Sales, promotions, and a lot of shoppers ready to spend money have become the standard for Black Friday and Cyber Monday but for sneaker enthusiasts, that wasn’t always the case. In fact, Black Friday sneaker deals weren’t even really a thing until the last decade or two. Of course, brands would typically have sneakers for sale on Black Friday, but it took a number of releases in back-to-back years to really capture the attention of sneaker enthusiasts amidst the more traditional consumer goods on sale. Once the attention came, the Black Friday sneaker releases became money-makers for resellers.
A Creative Strategy
Way back in 2008, DJ Clark Kent released an all-black Air Force 1 for Black Friday. At the time, however, manufacturers would leak photos of upcoming releases to sneaker blogs, so Clark got creative with the way his collab was named and labeled on the box. At first glance, the box label just seemed like a run-of-the-mill black Air Force 1. The shoe itself was made up of pony hair, iridescent details, and lots of black in the color palette. The strategy meant that very few people actually saw the shoe before it was unveiled just before Black Friday.
The build-up to that release worked so well that it shifted the thinking of many in the sneaker game. The following year, Nike, Jordan Brand, New Balance, and others scheduled releases to capitalize on the growing interest from sneakerheads. With consumers setting aside money for Black Friday releases, the increased demand and attention created the perfect opportunity for sneaker resellers.
The Retro Boom
In 2010, Jordan dropped the Air Jordan 7 Premio “BIN23” and Nike released a Delorean-inspired Dunk from their now-defunct Nike 6.0 line, both of which made a decent margin for resellers. In 2011, however, the sneaker resale market landed one of the biggest boosts ever with the Black Friday release of the “Black Cement” Air Jordan 3.
Between the hype of one of the most iconic sneakers re-releasing, and the growing popularity of shopping online for Black Friday deals, this release had everyone trying to grab extra pairs if they could. While the Jordan 11 has a storied history around holiday releases and first-time resellers, the “Black Cement” release in 2011 made even the friends of friends of sneaker enthusiasts realize it was, at the very least, worth trying to grab a pair if you could.
Since then, new sneaker releases have come by the dozens for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The latter even inspired an Air Jordan 1 in 2015 and an Air Jordan 3 in 2016 that carried the “Cyber Monday” nickname even years later. More recently, KAWS and Jordan Brand dropped their Air Jordan 4 collab, Union and Jordan Brand dropped their now-legendary Air Jordan 1 colorways, and Jordan Brand has dropped OG colorways like the “Fire Red” Air Jordan 4. So while the discounts on televisions and whatever this year’s version of Tickle Me Elmo is might be appealing for a short-lived time, Black Friday sneaker releases have become the real money makers for resellers.
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