From Michael Jordan To Billie Eilish: New Analysis Reveals The Most Successful Sneaker Collaborations
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By PAGE Editor
Sneakerheads have been waiting all summer since the first rumors leaked online last June of an upcoming Billie Eilish x Nike Air Jordan sneaker collaboration.
After a long list of partnerships with fashion brands such as Uniqlo, H&M and Urban Outfitters, the Grammy Award-winning artist has finally just released, not one, but two new Nike Air Jordan sneaker models named after her: Billie Eilish X Air Jordan 1 KO and Billie Eilish x Air Jordan 15.
The artist behind Ocean's Eyes is one of many celebrities teaming up with designer footwear manufacturers during the past decade; in fact, you might not be famous enough if you haven't released your own line of sports shoes yet. But among all celebrity collaborations with sneaker makes, which have proved the most successful?
eBay has analyzed 200 of the most iconic celebrity sneaker collaborations with well-known public figures such as Michael Jordan, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams or Rihanna in order to find out which are most popular amongst the public, how much a pair sells for on average and how high some of the winning bids for customers to get their hands on the most desired pairs.
The top five sneaker collaborations by sales on eBay include:
1st
Michael Jordan
$210
$10,000
2nd
Kanye West
$194
$14,000
3rd
Michael Jordan
$232
$6,160
4th
Michael Jordan
$235
$9,999
5th
Michael Jordan
$214
$2,200
The Most Popular Celebrity Sneaker Collaboration of All Time Is Michael Jordan x Nike
Michael Jordan isn’t just known for his impressive sports career in the NBA, he’s also grown into a thriving businessman. The top model of Michael Jordan sneakers arises from the original Air Jordan 1.
Besides writing books, becoming chairman of the NBA and starring in a number of films including the 1996 comedy, Space Jam, the former athlete has established himself in the world of footwear.
With 35 different models released since 1985, Michael Jordan unsurprisingly comes out on top as the celebrity with the most successful and iconic sneaker collaboration. Starting with the Nike Air Jordan 1 “Notorious” sneaker, the celeb has continued to launch different versions of this footwear for the past 35 years.
Air Jordan’s have grown to become an immensely popular choice of footwear, both in stores and through third-party resellers.
In the analysis, the vastly popular Air Jordan dominates the top 10 and 20 lists of highest sold sneaker collaborations, with Kanye West’s Yeezy 2 being the only other sneaker to make the top 10 of most sold sneaker collaborations, placing in second.
The top model of Michael Jordan sneakers arises from the original Air Jordan 1. Whilst their average price is $210, some sneaker fans have put down a whopping $10,000 for a pair, which is nearly 50 times the original cost.
The second most sold pair of Michael Jordan footwear is the Air Jordan 11, with an average price tag of $232 and some bidders going above and beyond that figure for just one pair, the highest price paid for some of these specific Jordan’s ran up to a staggering $6,160.
Following in at third is the Air Jordan 4. Averagely priced at $235, one of these pairs has sold under the digital hammer for up to $9,999.
Kanye, Rihanna and Pharrell come in as having the next most successful celebrity sneaker collaborations after Michael Jordan
Whilst the sales results show that Michael Jordan has dominated the realm of footwear for decades - there are other celebrities that have successfully launched their own sneaker models. Here is a list of celebrity sneaker collaborations that also rank in the top 25 most sold celebrity sneakers on eBay.
Sneakers sales rank
Model
Collaboration
Avg. Price
Highest winning bid on eBay
2nd
Kanye West
Nike Air Yeezy 2
$194
$14,000
14th
Rihanna
Rihanna x PUMA Fenty Creeper
$141
$349
15th
Pharrel Williams
adidas Pharrell Williams Tennis HU
$92
$661
18th
Pharrel Williams
adidas Superstar Pharrell Williams
$102
$297
19th
Rihanna
Rihanna x PUMA Fenty Cleated Creepers
$69
$259
20th
Rihanna
PUMA x Rihanna Suede Creeper
$185
$999
21st
Pharrell Williams
adidas Pharrell Williams HU NMD
$347
$4,999
23rd
Curry
Curry 4
$170
$1,499
24th
Stan Smith
adidas Stan Smith
$63
$1,200
25th
Sean Wotherspoon
Nike Air Max 1/97
$439
$2,000
Kanye West’s Iconic Yeezy has resold at the highest price of all celebrity sneakers at $14,000
American Rapper, Kanye West, has gained both fame and notoriety for multiple reasons - a musical career that has seen a unique style throughout the years, stealing Beck’s Grammy Award in 2015 and expressing a desire to run for President of the United States in 2024. But above all, most will likely know him for taking the world of footwear by storm.
Since Nike launched the first model of Yeezy twelve years ago, this particular line of sneakers (currently produced by Adidas) has gained a cult-like following; and his Nike Air Yeezy 2 has become the second most sold celebrity sneaker at eBay.
For those lucky enough to have their hands on a pair in official sales, Yeezys can be bought for a humble price of $140, a reasonable price for a high-quality pair of shoes. However, increasing demand and low supply caused sneaker collectors to pay as much as $14,000 in eBay resales, thus becoming the highest amount paid for any celebrity sneaker on the site, ever.
Staggering prices for Kanye’s Yeezy collection come as no surprise, with a pair designed and worn by Kanye himself going up for auction on Sotheby´s, with an estimated selling price of $1,000,000.
The Nike Air Jordan 1 comes in second for their resale price at $10,000, which is still $4,000 less than Kanye’s Yeezy 2.
Rihanna’s sneaker collab has gone up in value by 275%
An international star since the age of 16 years old and most known for her musical career, Rihanna has a number of side hustles going on, with sneakers being one of them. Launching in 2014 as she became the Creative Director at Puma, the Barbados singer established herself in the world of footwear.
Puma’s celeb collabs with well-known names such as Kylie Jenner and Rihanna, herself, saw a sales increase of 7.3% for the brand. Rihanna’s third release of the Fenty x Puma creepers in 2016 was sold out in 35 minutes.
For those that were too late to buy a pair, trying to get your hands on these creepers on a resale platform sees the price tag increase from $140 to $349, as well as the Rihanna x Puma Fenty Cleated Creepers from the same collection, increasing from $69 originally to $259.
Adidas x Pharrell Williams
Unlike many other celeb collabs in the world of sneakers, Pharrell Williams may not be the first famous icon that springs to mind. The American-born rapper, probably most known for his song “Happy”, partnered with adidas on a range of sneakers in 2014.
Whilst most other celebrity collaborations with brands didn’t have as much of a political or social motive, the drive behind Pharrell’s own line of shoes named the “Human Race Collection” are based on his own vision in an effort to connect people, spread love and passion whilst celebrating diversity.
Despite the release of adidas Pharrell Williams Tennis HU shoes and adidas Superstar Pharrell Williams sneakers being released some years ago, they still remain popular. These retail for $92 and $102 respectively, with exclusive pairs having raised $661 and $393 winning bids on eBay. Pharrell continues to design and launch sneakers under this line with his ‘Barefoot’ model being the latest yet.
Under Armour x Stephen Curry
Michael Jordan may dominate footwear collaborations with basketball players, but Stephen Curry too launched a successful range of sneakers.
Whilst first having signed with Nike, the Golden State Warriors player finally chose a partnership with Under Armour, instead, and is now considered the sports brand’s “face of the footwear line” having brought the Curry line to the market.
With the Curry 4 being one of the most sought-after sneakers in the world of resales today and an original price tag of $170, this model has raised bids on eBay as high as $1,499 for a pair.
Billie Eilish is the next celebrity to champion their own sneaker collaboration with two Nike Air Jordan’s set to release on September 30th
All in all, it’s safe to say that having added a sneaker line to their curricula has worked in these celebrities' favour; increasing their own popularity and worth as well as that of the brands they partner with.
The next iconic sneaker collab to watch is Billie Eilish x Nike Air Jordan where two sneaker styles have just been launched on September 30th. Made 100% vegan and crafted with 20% recycled materials, Billie has brought the world´s sneakerheads yet another pair of shoes to obsess about.
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