Odds are, every sneakerhead around the globe has heard of the KAWS Jordan 4 collaboration. Well, unless they’re living under a rock that is. It’s one of the most popular collaborations of 2017 because it brought pop-culture and the sneaker industry together. And 3 years later, it’s still fresh in our minds as if the kicks dropped yesterday! So let’s see how it’s doing today and get to know a bit more about the mind behind the masterpieces. On another note though, Melody Ehsani is also becoming a sneaker icon for the ladies!
If you wanna know how the Yebras and Sean Witherspoon’s Air Max are doing, you came to the right place!
KAWS Overview
The Artist
Brian Donnelly, aka KAWS, is an American artist who’s mostly known for his cartoonish figurines. So even if you’re not into arts, you must have stumbled at least once with his ‘Companion’ or ‘BFF’ figurines. His work is either an original or his own spin on pop-culture icons like Mickey Mouse, The Simpsons or even Snoopy! His trademark is the X instead of eyes, you can also find them on their hands too!
The Collaborations
KAWS began his career in the 90s as a graffiti artist in New York. We could find his designs on billboards and phone booths in the streets. After his graduation from the School of Visual Arts in New York, he worked for Disney on projects like ‘101 Dalmatians’, ‘Doug’ and ‘Daria’.
He also collaborated with many companies including:
- Supreme
- Bape
- Vans
- Comme Des Garçons x Pharrell Williams
Finally, one of the most important collabs that managed to unite pop-culture and sneakerheads is the KAWS Jordan 4 collab!
Nothing Looks Better Than a KAWS Jordan 4
Kaws Jordan 4 “Cool Grey”
Let’s go back to 2017! After some teasing and hyping the sneaker industry, the artist confirmed the KAWS Jordan 4 collab. Fast forward to March 31, 2017, we witnessed the drop of the KAWS Jordan 4 in “Cool Grey”. The kicks feature a grey suede upper and midsole, along with a glow in the dark outsole! However, if you look hard enough, you can see “Companion” hands engravings all over the upper and on the outsoles. Finally, the X eyes embroidery replaces the Nike branding on top of “Air” on the heels!
The kicks retailed for $350, but today, 3 years later, they resell for an average of $1,550! And their value is going even higher every day. This only proves that some sneakers age so finely that they become worth a real fortune. So, if you own these, it’s like owning a piece of art… which it is!
Kaws Jordan 4 “Black”
Eight months after the iconic sneaker drop, KAWS and Jordan Brand teamed up again for a black iteration of the same silhouette! The black KAWS Jordan 4 had the same features as the previous version. So, if anyone missed the initial drop, they had a second chance! The kicks’ retail price was also $350 and they currently resell for $919!
Why Are the KAWS Jordan 4 Sneakers So Iconic?
Simply put, when you combing Jordan’s legacy with KAWS creativity, it’s only natural for the end result to be an amazing product! And let’s not forget that the AJ4 silhouette is a fan favorite! That’s probably why Virgil Abloh is doing his version of the kicks. However, that leaves us wondering, will this iconic couple bless us with more sneaker art later on? Well, that’s for the future to tell!