One fact that’s not really known to many is that Travis Scott’s very first sneaker deal did not really come with either Nike or Jordan.
In 2013, the Houston native actually signed an endorsement deal with the recently-sold Reebok brand. Unfortunately, the brand was not able to keep Scott, and in 2016 — just a year after his successful debut album launch — the two sides separated ways. The rapper became a “free agent” just when he entered stardom.
Talk about bad luck for Reebok.
A year later, the American rapper began his partnership with Nike, which then continuously released countless hyped sneaker collaborations.
Scott’s first sneaker with the brand was neither an Air Jordan 1 nor an Air Force 1. Instead, Nike pinned the 30-year-old artist to the Nike VaporMax, which was infused with the Yeezy technology designed by Steven Smith.
Numerous collaborations between Scott, Nike, and Air Jordan have continued to surface in the shoe game since then. Pairs sell out in a blink of an eye, with millions of sneaker collectors going home with a massive “L” each time.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the sneaker community went crazy once more when Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment brand finally joined the Travis Scott X Air Jordan hype with the release of the Travis Scott x Fragment x Air Jordan 1 collection. To the surprise of no one, pairs sold out in less than a minute — as has been the case with most of Scott’s other collaborations with Nike and Air Jordan.
But not every pair receives the same hype and demand, and the market value will say it all. Some don’t really get a lot of attention from the sneaker community, while others were even dropped from the line.
Here, we’re bringing you three of the most underrated sneakers from the Travis Scott Collection:
1. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 “British Khaki”
Looks familiar?
In 2017, Air Jordan released a “Wheat” collection that featured the likes of Air Jordan 1 and Air Jordan 6. But the collection didn’t receive a warm welcome from the sneakerheads and even ended up at the racks of outlet stores.
Ironically, Air Jordan released a Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 in “British Khaki” silhouette that is almost identical to the pairs that were possibly ignored even when they were sitting at these stores. But as expected from sneaker enthusiasts, they always go with the hype, and despite being almost indistinguishable to the “Wheat” collection, the “British Khaki” became a highly sought-after pair at one point.
The hype, however, lasted for just a brief moment, as it was completely overshadowed by the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 “Olive”. Even though it was first released back in 2019, the demand for “Olive” in the sneaker community is still far greater than that of the “British Khaki”.
The “Olive” collab is currently valued at almost US$700, while the “British Khaki” sits at around US$400.
The “British Khaki” is an underrated pair. Despite its similarities with the “Wheat” colorway, the materials are not bad and the pair is very stylish. The only reason why it flew under the radar is that it was completely eclipsed by the “Olive” colorway.
But who knows? Maybe in the years to come, the pair’s value will skyrocket and completely overtake the other silhouette.
2. Travis Scott x Air Max 270 React ENG “Cactus Trail”
The Air Max 270 React is undoubtedly an excellent performance sneaker. The React cushion technology is arguably one of the best that Nike has to offer, and one that is constantly being compared to Adidas’ Boost technology, too.
This might have worked with the VaporMax before, but the idea of pinning Scott with the Air Max 270 React promotes more cons than pros. Performance and aesthetics are two sides of the same coin; some sneakers are good performers, but the aesthetics just could not keep up.
The Travis Scott x Air Max 270 Reach ENG “Cactus Trail” is a prime example. This may go down with the user’s preference, but for an icon such as Scott, eye-pleasing aesthetics is imperative.
The pair is infused with mesh uppers with tumbled leather and suede overlays, which are actually excellent materials for an average or general-release sneaker. But for a sneaker that was expected to generate a lot of hype, a premium material would have been a better choice considering that no one will run around or do some workout routines wearing a Travis Scott sneaker.
The pair was released in 2020 for US$170 and is currently valued at around $450.
3. Travis Scott x Air Jordan 33 NRG “Army Olive”
The Air Max 270 collaboration might have left a bad impression on some sneakerheads, but overall, the pair was actually tolerable. With the right style, it could still stand out. However, that was not the case for Air Jordan 33.
No sugarcoating here: this sneaker collaboration was a flop. The idea of a collaboration is to bring out the best and most iconic collections a brand has to offer. Unfortunately, the Air Jordan 33 does not exactly belong in that category.
The Air Jordan 33 is just one of those passer-by sneakers that will be forgotten when newer releases come out. The pair is not even considered iconic or a top-tier sneaker. The only aspect that it can boast is that it belongs to the main Air Jordan line.
Sneaker collaborations are designed to be used for streetwear and fashion rather than performance. Granted that the iconic pairs from the Air Jordan’s main line are originally designed for basketball purposes, they have already evolved into fashion statements.
The Air Jordan 33 is completely designed for basketball and will likely be seen as such in the years to come. Also, the pair does not have the aspects of streetwear, and it’s not even comparable to the likes of the Air Jordan 6 or the Air Jordan 4.
In addition, the pair was released over a decade after Michael Jordan’s retirement, and obviously, it was not used by His Airness in an actual game. Therefore, its impact on the sneaker culture is almost non-existent not until the pair was pinned with Travis Scott’s name.
Currently, “Army Olive” is valued at around US$300, which is only a little bit higher than its US$185 retail price. For the record, this is the lowest valued sneaker from the Travis Scott collection and is not expected to skyrocket anytime soon.
