The 10 Most Expensive Trainers in the World

StockX, the world’s first ‘stock market of things’ and leading luxury resale marketplace, has unveiled its ranking of the 10 most expensive sneakers in the world. 

1. Nike Air Mag Back to the Future BTTF (2016): £19,715

Many remember them as the iconic sneakers worn by Marty McFly in the second chapter of the Back to the Future saga, the one in which the protagonist was catapulted in 2015. However, few know that it was Nike who actually designed them specifically for the film in 1989. It is not by chance that only 89 pairs were created, this was to honour the year in which the film was released.

2. Air Jordan Kobe PE Retro Pack 8 Retro 3 (2016): £10,330

The Air Jordan Kobe pack included the two pairs of Air Jordan PE Lakers that Kobe Bryant wore during the 2002/2003 NBA season, when the then-number 8 player of the Lakers had lost his lucrative contract with Adidas due to the well-known judicial problems.  He wore a few different brands before going on to sign an exclusive contract with Nike the following summer. Both models are characterized by white uppers and colourful details inspired by the official colours of the Los Angeles team. 

3. Nike Dunk Low SB Paris (2002): £8,590

The Nike Dunk was born in 1985, as a basketball shoe, but it was almost immediately adopted by the skater community. It was then redesigned in 2002 to be more suited to the needs of these new users. The strategy applied by Nike was to distribute the model in limited quantities to an select number of independent skate shops.

4. Air Jordan 4 Retro Eminem Carhartt (2015): £7,534

The model, created in collaboration with Eminem, was released in 2015, to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of Marshall Mathers LP. Only 10 pairs were produced which Eminem gave to his closest friends and family. The proceeds were entirely donated to the “Marshall Mathers Foundation”, a charitable organization dedicated to providing assistance to disadvantaged young people in Detroit, Michigan and surrounding communities. Ironically, Shady didn’t even keep a pair for himself! The model was made in collaboration with Carhartt, a well-known American casual street-cut brand.

5. Air Jordan 3 Retro Legends of Summer (2013): £7,052

Designed and worn by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z for the “Legends of Summer” tour of 2013, these sneakers stand out not only for the all-red colour, but above all for the mix of luxury materials that a true collector (like Timberlake himself) would lust after: suede, red patent leather and snakeskin. The model was released in limited edition only among the family and friends of the two singers, so only a very small, and fortunate, group of fans have managed to grab a pair for themselves.

6. Air Jordan Five Retro Fab Five PE (2017): £6,671

The Air Jordan V very quickly became a cult classic and was even given a new name by fans; “Fab Five”. The design of the shoe is inspired by the Wolverines, an unforgettable NCAA team of the 90s. The “Fab Five” in question were the five players who moved into basketball history under the colours of the University of Michigan: Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson, Chris Webber and Jalen Rose. The most interesting detail of the show is on the back where the usual Air Jordan logo has been replaced with a “stylised” gesture designed by Tinker Hatfield (better known as “the architect of Air” / “the father of Air Max”) which depicts the “Five Times”, i.e. the 5 times the team had called Time-Out thus taking a penalty that cost them the match.

7. Adidas Human Race NMD Pharrell x Chanel (2017): £6,418

Born from the collaboration between adidas Originals, Pharrell Williams and the French fashion giant Chanel, these sneakers come with a total black upper, white boost and the word “Pharrell” on the left shoe and “Chanel” on the right. The limited edition, created together with the creative director Karl Lagerfeld, was launched in March 2017 in the Seoul flagship. For Pharrell Williams, who was also the first man to be part of an advertising campaign for the French fashion house, it was not his first experience as a designer: he had already co-created a sneaker capsule for Chanel with Adidas with the Pharrell x Chanel x Adidas NMD Human Race model. 

8. Nike Air Back To The Future BTTF (2011): £6,245

Although the 2016 edition is rarer, in 2011 Nike had already sold 1,500 pairs of shoes identical to those used by Marty McFly during his time travel in 2015. After the film was released, many fans had hoped that Nike would create a shoe actually capable of lacing itself, but this came a little later when this limited-edition pair was put up for sale. The proceeds from the sales went to the “Michael J. Fox Foundation”, created by the protagonist of the mythical saga for research on Parkinson’s disease (a disease the actor has been suffering from since 1991). 

9. Air Jordan 3 Retro Khaled Grateful DJ (2017): £6,230

Air Jordan has remained one of the most hotly anticipated shows with most releases selling out within hours. This model is the result of the first collaboration between Air Jordan and DJ Khaled. The shoe, in fire red, was made with an elephant print on the upper part and on the heel, typical of this model. The choice of colours was inspired by Khaled’s passion for the Miami Heat and for the Jordan 1 High “Bulls” model. The feature most fans love most though is the ‘Jumpman’ logo placed on the heel, where the word “We the best” also appears. The flap on the heel also shows the three hashtags #majorkey, #blessup and # jumpman23. 

10. Nike Dunk Low Staple SB NYC Pigeon (2005): £6,166

Unveiled in New York, the shoe was designed with the involvement of Jeff Ng, owner of Staple Design and Reed Space (famous streetwear store), who thought of the pigeon as a symbol which represented New York. On the day the model was put up for sale at Reed Space, the police were called on to manage the crowd resulting in report from the New York Post. From this moment on the SB Dunk has become one of the most iconic shoes in the world.

Bailey Moss