As any morning spent on the Nike SNKRS app will have you realise, copping sneakers just isn’t as easy it used to be. The enormous growth of the resale market has changed the face of sneaker collecting, and copping trainers for resale allows just about anyone who can get their hands on a pair in the first place to make a quick profit. But whilst it feels as if nearly any release is hard to get right now, obviously some styles are going to be in more demand than others.
Resale platform, StockX has recently revealed the top-selling styles of last year, and whilst most won’t come as much of a surprise, there are definitely some curveballs in there too.
Rather unsurprisingly, the data from StockX proved that the top spot for sneaker styles was taken by the Air Jordan 1. Whilst the shoe itself had a good year in terms of releases, the Jordan 1s rich heritage makes for a huge back catalogue of styles and colourways that remain in demand year in, year out. Of course, 2021 also saw the untimely passing of Virgil Abloh, an event that led to the Off-White Jordan 1 “Chicago” increasing in both resale value and searches.
After a successful year across other models too, thanks to the Off-White x Air Jordan 2 and some great Air Jordan 4 colourways, Jordan Brand also took the top spot for the most in-demand brand, followed closely by Nike, and then adidas.
More surprisingly, the 4th hottest brand went to New Balance, who had struggled to break into the top 10 just a few years ago, in 2018. Thanks to the brand’s incredible collaboration strategy, which saw linkups with the likes of Aimé Leon Dore, JJJJound and Casablanca, the brand overtook other sneaker giants like Reebok and Converse for the first time. The Aimé Leon Dore collaboration, in particular, helped to drive demand for the New Balance 550, with sales for the silhouette up 20-fold.
However, perhaps the most surprising finding was that brand that took the number 7 spot. After a hugely successful 2021 that saw them take over both primetime TV and our Instagram feeds, plus collaborations with Justin Beiber’s DrewHouse and Salehe Bembury, Crocs closed out the year as one of the public’s most-wanted brands. StockX even reported that the foam clog manufacturer “ended the year with the highest price premium of any sneaker brand, with the average pair trading for 98% above retail.”
In terms of styles, the Jordan 1 closed out the year in first place, followed by the Nike Dunk and Nike Air Force 1, Yeezy 350 and Air Jordan 4. Other findings showed that the trade of women’s sneakers grew three times faster than men’s last year, and kid’s sizes shoes have also seen a 150% increase in terms of resale demand.
What are your predictions for the year ahead? Is there a brand that could overthrow Jordan? Let us know what you think over on Twitter, and be sure to download our app to keep up with all the latest news and releases.
