We’re halfway through 2023 and we’ve ranked the best sneakers, the best Air Jordans, and the best new sneaker designs of the year so far. Now we’re at the list that’s worth the most, at least in financial terms. In the past, there have been sneakers worth thousands, tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands. This year it’s a little different.
The sneaker market is flooded, the economy is in a ditch, and people are into more utilitarian footwear rather than crispy pairs you can only wear once or twice. With that said, there are still expensive sneakers out there: Louis Vuitton sneakers, Tiffany & Co. Air Force 1s, Travis Scott Air Jordan 1s, and more. To compile this list, we took the data from StockX, but left off pairs that didn’t release to the public, didn’t have a decent volume of sales, or stuff that people reading this don’t care about (Balenciaga Speed Trainers, Dior slippers).
With that said, here are The Most Expensive Sneakers of 2023 (So Far).
10. Nike Kobe 4 Protro "Gigi"
Retail price: $180
Resale price: $451
Following a year-long break while a new contract between the Kobe Bryant estate and Nike was in the works, demand for his sneakers built up while supply ran out. Considering the price hikes seen following Bryant's 2020 death, it’s no surprise that any new Nike Kobe would climb our most expensive list. Collectors are amassing this posthumous product for their stash, while hoopers seek to replenish their on-court supply. But even when they eventually become easier to acquire, the pairs made to honor Bryant’s late daughter Gigi will always feel special. This year’s "Mambacita" Zoom Kobe 4, much like 2022’s “Mambacita" Zoom Kobe 6, paid tribute to her birthday. It once again launched on May 1, and featured a colorway inspired by the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation’s jerseys. Those are the only two Nike Kobes to be released since the partnership was renewed, but rumors of an all-white Kobe 8 coming soon could signal greater accessibility to the line being right around the corner. —Zac Dubasik
9. Kiko Kostadinov x ASICS GEL-Quantum Zientzia
Retail price: $270
Resale price: $463
Kiko Kostadinov’s work with ASICS has been hit or miss at times. Some of the shoes are insanely good and become quite popular, while others leave more to be desired out of the product. One of the sneakers that took off recently is the GEL-Quantum Zientzia. ASICS has had a huge year so far, in terms of relevance in the sneaker space. The brand’s mesh running shoes have found a home with a reemergence of the trend that favors designs from the 2000s, and Kith and HAL Studios have had hits this year. You can add Kiko’s name to the mix, as the GEL-Quantum Zientzia appears to be quite coveted on the secondary market. The black and blue colorway of the shoe seems to be resonating the most, and the model itself sets itself apart from ASICS’ other retro offerings on the market at the moment. It has full-length GEL pods and the logo, which extends to the forefoot, is reminiscent of ASICS’ court shoes rather than its runners. It’s a good sign all around for Kiko that his line will continue strong and march on at the forefront of this new age of collaborative footwear. —Matt Welty
8. Kith x Clarks x Adidas Samba “8th Street”
Retail price: $220
Resale price: $525
On paper, a three-way collaboration between Fieg’s Kith, sportswear company Adidas, and British footwear brand Clarks may sound out of left field, but the group found the right recipe to make it work.
Sticking with the theme of three, the collection featured a trio of distinctly different Adidas Samba colorways in Chalk White, Savannah, and Shadow Green. Each shoe was built with cow suede uppers with touches of leather, while a Clarks-inspired crepe rubber sole capped off the bottom. At a retail price of $220, demand was so high for the collaboration during its March raffle that Fieg tweeted he spoke with Adidas and Clarks and they came to the conclusion to hold a preorder for all three pairs.
With a delivery time of four to six months, the preorders wouldn’t have arrived yet, a likely factor in the shoe’s inflated resale price. But the fact that customers had an extended window to lock down a pair and the collab is still flipping for more than double its retail price is a sign they got things right with this multibrand project. —Riley Jones
7. Kith x New Balance 993 “Spring 101”
Retail price: $210
Resale price: $543
This is one of my favorite sneakers this year and I’m disappointed it was such a limited release. Kith and New Balance have a long history working together but one of their best projects might be this random 993 that has no story, no big rollout, and no anticipation. These white, green, and brown 993s dropped as part of Kith’s spring collection, and some people were confused about the true shade of green on the shoe. They ended up being slightly different from how they looked in hand, but that didn’t stop people from wanting them. The 993 has cooled down a bit, but it’s still one of New Balance’s best shoes. People have shifted toward mesh runners this year, but it’s hard to beat a pair of suede 990 series sneakers, especially when Kith head Ronnie Fieg puts his signature touch on it. Not every sneaker needs a huge backstory, sometimes a good shoe is a good shoe. When it’s as limited as this pair, it’s going to go for a lot on the secondary market. Resale prices as a whole have cooled down on sneakers over the past couple years, but this sneaker is holding strong. With so few made, don’t expect prices to go down anytime soon. —Matt Welty
6. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low "Olive"
Retail price: $150
Resale price: $687
The “Olive” Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low is now running neck and neck with the “Black Phantom” colorway of the collaboration for the most affordable entry into the rapper’s work on the model. Yet here it is on our most expensive list: a testament to the staying power of Travis Scott’s Nike/Jordan Brand partnership, which began with 2017’s Air Force 1 collab that released at ComplexCon.
This latest entry into the now five-shoe list of Air Jordan 1 Low collabs, which dropped as a women’s release, didn’t break any new ground and is rumored to be the last of the projects involving this silhouette. The palette is a familiar one to fans of Travis’ work, and probably why it was so popular. With new collaborations—possibly even his own silhouettes—on the horizon, the “Olive” 1 Low serves as a fitting bookend to a series that propelled the partnership to an era-defining level. —Zac Dubasik
5. Nike Ja 1 “Swarovski”
Retail price: $250
Resale price: $731
In February, Ja Morant was about to be Nike’s next big thing. The brand had put considerable backing into his debut sneaker, the Nike Ja 1, and he was Nike Basketball’s first signature athlete from Gen Z. Shortly after that, Morant started making headlines for all the wrong reasons, putting the Ja 1’s future in question. However, a few pairs have still managed to drop as planned.
Ahead of a wider official release, Nike held a pop-up in Salt Lake City during February’s NBA All-Star Weekend, which granted fans early access to two Ja 1 colorways. There was a “Scratch” pair inspired by the throwback Vancouver Grizzlies uniforms along with a more expensive Swarovski-encrusted “Midnight” pair. While some initial internet rumors tagged the Swarovski version with a retail price of $400, it was sold for $250 via SNKRS Stash at the All-Star Weekend event. With that regional exclusive being the only release for this colorway thus far, resale prices have predictably risen in the months that followed. And despite the controversy around him, Morant’s rarest pair continues to gain value, with six of the eight most recent StockX sales coming in at above $1,000. —Riley Jones
4. Air Jordan 1 Low “Year of the Rabbit”
Retail price: $140
Resale price: $733
One of the most underrated sneakers of the year, the Air Jordan 1 Low “Year of the Rabbit” quietly released in January alongside the rest of Nike’s Chinese New Year offerings. In a shocking turn of events, I totally agree with Welty and what he had to say on our Best Air Jordans of 2023 (So Far) list, when he mentioned that he prefers Air Jordan 1 Lows over Highs. It’s just a much easier silhouette to wear and if we’re keeping it 100, they’re more comfortable too.
The reason we find this shoe at the number 4 spot on this list is due largely to the fact that it was limited to only 5,000 units. Now that’s not to say that it isn’t a good-looking—or even great-looking in my opinion—shoe, done up in earthy hues and a number of premium textiles. It’s hard to really gauge the success of this shoe as it is so limited, but that’s likely why it has an average resale value of $732. —Ben Felderstein
3. Gallery Dept. x ASICS GEL-1130
Retail price: $250
Resale price: $863
Who would have thought an ASICS sneaker would land on a list like this in 2023? The brand’s recent momentum can’t be ignored, but even with current hype levels, it's rare that ASICS collabs get too expensive on the resell market in the 2020s. (The 2010s, when Ronnie Fieg’s designs could regularly crack the thousand-dollar-mark, were a different story.)
Gallery Dept. didn’t do a ton to this design (unlike that hand-painted Gel Lyte-V) but the brand has done so few sneaker collaborations that a simple logo hit here was enough. The project might even deserve extra credit for working with a silhouette that hasn’t been particularly lauded—don’t get us wrong, the GEL-1130 is a cool shoe that makes sense with the current retro 2000s runner, but not up there among ASICS’ all-time classics. —Brendan Dunne
2. Tiffany & Co. x Nike Air Force 1
Retail price: $400
Resale price: $1,147
The Tiffany x Nike Air Force 1 is proof that some sneakers are just too big to fail. Maybe we’ve been too harsh on this project and all the gentrification of the Air Force 1 it represents, but it really did feel like a flop from the beginning. And yet, people are still paying multiple times the already chunky $400 retail price for the shoe. Keep in mind, too, that this sneaker was distributed pretty widely, and a lot of Nike’s neighborhood accounts got stock, so it’s not as if the secondary market price here is merely a factor of the shoe being extremely scarce.
If it’s at all lacking in cultural authenticity, Tiffany’s version of the Nike Air Force 1 has still maintained an aura of exclusivity. Then again, maybe that’s what was wrong with the sneaker the whole time—we still can’t unsee nepo god Alexandre Arnault making these look absolutely wonky courtside at Madison Square Garden. —Brendan Dunne
Louis Vuitton LV Trainer "Comic Motifs"
Retail price: $1,360
Resale price: $2,068
Virgil Abloh’s impact on the footwear world is still felt. His work with Nike has slowed down/dried up considerably, but there’s still his output with Louis Vuitton that’s being released on the market. The LV Trainer has been a huge hit and people still have an appetite for the model and its new iterations, even if Abloh is no longer with us.
The “Comic Motifs” pairs are the most expensive sneakers on the resale market this year so far. Sure the retail price helps drive up their resale value, but they’re still going for over $2,000. The sneakers are bright and fun, which makes them more unique and a must-have item for fans of Louis Vuitton and Abloh. There was also a Rammellzee pair of LV Trainers this year that go for more than Comic versions, but there haven’t been many sales of them. —Matt Welty
