Whether they’re of a second-hand nature or too heavy to even wear, the most expensive sneakers ever produced and sold may surprise you. These days, collabs and prototypes have eye-watering price tags, with some going down in history due to their market value. Given this, we thought it would be a great idea to give you a rundown of the most expensive sneakers the scene has witnessed.   

Most Expensive Sneakers Ever Sold

Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy – £ 1.35 Million 

 

Know as the original Yeezy, the Nike Air Yeezy was West’s first step into the world of sneaker design. The Nike Yeezy prototype which Ye himself wore during his 2008 Grammys performance has rocketed in value, as both West and Yeezy sneakers have become household names. West’s metamorphic rise in popularity over the last decade has seen him gain over 9 million Instagram followers, achieve over 100 million digital record sales and earn over 1 billion dollars.

The record-breaking sale of Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy Grammy Prototype sneaker sold for $1.8 million in April 2021. Making them the most expensive sneakers ever sold. The buyer was Rares, a company that founded a marketplace exclusively for footwear, where users can buy and trade fractional shares of highly valuable sneakers. West’s original prototype was with Nike, but after a falling out over royalties, Ye switched to Adidas in 2013. Their first collab was the ‘Adidas Yeezy Boost 750’ which sold over 9000 pairs in the first 10 minutes, making it one of the most lucrative collabs Adidas has ever done. The Yeezy brand has continued to go from strength to strength and reportedly has a yearly revenue of over $1 billion, with new styles set to be released next year.

Most Expensive Sneakers at Aphrodite

Lanvin Trainers Leather Curb Skate – £655

The chunky oversize skater trainer has grown in popularity this year, rapidly becoming a big player in the sneaker industry.
The Curb sneaker from Lanvin already has the seal of approval from a number of high-profile names including Virgil Abloh, Dele Ali, and Travis Scott. The luxury skating shoe is complete with all the authentic details that you would spot in an original Hugh Holland 1970s photoshoot. While the core of the shoe is an Orsis style staking shoe, which first hit the ramps in 1996. The Lanvin Curb sneaker is a fusion of subcultures from the 1970s, 1990s, and today’s alternative trend of oversized “ugly” shoes. Made popular with the raise of crocs, dad sandals, and the Balenciaga track shoe, the Lanvin shoe skates the line of being unfashionably fashionable extremely well and is available here at Aphrodite.

Most Expensive Sneakers Ever Made

Solid Gold OVO x Air Jordans – £1.56 Million 

Drake Spent £1.55 million on new sneakers which were too heavy to even wear. The sneakers were a commemorative piece commissioned by Drake to celebrate the collab between himself and Micheal Jordan’s brand Jumpman. The collab saw Drake release the track Jumpman on his 2015 mixtape ‘What a Time to Be Alive’ featuring Future. The track made numerous references to Jordan and how they both are legends in their own field. Drake in music and MJ in basketball. The one-of-a-kind golden Jordans had the iconic Jumpman logo embroidery alongside Drake’s label OVO.

The most expensive sneakers ever made are crafted from 24-carat gold. Weighing a staggering 100 pounds, the cost in today’s market is just over £1.56 million. However, the true value of the sneaker is way more, with the notoriety and popularity of the duo. The price of the golden Jordan’s if ever put up for sale may end up being the most expensive trainer ever sold.

Keep the trainer talk alive and head over to our footwear page to view the latest kicks up for grabs here at Aphrodite.