Why are Travis Scott Nike Air Force 1's so expensive?

With the launch of Travis Scott's Air Jordan 1s fans were left floored over the Nike collaboration’s unsurprising price tag which begs the question, why are they so expensive?.

As per listings online, the highly coveted shoe, which retails for $150 to $225, is going for as high as $2,700 in the market which was largely expected given the cultural significance and demand for it.

Another aspect that attributes to the sky-high price of the shoe is not only the craftsmanship but also a deliberate scarcity to drive up demand, thus prices.

By limiting the quantity to customers, the collaboration creates an air of exclusivity, driving up the emotions of sneakerheads, who are then willing to drop thousands of dollars for a pair.

This also results in a practice for "backdooring", when customers purchase an item in bulk, prior to its release, for the purpose of reselling at a premium at the black market.

This is especially key in limited releases and rare collaborations.

Coming to the rapper’s collaboration with Nike, he has had previous collaborations with the sportswear giant that have held their value even after the Astroworld incident in 2021.

His previous designs like the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP Black Phantom emerged to be some of Nike’s most unique collaborations as it debuted a beetle design along with a Cactus Jack logo, that’s synonymous with the musician’s branding.

The creativity was turned up a notch as it offered three variations of laces to style the show with.