The Most Expensive Sneakers of 2021 (So Far)

After ranking the best Air Jordans, best new sneaker designs, and best sneakers of the year (so far), it’s time for the one list that simply isn’t up for debate. There are no hot takes to defend here. There’s no fan-favorite omission that commenters will berate us over on Instagram. That’s because these are the shoes that had the secondary market jumping from January to June. These are the pairs that people were plotting on through StockX and GOAT screens while they awaited stimulus checks in the mail.

Whether it’s one of the year’s big collaborations like Supreme’s throwback-inspired Nike SB Dunk Lows or pairs that started off expensive at retail and held their value, like Nike’s Swarovski-covered Air Max 97s and Bape’s Court Stas, there’s a good mix of styles leading the flips in 2021.

Like Jay-Z famously said: Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t. The numbers here, by the way, come from StockX resale data. These are the most expensive sneakers of the year (so far).

Resale price: $575

Retail price: $400

Release date: March 25

First joining forces to remix the iconic “Silver Bullet” Air Max 97 to celebrate the model’s 20th anniversary in 2017, Swarovski and Nike continued their run of crystallized collabs this year, introducing a subtly different variation of their original project just ahead of Air Max Day. Inspired by a previously released colorway, Swarovski’s “Polar Blue” pair brought everything that we love about “Silver Bullets” with it, but with blue branding hits in place of red. The shoe carried a $400 retail tag, primarily because it features a unique fabric upper embedded with more than 55,000 crystal fragments. Once again, the steep price didn’t deter buyers from taking that leap—the shoes sold out almost instantly via the SNKRS app and select retail locations. Resale prices didn’t quite approach those of past Swarovski 97s, or the more recent Cactus Plant Flea Market Dunk collaboration, but they held steady and are gradually on the incline. — Brandon Richard

Resale price: $602

Retail price: $220

Release date: February 5

Pharrell and Adidas have cooled down over the past few years, especially on lists that track the most expensive shoes. There was a time, however, when they dominated it, with sneakers such as the Chanel and N*E*R*D projects. Pharrell and the Three Stripes have another project that’s garnered attention this year. Limited to 250 pairs, this pair of Hu NMDs that come in cream with Korean writing on the upper in a hefty stitched-on blue thread are fetching resale prices of over $600. While that might not be the $10,000 some Pharrell sneakers have gone for in the past (remember when Pharell’s friends-and-family NMDs were a huge thing?), it’s nothing to shake a stick at, and maybe a sign that the partnership can regain some momentum in the future. Only time will tell if these will remain to be a coveted sneaker as the years go on. — Matt Welty

Resale price: $625

Retail price: $110

Release date: January 22

Not every expensive shoe on the resell market comes with a collab tag. It’s always refreshing to see big brands create genuinely interesting projects on their own without the help or co-sign of an outside entity, especially given how hackneyed the collaboration approach can feel in 2021. Nike and Nike alone mustered some extra energy around the Dunk this year beyond the original Be True-style versions with this, the wildly colored “Street Hawker” design inspired by the uniting powers of food in China and designed by Guangzhou artist Jason Deng. The tasty amalgam incorporates a variety of different dishes, resulting in one of the busiest-looking Dunks to arrive recently. The toebox of the left shoe runs green like the douzhi of Beijing while the embossed suede on the lateral looks like Xi’an mutton soup with pita bread. The right shoe is completely different, making for an asymmetrical sneaker that pushes well beyond the current trend of two-tone Dunks. — Brendan Dunne

Resale price: $626

Retail price: $319

Release date: February 2

Pharrell. Kanye West. Soulja Boy. All notable individuals who got them some Bathing Apes in the aughts. The Bapesta was streetwear legend and Bape founder NIGO’s (he has since left the brand) love letter to the Air Force 1. It became known for being dressed in bright patent leathers and taking on fun themes like Marvel superheroes or SpongeBob SquarePants. It was a streetwear phenomenon a few decades ago that has been cemented as an iconic piece of footwear in the years that followed. Bapestas, and Bape as a whole, aren’t quite as much of a powerhouse in the streetwear world as they once were, but they still have their loyal followers. And Bape is still dropping popular products that, according to this list entry, people are flipping for big money. Back in February, Bape launched a revamped Bapesta that more closely resembled the OGs from years past. Along with it came some new styles, the Dunk Low-esque Court Sta among them. This particular purple and grey pair, which some people might liken to the “Purple Pigeon’’ SB Dunk Low, seems to be the standout colorway of the bunch. Given the crazy momentum of Dunks right now, it makes perfect sense. For anyone in search of something not everyone is going to have on at the next summer function, this might be a good pair to go after. To the uninformed who may call you out, these are just some “fake Dunks,” but you know what you really have on your feet. Just reply, “I got me some Bathing Apes.” — Mike DeStefano

Resale price: $724

Retail price: $160

Release date: March 17

No one has put their mark on 2021 like Bad Bunny has. The Puerto Rican superstar kicked off the year promoting his latest album, El Último Tour Del Mundo, and would quickly find himself dipping his toes into just about every other facet of pop culture. He was involved in one of the top storylines at WWE’s biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania. He performed on Saturday Night Live and took home his first Grammy. All that, and he still found time to team up with Adidas and drop one of the year’s best sneakers. A twist on the original Forum Low hoops shoe, Bad Bunny’s version adds details like a buckle and toggle and comes in a few different tonal colorways including an Easter pink. It’s the brown pair that people seem to be most into though, and the aftermarket numbers don’t lie, making it the most expensive Adidas sneaker of 2021. — Riley Jones

Resale price: $832

Retail price: $150

Release date: May 24

With the Nike SB Dunk recapturing its past glory in recent years, it was only right to release a pair that pays homage to a figure who has been central to the popularity of Nike’s skateboarding category for the past 17 years—Paul Rodriguez. Somewhat watered down over time, the “What The” concept, typically a mashup of an athlete’s best sneaker colorways on one shoe, returned with a bang on the “What The P-Rod” SB Dunk. The idea didn’t always seem like a home run—early leaks in March were met with a somewhat tepid response, but buzz for the release quickly increased as more favorable looks began to surface. The shoes are a straightforward delivery of exactly what fans have come to expect from the theme: a blend of the best shoes from Rodriguez’s esteemed signature sneaker line, along with elements from his previously released Dunk High collab. The result is a shoe that serves as a more-than-worthy follow-up to the original “What The” SB Dunk, but stands on its own as a fitting tribute to the sneaker legacy of one of the greatest to ever pick up a board. — Brandon Richard

Resale price: $938

Retail price: $120

Release date: February 26

James Whitner has had one hell of a 2021 so far. His store A Ma Maniére has the best sneaker to date this year with its Air Jordan 3. But that’s not the only sneaker his footwear conglomerate has worked on. Earlier this year, his umbrella company, the Whitaker Group, got a chance to introduce a new silhouette, the Nike Waffle One, to the market. Whitner tapped former Jordan Brand designer Frank Cooke to work on the project that gave a vintage look to a shoe inspired by Nike runners from the past. It came with a pre-yellowed midsole and dip-dyed laces. Overall, it was a thoughtful take on a never-before-seen shoe. The shoe itself is bigger than that, though. It wasn’t planned to be a charitable sneaker, but February’s uncharacteristically cold weather in Texas that wreaked havoc on the power grid, leaving people in dire straits, inspired Whitner to donate the proceeds to Houston-area families in need. The shoe was very limited and it was a solid collaboration, which ended up with the shoe reselling for over $1,000. It’s weird to covet a sneaker that’s representative of something more, but that’s the world we live in. — Matt Welty

Resale price: $946

Retail price: $225

Release date: June 20

For its 30th anniversary, Union Los Angeles is reimagining past collaborations through a new lens, including 2020’s popular-yet-polarizing Air Jordan 4s. Famous for their DIY-friendly stitched-down tongues, the sneakers are back in two new colorways inspired by the outdoors and the colorful gear that goes with it. Nicknamed “Tent & Trail,” the collection includes a Union-exclusive Taupe Haze (currently the more valuable of the two) and a Desert Moss style which was also made available through Exclusive Access on the Nike SNKRS app. All things considered, it’s not a huge surprise that a set of Jordan retros from one of the hottest collaborators in the game ended up on this list, but it is yet another testament to Union having its finger on the pulse. When the new colors leaked, there was a mixed reaction not unlike what we saw with the first two, but that hasn’t done much to put a damper on the demand. And with the outdoors and hiking trends becoming hotter than ever, Chris Gibbs and his team may have just given customers what they wanted before they themselves even knew it. — Riley Jones

Resale price: $1,453

Retail price: $110

Release date: March 4

There aren’t really many situations in which a Supreme version of a Nike SB Dunk isn’t going to be a very expensive and difficult-to-obtain sneaker. Sure the venerable skateshop had something of a dud when they did the jewel-Swoosh set of Dunk Lows in 2019, but those arrived before SB hype was reignited and strayed far enough from the Dunk’s original orientation to not really connect with a wide range of people. But for the most part, a Supreme take on an SB Dunk is going to mean serious money on the secondary market. This year’s group, which riffs on the beautifully bold Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Highs from 2003, proves that the formula was still a winning one even if the group itself isn’t super exciting as far as sneaker sequels go. Nike SB has shown its willingness to revisit familiar partners with its current Dunk push, and none of those generate instantly coveted status quite like Supreme. — Brendan Dunne

Resale price: $2,792

Retail price: $190

Release date: February 10

It had to be this one. The shoe most shrouded in controversy also happens to be the most expensive one to release in 2021, so far. Did Marcus Jordan backdoor a bunch of pairs of his 1985 NBA All-Star Game-inspired creation? Is that theory just sour grapes from individuals unsuccessful in their attempts to get a pair? We’ll let you read the material and come to your own conclusions about that. Regardless of the fishy rollout, the limited nature (12,000 pairs) of the Trophy Room 1s guarantees one thing. They flip for a ton of money. If you want a pair these days, you will have to shell out a few thousand dollars. If you want your pair to come with the now-infamous blue laces (a supposed indicator that they came directly from the source at Trophy Room), the price climbs even higher. Realistically, we doubt most people are going to be copping this flip on the classic “Chicago” 1s for these prices. Similar alternatives can be acquired for less of a hit on the wallet. And luckily, Jordan Brand is keeping shelves stocked with plenty of other colorways to fulfill everyone’s Air Jordan 1 needs, too. But, if nothing else, the Trophy Rooms do prove one thing. At a time in sneakers when too many Air Jordan 1s are releasing, Marcus Jordan’s creation proves that the right mix of storytelling, limited quantity, and a dash of controversy, can still result in 1s fetching big numbers. Yes, even if people consider them “played out.” — Mike DeStefano