More than half the year is over and we can begin to paint a picture of what direction the sneaker market is taking in 2021. We teamed up with the data wizards at StockX to illustrate the biggest trends and storylines of the past few months. Read on for the industry’s most insightful sneaker report.
We're in an era in sneaker culture that has put collaborations on a pedestal, resulting in an unhealthy obsession with hype. What once made collabs special has been replaced with an Oprah Winfrey meme-esque “you get a collab, you get a collab, everyone gets a collab” approach to co-branded sneaker projects.
StockX data shows that, as the number of collaborative releases has gone up, the price premiums of those same projects have gone down. To illustrate this, we highlighted three popular partnerships — AMBUSH x Nike, sacai x Nike, and Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance — and compared the resale premiums and release numbers for their drops in 2020 versus 2021.
“These collabs still inspire considerable hype, and they remain profitable for resellers,” explains StockX chief economist Jesse Einhorn. “But because of the increased supply, they simply aren’t fetching the extraordinary prices of years past.”
● THE DIVERSIFICATION OF THE RESALE MARKET
Geographically, the platform’s new users are growing at a rapid rate, with non-US users growing quicker than ever. The same goes for female users, who are quickly adding up to have a powerful voice on the platform — New Balance and Reebok’s otherworldly growth is primarily due to women.
“For far too long the sneaker and streetwear space wasn’t inclusive, but the market is shifting to become a more balanced one," says Einhorn. "The top-traded Reebok Club C sneakers on StockX are all women’s exclusive Cardi B releases, which speaks to both her influence as an artist and the rising purchasing power of female buyers."
● SNACKABLES: MOST EXPENSIVE, MOST POPULAR, AND BIGGEST PRICE INCREASES
