Crocs and New Balance Were Favorites on StockX in 2021 — and Inclusive Sizing May Dominate 2022
It’s no surprise that sneakers had a strong 2021. However, some of the looks and brands that sneakerheads were unexpected for some.
Today, StockX revealed it’s “Big Facts: Current Culture Index 2022” report, which outlined the brands, products and trends that defined 2021 for the platform. The report featured several companies and silhouettes that are expected to do well every year, as well as a few that had growth on the platform worthy of a separate mention.
Three of these companies were mentioned under “Brands Making Moves,” which consisted of Bape, Reebok and Crocs. According to StockX, Bape cracked the top 10 brands in terms of total trades in 2021, and Reebok climbed three spots on the list. As for Crocs — which earned the FNAA Shoe of the Year honor in 2021 for its Classic Clog — it moved up one spot and maintained an average price premium of 98% for the year, StockX said, which is the highest price premium of any footwear brand in the top 10.
The momentum behind New Balance also boosted the brand’s presence on the platform. The Boston-based company moved up one spot to No. 4 on the Top Brands in terms of total trades list, swapping positions with Converse. In 2019, New Balance held the No. 6 spot on the list, and held No. 5 in 2020. (In 2020, New Balance was named FNAA Athletic Brand of the Year.) According to StockX, based on trade data, New Balance’s most coveted collaborations have created a halo effect on its classic and non-collaborative releases.
The top silhouettes based on total trades in 2021 should come as no surprise. The top spot was held by the Air Jordan 1, and the list is rounded out by the Nike Dunk (up four spots from 2020), the Air Force 1, the Yeezy 350 (down two spots from 2020) and the Air Jordan 4.
StockX also revealed the top brands in apparel and accessories based on total trades in 2021, which was led by Supreme (which had a 60% average price premium) and trailed by Fear of God (up one spot from 2020 and with a 64% average price premium), Vlone (up five spots from 2020), Cactus Jack (down two spots from 2020) and Nike.
In terms of apparel and accessories, the top debut collaborations included Yeezy Gap (which produced its first product, the Round Jacket in blue, in June 2021, a year after the deal was announced), Supreme x Emilio Pucci and Supreme x Tiffany.
Looking ahead, StockX offered several predictions for 2022 in the report. StockX said sports including tennis, racing and gaming should play a bigger role in fashion this year after sports experienced several wins, most notably from Jordan Golf (which experienced 270% growth in trades). Also, StockX said it expects books to grow in 2022 (after trades of “hype books” increased three-times over 2020) and collaborations on often overlooked sneakers — including several on the Air Jordan 2 — will continue to perform well this year.
Another prediction StockX offered involved inclusive sizing. The secondary market standout said more than 4,500 different youth sneakers were listed in 2021, trades of preschool and toddler sizes increased 150% over 2020 and trades of women’s sneakers grew three-times faster than men’s. Because of this, StockX said it expects an increased demand for inclusive sizing this year.
