The 10 Rarest Sneakers of All Time

We all know that limited-edition sneakers can be hard to get at the best of times. With raffles, queues and resell prices it’s not always easy to get your hands on the kicks you’ve been longing for, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the rarity of some pairs. There’s been plenty of ultra-limited releases over the years that have become grails for collectors almost overnight, with pairs often seeming totally unattainable. For plenty of sneakerheads, the hunt for these is all part of the fun.

We’ve scoured the internet and delved deep into the history books to list some of the most limited-edition sneakers of all time - the rarest of the rare. Whether they were friends and family exclusives, prototypes or auctioned off for charity, you’ll find them here. Check out our definitive list of the rarest sneakers ever and make sure to keep it locked in right here at The Sole Supplier for all the latest footwear news and updates!

Produced exclusively for a travelling art exhibition in 2002 featuring the work of French painter Bernard Buffet, the Nike SB Dunk Low “Paris” is easily one of the rarest Nike Dunk releases ever, and also tops the chart when it comes to resell price. Rumour has it that only between 150-200 pairs were ever made, with the release initially meant to be a raffle held at the exhibition, although this was later cancelled as the queue ended up getting out of hand. Instead, the sneakers were released at select retailers in Paris like Opium and Colette, with sneakerheads queuing days to get their hands on a pair. It's no wonder these made our list as one of the world's rarest sneakers.

Back in 2016, New York Yankees star Derek Jeter announced his retirement, and to mark the occasion, Jordan Brand created an extremely limited Air Jordan 11 release. The pair came complete with special packaging and were only available via auction to five lucky winners. Decked out in navy-blue suede and showcasing special edition branding, these are said to be one of the rarest Air Jordans in existence, even for a PE (Player Exclusive).

Arguably one of the coolest retail stores in Paris, Colette closed its doors for good back in 2017. While the store had served sneaker and fashion fans for 20 years, to mark the closing down, it teamed up with Jordan Brand to create an ultra-limited Air Jordan 1 High that was never made available at consumer level, with it instead being gifted to employees and friends of the store. The eye-catching white and blue colourway was embossed with “1997” and “2017” on the left and right sneaker respectively, as well as “Bonjour” and “Au Revoir” printed on the outsoles.

Back in 2003 Nike SB was at the peak of its popularity and was churning out plenty of high-heat Dunk colourways, such as the Nike SB Dunk Low “Heineken”. Drawing inspiration from the famous Dutch beer company, the sneakers mimicked the green, white and red colour scheme and even included the brand’s star logo on the lateral heel. All was going well until upon release of the sneakers, Heineken issued a cease and desist, as this wasn’t actually an official collaboration. As a result, this pair never made it to consumer level, meaning that pairs are incredibly rare on the resell market and will cost a significant amount of cash.

In the lead up to the 2006 holiday season, Sony was preparing to launch the Playstation 3 to rival the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii in one of the fiercest popularity contests in video game history. To help build hype around the console, Sony joined forces with Nike to release 150 pairs of F&F only Playstation AF1’s, with design language mirroring that of the PS3 itself. While most of the pairs went to Sony employees, Kobe Bryant was famously gifted a pair, as at the time he was the cover star of the Sony-exclusive NBA game franchise.

Back in 2018 Travis Scott joined forces with Jordan Brand to unveil his very own AJ4 collaboration. Inspired by the Houston Oilers, the blue colourway was a hit with both Travis fans and Jordan heads. Several F&F colourways have also surfaced over the years, with the rarest of the bunch being this olive-green rendition. Rumours have also circulated that this was an unreleased sample pair, as there are several differences to the variation that actually hit stores. Good luck finding these in your size!

Possibly the most-hyped Air Max 1 ever, the Patta x Parra x Nike Air Max 1 Premium “Cherrywood” was the result of an epic three-way collaboration between the Swoosh brand, Dutch-retailer Patta and artist Piet Parra. The trio cooked up an absolute belter of a colourway back in 2010 that stands the test of time even today. With 248 pairs released worldwide, these are possibly the rarest sneaker that frequent collaborator Patta has ever worked on, with it becoming increasingly harder to come across pairs on the market as time goes on.

2007 saw Nike SB plan to release a collection of Halloween-themed sneakers to mark the holiday, with one of these being a Dunk Low inspired by Freddy Krueger’s instantly recognisable sweater from the cult movie Nightmare on Elm Street. In typical Nike fashion, this wasn’t an official collaboration, so right as the sneakers were about to be released New Line Cinema issued a cease and desist, which ordered all pairs to be sent back to Nike and then destroyed. While most of the pairs met their fate, a small number of the sneakers made their way out to collectors, meaning that these are probably the rarest Dunks in existence.

To celebrate All Star Weekend 2018, Interscope Records and Jordan Brand united to create a limited-edition variant of the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement”. Boasting limited-edition details such as the label’s signature logo printed on the lateral heel and branded laces, this is exactly the sort of subtle pair that’s known to capture the hearts of serious sneaker enthusiasts. These were only made in incredibly limited numbers, with the majority of pairs going straight to Interscope artists.

Back before Kanye West’s famous adidas deal he was once in fact a Nike artist, launching several pairs with the Swoosh before he left for the three stripes. If we rewind even further to 2008, Mr. West appeared during the Grammy awards that year wearing a prototype pair of sneakers on feet, which would go on to become known as the Nike Air Yeezy 1 “Grammy”. With only several pairs in existence, a pair recently sold via notorious auction house Sotheby’s for $1.8 Million USD.

Be sure to check out some of our other lists below to find the hottest, rarest or most expensive sneakers.