Sneakers - February 10, 2020

Chicago Sneakers Everyone Loves

Chicago has left an indelible impression on basketball, from playing home to some of the most storied teams to incubating the best players in the game. The city has also served as inspiration to some of the most famous and recognizable sneaker colorways ever made. With ASW about to converge on Chicago, with all the love that’s about to rain down on the city, we thought it would be sensible to see how Chicago themed sneakers do on our platform. We examined how Chicago colorways perform in our community, breaking down the most sales, the highest price premium (how a market price compares to the retail price), and even included some of the lowest price premiums if you want to get a deal on your next Chicago shoe.

MOST SALES

We’re not going to lie, but the highest sales numbers for Chicago-themed shoes were not exactly what we expected. You might think the top-spot would belong to the iconic, legendary Chicago Jordan 1. But in fact, far and away the biggest-selling Chicago sneaker on StockX is the Air Jordan 1 Retro High Fearless UNC Chicago. With over 24,000 trades on our platform, these patent leather pairs have obviously inspired a hunger unlike any other. Even more remarkable is all this has been done only a few months since these sneakers just released in November of last year. Of course, it’s also important to recognize that these numbers are only possible when a sneaker is released in huge quantities: and the Jordan 1 Fearless UNC Chicagos obviously was, considering how many have sold on our platform, and further considering their fairly modest 44% price premium.

The second best-selling Chicago-themed sneaker is yet another Air Jordan 1 (you’ll notice this is a trend with Chicago colorways): this time, it’s the Jordan 1 Retro High OG Defiant SB LA to Chicago. With over 15,000 sales, there’s been an incredible amount of love for this sneaker, though it is still a distant second. With a price premium of around 140%, demand is high and hasn’t waned since release in May of 2019. Jordan SBs tend to be popular among collectors, and while this colorway isn’t traditionally emblematic of Chicago, it’s still proven to be a popular shout out.

The lesson here is that people love Chicago. But they love even more when Chicago is paired with another city, bridging gaps and bringing communities together.

HIGHEST PRICE PREMIUM

The sneaker in the top spot is pretty obvious: the Air Jordan 1 OG Chicago that originally released in 1985. Yes, we mean the same release that Michael Jordan himself wore during the 1985 ASW Game. Over the last three years, we’ve only seen one single sale of the OG Chicago 1s, at an eye-popping resale price of $3023. Give that the original retail price was just $65, which equates to a price premium of 4,551%. That’s a huge amount of appreciation over 35 years. This premium has as much to do with the colorway as it does with the fact that the shoes released in 1985, making them a part of the OG set. But even with that consideration, they have performed better than the 1985 Royals or Breds. 35 years later, we wouldn’t suggest wearing these kicks, but they’re the ultimate collector’s item.

Second place won’t be a surprise either since it’s practically the same sneaker. The Air Jordan 1 Chicago Retros that dropped in 1994 boast the next highest price premium among Chicago themed sneakers. The shoes themselves saw a little bit of a price increase between 1985 and 1994, raising in MSRP by $15 to around $80. The all-time average resale price for this sneaker is just under $1000, which equals an average price premium of 1,138%. Even though these are only 26 years old, they’re still not optimized for wear in 2020, but they still make for an incredible collection addition.

The biggest, boldest remix of the Chicago 1 is what takes third place for the price premium competition. It’s no surprise that Virgil Abloh’s Off-White x Air Jordan 1 Chicago demands an all-time average price premium of 1,023% (shout out to 23!). The first drop of The Ten collection from Off-White and Jordan, the sneaker is still the best representative of the ongoing collaboration that inspires fiendish attention and hype. With a retail price of $190, the sneakers demanded much more at the till than the other two in this trio. But with an all-time average resale price of around $2,100, it’s actually easier to get your hands on a pair of the 1994 pairs. It all just depends on what you’re trying to collect.

The lesson here is that while the OG scheme of black, red, and white may not be the most traded on StockX, the look is classic and fans are always hungry for it.

LOWEST PRICE PREMIUM

We all know the love for Chicago is strong, but sometimes that intense focus can leave some products in the dark and that means you can grab a great deal. On the other side of exceptionally high price premiums are some lower figures that mean you can cop pairs for below retail. The Nike Air Penny IV Chicago is almost not recognizable as a Chicago sneaker: the upper is almost entirely white with plenty of black elements. The red appears in a 270-degree air bubble at the heel. With an average resale price of less than $90, you can grab a deal well below the retail price of $160.

The best deal for a pair of Chicago sneakers is something of a surprise: the Fear of God Basketball Sneaker Chicago All-Star 2018 offers the lowest average price premium of -61%. That means you can grab a pair of luxe basketball sneakers for less than 40% of the retail price. The colorway drips of Chicago, but the thick wavy sole and sky-high upper is much more reminiscent of high fashion sneakers than sportswear offering a completely different look than the Jordans we’re used to seeing the colors splashed across. We know that the world loves a Chicago colorway, but black, red, and white still appears on sneakers that you can grab for a bargain.

To see everything that StockX has going on for ASW 2020 in Chicago and beyond, check out the hub and click here.