused a bit of a feeding frenzy back in July when it dropped in extremely low numbers, and at a super high retail price. Bench made at M.Lab from superlative leathers supplied by century-old Sanyo Leather, the release also featured a cushy ENCAP sole, and that classic ‘Steel Blue’ colour. They were premium with a capital P, which means they’re still a hot commodity on the resale market.
Grateful Dead x Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Orange Bear’ ($3100)
Simultaneously tapping into Dunkmania and the nostalgia surrounding the iconic American rock band, the trio of were a runaway success. Dressing in the vibrant shades of either orange, green or yellow, at the time of writing the orange edition was leading the pack on the resale front. That’s probably due to the fact it was the hardest one to come by, releasing exclusively from FTC San Francisco back in July. Meanwhile, the green still averages around $1400 and the yellow is fetching around $1100 per pair.
Ben & Jerry’s x Nike SB ‘Chunky Dunky’ ($2600)
The sugar-sweet combination of ice cream and sneakers was irresistible to many in May this year when joined forces with Ben & Jerry’s to scoop out the . The maximalist silhouette was inspired by the popular Ben & Jerry’s flavour ‘Chunky Monkey’, and rocked multiple references to the ice cream maker’s signature look. With a faux-shaggy cow hide, clear blue sky uppers, and a Swoosh that looked like it was literally dripping, the ‘Chunky Dunky’ truly was a sight to behold. Or sell, if you were that way inclined. After all, $2600 would get you a lot of ice cream.