Athleisure has been on the rise for the last couple of years and a major element of athleisure are sneakers. There has been a rise in the sneaker market with the coming of many new players and existing players are constantly upgrading their styles. Nike and Adidas, are two such brands which have existed over decades and continue to shine with their ever so amazing designs.
Recently, Nike rare 'Moon Shoes' made history as they are the most expensive sneakers ever sold at an auction in New York City. The rare pair of 1972, made a record breaking history as they went under the hammer for over a whooping $400,000 at Sotheby’s first-ever sneaker auction.
The highly coveted shoe is the brain child of Nike's co-founder and legendary track coach, Bill Bowerman, who created the first prototype by tinkering with his wife’s waffle iron and pouring rubber into the mold for the sole. With an aim to improve his students performance on the track, he used his spare time to design athletic shoes. Also known as the Waffle Racing Flats, these were one of the original running shoes designed for track stars in the 1972 Olympic Trials in Munich. These iconic shoes are one of the 12 pairs ever made in the world and the pair sold for $4,37,500 (Rs 3.01 crores) is the only one known to exist in an unworn condition. Before the Moon Shoes, the most expensive sneakers ever sold were an autographed pair of converse shoes, which were sold for $1,90,373 (Rs 1.3 crore) in 2017 in California. The sneakers were worn by Michael Jordan in the 1984 Olympics.
Canadian entrepreneur and car collector, Miles Nadal is now the proud owner of the Moon Shoes along with 99 of the 100 most sought after limited edition shoes. He spent a soaring total of $850,000 (Rs. 5.8 crores) at the auction. When the athletes wore these shoes, they left a unique mark on the ground which resembled an astronaut's moon print and that's how the shoes got their name.