Nike x Off-White Sneaker Prices Jacked Up By Scalpers Following Abloh’s Passing
Image via Nike
The fashion world woke up to news that Virgil Abloh, one of the most prolific designers of the decade, had passed away following a private battle with cancer. The creative director at Louis Vuitton was only 41 years old.
While many celebrities paid tribute to Abloh’s creative genius on social media, scalpers on resale platforms, such as StockX and GOAT, got to work capitalizing on the famed designer’s demise, reselling his sold-out sneaker collaborations at exorbitant prices.
According to Input, pairs of the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 ‘Chicago’ sneaker, considered to be one of the collaboration’s most popular designs, sold for nearly US$10,000 just hours after news of Abloh’s passing hit the news. Sneakers on eBay saw a jump in price as well, with the sneaker going from about US$5,000 to US$8,500 overnight.
Even less sought-after pairs have seen prices double, with the Air Jordan 2 sneaker going from US$600 to US$700 to nearly US$1,600 in the last day.
Unfortunately, such behavior has been the norm, with the most recent example being when basketball superstar Kobe Bryant passed in a helicopter crash in January 2020. The price of the icon’s Nike sneakers shot up on resale platforms, with some pairs even going for five times the original amount.
Previously, during the Bryant debacle, StockX didn’t halt sales of the sneakers, but rather said it would be donating all of the proceeds to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.
It’s unclear if the same thing will be done from the sale of Abloh’s designs, though it’s certainly disheartening to witness unscrupulous sellers cashing in on his untimely demise while the fashion world is still reeling.
[via Input, cover image via Nike]
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