The 10 Rarest Sneakers On Grailed: Week of November 17, 2019
- Words Stephen Albertini
- Date November 20, 2019
The last few years have gifted us quite a few pairs of highly sought after kicks, especially by way of collaborations. Sometimes brands try to remake a classic and sometimes they try to resurrect a forgotten sneaker, and then there are brands who do whatever they want, which has been the case with every Cactus Plant Flea Market and Nike collaboration we’ve seen so far this year.
Cactus Plant Flea Market (usually shortened to CPFM) went from being the charming under-the-radar brand with the wild typography and graphics–led by elusive designer Cynthia Lu and worn exclusively by people “in the know” like Pharrell and Kanye West–to one of the brands of the moment. Now it’s a major player in the sneaker space, as evidenced by its three successful collaborations with Nike this year alone. What’s most endearing about its approach to sneaker design is that every release is unapologetically unique.
First, Cactus Plant Flea Market took one of Nike’s newest and most technologically advanced silhouettes–the Vapormax–and flipped it on its head, lacing it with a green cord Swoosh, a smiley face heel logo and a full-length gradient air bubble. It’s easily one of the most popular sneakers of the year. Then, Cactus Plant Flea Market took one of Nike’s oldest silhouettes–the Blazer–and gave the consumer the opportunity to customize it to its liking, selecting from a variety of colors and fabrics. Then it doubled down on that bespoke approach and took, arguably, Nike’s most easy-to-collaborate with sneaker–the Air Force 1–and told its fans to go crazy with it. That’s where we kick off this week’s list, with the brand that’s easily one of the biggest rising stars in streetwear circa 2019.
Never forget: No online retailer has the same breadth and depth of selection as Grailed. From classic Parra SB Dunks to Air Max 90s depicting the surface of the moon (and everything in between), in no particular order, these are our picks for the Rarest Sneakers on Grailed This Week.
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