The term “grail” is used quite liberally these days, especially with truckloads of coveted sneakers releasing like clockwork each and every weekend. While we all have our own personal sneaker grails, some shoes are more deserving of the title than others.
Aiming to distill the word into its truest meaning, we decided to work with our partners StockX to create a list of the rarest adidas sneakers of all time. Our final list was made by cross-referencing data on the least common adidas listed on StockX against highest historical sales on the resell market, leaving us with 23 of the rarest adidas ever, including NMDs, Ultra Boosts, Futurecraft drops and more.
Securing that number one spot, the Rimowa-edition “Pitch Black” adidas NMD_R1 is the rarest adidas sneaker based on data from StockX. Landing in close second, a burgundy version of the Pharrell Williams x adidas NMD "Human Made", which was released in a highly limited friends & family run. Lastly, the Parley for the Oceans x adidas Futurecraft Ultra Boost Uncaged features an upper made from recycled ocean plastic, and was the first release from the ongoing project between Parley and adidas. Check out the full list below.
Outside of the top three, the full list of 30 includes a wide range of adidas collaborations alongside the likes of Virginia Beach emcees Pusha T and Pharrell, European retailer Solebox, Houston Rockets star James Harden, Danish clothing brand Wood Wood, and some special varsity editions that were gifted to athletes from the University of Miami and Arizona State. Highsnobiety's very own adidas Consortium Ultra Boost also made the cut, landing at number 28, while goods from adidas divisions Y-3 and Futurecraft weren't left out of the list either.
Perhaps most surprising of all – especially for YEEZY disciples – not a single item of Kanye West-designed footwear cracks the top 30, revealing that YEEZYs aren't all that limited when compared to other releases that are restricted to only several hundred pairs, or to a family and friends allocation.
Now check out 23 of the most rare Nike sneakers.