Sneakers - October 9, 2019

Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis Scott - By The Numbers

Morgan Baylis

Morgan is a writer and sneaker analyst based in Detroit, MI. He is the Content Coordinator of StockX.

The Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis Scott is set to release this Friday, October 11, and so far, it is expected to become one of the biggest releases of the year, straight up! It has already entered the conversation for Sneaker of the Year, joining another Travis Scott Jordan from earlier this year (the Jordan 1 Retro Travis Scott). Everything La Flame has touched for Nike and Jordan Brand alike has caught on fire with no signs of burning out. Letā€™s break down why this AJ6 could be the greatest Cactus Jack breadwinner so far and how Astroworld played a key role in making this happen.

It wasnā€™t always “checks over stripes” for Travis Scott. Long before the Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis Scott, there was a time when La Flame collaborated with Reebok Classics on a shoe and when adidas Yeezys were in rotation. James Harden even starred in what looked to be an adidas-sponsored music video for Travisā€™ song ā€œway backā€, off of his second studio album ā€œBirds In The Trap Sing McKnightā€. Many fans werenā€™t sure if Travis was still a free agent or if his family ties lead him to the three stripes. Then, in May of 2017, the answer appeared in the form of Nikeā€™s new Air VaporMax campaign with Travis Scott as the face. This was the birth of Nike Boyz.Ā 

Image from the Nike VaporMax Campaign

Following the VaporMax campaign, Travis teased his first collaboration with Nike; a white canvas Air Force 1 with interchangeable velcro swooshes on the uppers. These shoes officially released in December of 2017 as a part of Nikeā€™s ā€œAF100ā€ pack, a collection of five AF 1 iterations released to celebrate 35 years of the design. Travisā€™ AF1s were an instant hit and climbed in numbers for almost two months until reaching a peak of $612 resale value at the end of January. It was in February that these shoes began to plateau, and after a few months of flat prices, looked like the hype may have reached its ceiling.

Then, in the summer of 2018, Travis Scott released his hit album, Astroworld. Since then, it’s been a nonstop whirlwind of attention, hype, and acclaim. Astroworld catapulted La Flame into the prime of his music career. This album would lead Scott to headline his first stadium tour and give monumental performances at the Grammys, Superbowl, and Saturday Night Live.Ā The combined effect of all this hype and buzz around Travis has had a profound influence on his sneaker resale prices. In the first 3 months of their release, the Travis Scott AF100 had an average resale price of $550 and an average premium of 267%. But in the last 3 months, this sneaker has boasted an average resale price of $876, and an average premium of 485%.

As we await the release of theĀ Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis Scott, it’s worth noting: we’ve seen this same “Astroworld Effect” repeated for Travis’ other sneakers as well.

 

 

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After Travisā€™ introduction to Nike with his own Air Force 1, La Flame teamed up with Jordan Brand for the Jordan 4 Retro Travis Scott ā€œCactus Jackā€, his first official release with the brand. For the occasion, La Flame threw a carnival in his hometown of Houston, TX with the help of Jumpman. It was there that fans were able to receive an early invite to purchase the shoes a day before the global SNKRS release on June 9th, 2018. At first, these shoes didnā€™t do crazy numbers. In the first two months after the global release, these shoes averaged resale prices of $365 and a premium of 62%. Solid resale numbers, sure; but far from spectacular. Then, like clockwork, the Astroworld Effect came into play. Since the release of Astroworld, the Cactus Jack 4 has averaged resale prices of $450 and a premium of 100%. Again, a significant difference. A major impact on these totals has been in the last six months as the shoe has entered full Sicko Mode. In the last six months, the Cactus Jack 4 had an average resale value of $660 and a premium of nearly 200%, with several individual sales topping $1,000.

Coinciding with the release of Astroworld, Nike released a Sail colorway of the Travis Scott Air Force 1 design in August of 2018 in larger quantities. Usually, the rule of thumb is the wider the release, the lower the margins of profit are. This was the case, but the hype stayed alive and grew. Whatā€™s interesting about this second installation of the Travis AF1 has been the consistency. This was the first Travis shoe to not plateau or show any significant dip in resale value. Was this the Astroworld Effect again? We think so! These shoes have only increased in value since the initial release, and in the last three months, they’ve averaged a resale value of nearly $800 and premium of 430%. A sneaker posting numbers like this almost a year after itā€™s release is almost unheard of, and it bodes extremely well for this weekend’s Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis Scott.

Image by Social Status

Following the release of Astroworld, Travis hit the road for the ā€œWish You Were Here Tourā€, a two-legged, 56 city stadium tour filled with roller coasters, pyrotechnics, and endless seas of raging teenagers. It was on the stage where Travis debuted his next Jordan collaborations including the Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scott and the Jordan 1 Retro Low SP Travis Scott. Unreleased Jordan 1s on one of the biggest stages in today’s world? This shoe was going to be legendary from the very start.

The Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scott is arguably the sneaker of the year. The sky-high resale prices began when Nike dropped the shoes on SNKRS shortly after Travisā€™ Grammy performance. Prior to the official release, prices soared as high as $2800, indicating a truly massive level of hype. Then on May 11, 2019, the Travis Scott Jordan 1 hit the SNKRS app in a mass release and the rest is history.

This is the sneaker that took Travisā€™ standing in the sneaker world to a new level. This Jordan 1 has averaged a resale value of $1,093 and premiums of 524%. This is by far the best performing publicly released Travis collaboration ever. Just as previous shoes have shown, the Travis AJ 1 has shown no decline since initial mass release. In addition, this has been the most traded Travis collaboration ever, standing at over 21,000 sales on StockX.

Shortly trailing the High was the Jordan 1 Retro Low SP Travis Scott, and by no means did the numbers draw resemblance to the cut of the shoe. This AJ 1 low is the highest selling of its kind in history, averaging a resale price of $776 and premiums of 499%. For a low top Air Jordan 1, this is basically unprecedented. And once again, we can credit the Astroworld Effect for the push.

How will prices for the Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis ScottĀ respond after their official release, when supply fully hits the market? Something tells me that Travis wouldn’t decide to rock these heaters during his monumental Super Bowl performance without knowing he would send the sneaker world into a frenzy once again. These Travis Scott Air Jordan 6 will continue La Flameā€™s hot streak with Jumpman. Prior to its release, this shoe has already been selling on StockX at an average value of $1,279 and at premiums of near 412%. Granted there have only been 126 sales, but this is an indicator that resellers will be in for big wins come this Saturday. A brand new Jordan 6 iteration, cargo pocket and all, with Cactus Jack branding and Travisā€™ name attached spells out nothing but success. Market lows in price and premiums are likely to occur initially after the official release when quantities increase, but just like previous Travis Scott collaborations, these shoes will spike over time and potentially set records for Travis and Jumpman.