TOP 10 Most Overrated Shoes in Sneaker Culture

Sneaker culture has seen a rise in popularity in the United States and across the world for the past few decades and even more so recently. The popularity is not surprising as the sneaker community is very visible; you likely see more people wearing shoes throughout the day than you can count. On top of the real-world visibility, the sneaker community is also massive online. Shoes are a staple of fashion and that translates to billions of views across social media platforms. All of this attention and popularity causes many shoe brands and collaborations to become rare, coveted, or seen as special in some way or another. The rare or limited the shoes are, the higher the price goes. Sometimes the hype and reputation of sneakers are hyped up to a point that the price and product don’t meet the expectations of many consumers. We’ve put together a list of the 10 most overrated shoes. Keep in mind that this list is subjective and many people have differing opinions on which shoes are overrated. Do you agree with our list? Disagree? Let us know your opinion in the comments! 

TOP 10 Most Overrated Shoes:

1. Jordan 1 Retro - Shattered Backboard (2015)

source: https://stockx.com/

Retail Price: $160
Resell Price: $1,000+ The Jordan 1 Retro Shattered Backboard is often considered one of the most iconic and sought-after sneaker releases in recent years, but some argue that it is overrated. While it is true that this production of shoes used higher quality materials, much of the hype surrounding it can be attributed to its limited availability and the culture of sneaker collecting. Many factors have led to the resell market of the Jordan 1 Retro-Shattered Backboard being close to 10x the original retail price of $160. The Shattered Backboard release is not significantly different from other Jordan 1 releases, and while it may be a stylish and well-crafted shoe; the inflated price and cultural status associated with the Shattered Backboard is the reason it has made this list.

2. Jordan 1 Retro - Dior (2020)

source: https://stockx.com

Retail Price: $2,000
Resale Price: $6,000+

The Jordan 1 Retro - Dior was a breakthrough collaboration between the Jordan brand and the Parisian fashion house Dior. This release marked a historical moment when the Jordan brand began to collaborate with high fashion brands, and it signified a bright future for all fans of the Jordan brand. Due to the history around this release, and the original retail price of $2,000, it will now cost over $6,000 to get your hands on a pair. Materials and quality assurance were extremely high on this batch of shoes, and as a result, the shoes are very well made compared to other Jordan 1 releases. While the Jordan 1 Retro High Dior is a unique and aesthetically pleasing shoe, its hype and overrated reputation are largely driven by the exclusivity of celebrities and actors posting pictures on Instagram, rather than the inherent value of the shoe itself.

3. Jordan 1 x Off-White (2017)

source: https://goat.com

In the past, the Jordan Brand has done many collaborations with the American fashion brand Off-White, created by the late Virgil Abloh. Many unique releases over the years have been wildly popular with the sneaker community and this is one factor that causes resale prices of any Jordan 1 x Off-White collaboration to be so high. Another factor is the recent passing of the CEO and founder of Off-White, which has caused the prices of anything related to his company to increase dramatically. While it is true that these collaborations now hold sentimental value more than objective value, for those who are not attached to Virgil Abloh it can be debated that the value of any Off-White collaboration has become overrated and leaning towards trying to profit from person passing. Those are a few reasons why the Jordan x Off-White collaborations have made this list.

4. Adidas Yeezy Foam RNR (2020)

source: https://stockx.com

Retail: $75 - $90
Resale: $200+

In 2020, Kanye, like everybody else, was dealing with a lot of change in everyday life. This led to him thinking about what shoe people wanted, and his idea shocked the fashion world; the Yeezy Foam Runner.  The Foam Runners reference shape and style from the popular Crocs Clogs. The two shoes use similar materials but have interesting design differences. While Foam RNR shoes are comfortable and usable in many situations, the hype and demand for them have caused the resell prices to increase to the point where it costs hundreds of dollars to get a pair of Yeezy Foam Runners. Many people argue that the shoe line is only marginally better than a pair of $50 Crocs and not worth paying hundreds on the resellers market.

5. Nike MAG Back to the Future (2016)

source: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/

Retail: $10 million Auction for Charity Resale: $60,000 - $80,000

The Nike MAG Back to the Future shoe is an important part of Hollywood history as it is a reference to the wildly popular 1989 film Back to the Future II, where Marty time travels to 2015 and finds that he has automatic shoelaces. Nike made this fantasy a reality with its release of 1,500 pairs to the public. This release benefited the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which marked one of Nike’s most popular releases as it raised $10 million dollars in just 10 days. While this shoe has great historical value and holds ties to a world-famous movie franchise, the price to get your hands on a pair of these shoes is well above $50,000. Paying that amount of money for a pair of shoes may hold value in the collectible memorabilia sense, however, it makes them overrated in their intended purpose to act as footwear. While the footwear design and technology are interesting, they are nowhere near worth the current value of the price tag on the shoe.

6. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 (2016)

source: https://stockx.com

Retail: $200
Resale: $250

Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 is one of the most comfortable and recognizable shoes on people’s feet today. The popularity of the Yeezy brand and its association with its creator, Kanye West, has contributed to the hype and exclusivity of the Yeezy Boost 350, making it difficult for many consumers to obtain it for retail price. The hype surrounding the Yeezy Boost 350 has also led to the creation of numerous counterfeit versions, which have further diluted the value of authentic shoes. The massive demand for the shoes has caused resale prices to skyrocket and leaves consumers with the choice of paying resale prices or looking for inauthentic shoes online. Because many similar options exist at a much more affordable price, the Yeezy Boost 350 line has to make an appearance on this list.

7. Nike X Louis Vuitton Air Force One (2022)

source: https://hpyebeast.com/

Retail: $2,750

Resale: $6,000+

The Nike off-white Louis Vuitton is a high-fashion take on one of Nike's most popular sneakers. This collaboration was the mind child of the late Virgil Abloh. Virgil worked as the creative director for Louis Vuitton and was also the creator of the Off-White brand. The combination of this shoe's exclusiveness, Ridiculously high retail price and lack of general appeal are the reasons we have put them on this list.

8. Panda Dunk Low (2021)

source: https://sneakernews.com

Retail: $110

Resale: $150

The Panda Dunk low has taken the world by storm. This sneaker has transcended sneakerheads and has made its way into mainstream fashion. The Nike dunk low has become one of the most popular sneakers silhouettes over the last couple of years. With its wide availability, low retail price, and simple colorway that is easy to wear this sneaker has become a go-to sneaker for people looking to step their way into the fashion world. The sneakers' popularity, low quality, and basic reputation have led to this sneaker becoming one of the most overrated sneakers of this decade.

 

9. Travis Scott Fragment Jordan 1 High (2021)

source: https://solecollector.com/news

Retail: $200

Resale: $2,500+

This shoe embodies the saying too much of a good thing. The three brands that collaborated to make this shoe are all great brands individually and have even seen a great deal of success as a  collaboration between two of the brands. By doing collaboration between all three hyped-up brands the collaboration felt extremely forced and driven by hype and profit. The colorway and color blocking of this shoe is also a detriment to the sneaker as the shoe feels lazy and uninspired. 

10. Trophy room Jordan 1 High (2021)

source: https://goat.com/sneakers/

Retail: $190

Resale: $2,000+

The Trophy Room Air Jordan 1 is a sneaker that lives in infamy. This shoe is a collaboration between Jordan Brand and the sneaker boutique Trophy Room owned by Michael Jordan's son Marcus Jordan. This sneaker is a beautiful rendition/recreation of the Chicago Jordan 1. Although this sneaker looks amazing the way in which it got distributed has tainted the sneaker and its reputation as a whole.  Before this sneaker was released to the public, news broke that Marcus Jordan was selling pairs for an increased price before they were available to the public which lead to very few pairs being available for the retail price on release day.