Fashion search engine Lyst and resale platform StockX have teamed up for their ranking of the most popular sneakers of 2020 and compiled their Top 10 Sneakers of 2020 list based on searches on Lyst and resales via StockX. Without wanting to give too much away, let us just note that Nike dominates the list and that Adidas’ Yeezy Boost 350 is not the number one for the first time in five years.
No. 10: Jordan 1 Retro High NC to Chi Leather (Women)
With over 30,000 pairs resold on StockX, this Jordan 1 sneaker (pictured above) was the best-selling women’s sneaker of 2020. “The number of exclusive releases for women is growing almost twice as fast as the overall sneaker market,” noted StockX. On the Lyst platform, search queries for the Air Jordan 1 increased by 433 percent year-on-year.
No. 9: Nike Space Hippie 03 Vast Grey Hyper Crimson
The Nike Space Hippie was the best-selling sustainable sneaker on StockX in 2020. It was resold for more than double its retail price of 180 US dollars (around 148 euros or 133 British pounds). According to the resale platform, the markup for sustainably produced sneakers is twice as high as for classic sneaker models. On Lyst, searches for sustainable sneakers increased by 89 percent year-on-year.
No. 8: New Balance 992 Joe Freshgoods No Emotions Are Emotions
Following the release of the Joe Freshgoods, searches for the 992 model on Lyst increased by a whopping 1,303 percent. Resales of the sneaker doubled since its drop in February, reaching nearly 1,000 US dollars (almost 825 euros or close to 740 British pounds), reports StockX. The market share of New Balance sneakers increased threefold in the last year.
No. 7: Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Carbon
Released in early October, the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Carbon turned out to be the fastest-selling Yeezy of 2020; over 15,000 pairs were sold on StockX in the first two weeks of October alone. Even though it did not make the top spot this year, according to StockX, the Yeezy 350 v2 is bought four times as often as any other Adidas model.
No. 6: Nike SB Dunk Low Grateful Dead Bears Orange
This eye-catching, hyped up model from the Grateful Dead collaboration with Nike resold for more than 3,000 US dollars (almost 2,500 euros or 2,220 British pounds), which is almost 3,000 percent above the retail price of 110 US dollars. “The sneakers are considered the most profitable of the year,” StockX said. The average resale price of Nike SB Dunks has also tripled since last year and just one week after the release date in mid-July, searches on Lyst increased by 46 percent.
No. 5: Nike SB Dunk Low Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Dunky
Another Nike collaboration enjoyed great popularity, this one with US ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream-inspired sneaker was one of the most anticipated and limited sneaker releases of the year, according to StockX. The average price was 1,600 US dollars (around 1,320 euros or almost 1,200 British pounds), which is 1,600 percent higher than the retail price of 100 US dollars. “The sneaker is the only model listed among the Top 20 sneakers of 2020 with the highest price, highest premium and highest StockX gross volume,” summed up StockX and Lyst.
No. 4: Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott
Another Nike sneaker ranked high: The SB Dunk Low Travis Scott from the early 2000s made a big comeback in 2020; on Lyst, search queries for the shoe increased by 443 percent between February and March. “One of the model’s most successful collaborations was with Travis Scott and his ‘Cactus Jack’ design, which has already increased in value by 50 percent since its release in February, reselling for over 1,600 US dollars [around 1,320 euros or almost 1,200 British pounds],” said StockX.
No. 3: Air Jordan 1 Retro High Dior
In third place is the Air Jordan 1 Retro High Dior, which bears the monogram of the French luxury fashion house Dior as well as the Wings logo and a silver ‘Air Dior’ hang tag. With a retail price of 2,000 US dollars (almost 1,650 euros or 1,480 British pounds) and an average resale price of 10,000 US dollars (around 8,237 euros or 7,400 British pounds), the Air Jordan 1 Retro High was the most expensive sneaker release and is one of the 20 biggest releases of 2020 in terms of StockX gross merchandise volume. On the Lyst Index, the Air Jordan 1 Retro High Dior is the most sought-after product for men.
No. 2: Air Jordan 4 Retro Off-White Sail
In second place, another collaboration: Virgil Abloh worked on an exclusive women’s sneaker for the first time with Nike’s Jordan Brand. According to StockX, the release is ranked as the biggest Off-White release of 2020.
No. 1: Air Jordan 13 Retro Flint
The Air Jordan 13 Retro Flint became the best-selling sneaker of 2020 thanks to the Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance”. But not only that, with 40,000 pairs sold in the first month of release, the Air Jordan 13 Retro Flint also became the best-selling sneaker in StockX history. The success of the documentary series also made itself felt on Lyst: Here, the number of search queries increased by 169 percent.
Photos: StockX x Lyst