It’s safe to say 2019 was Travis Scott’s year in terms of sneakers but how did the Houston rapper earn the right to fit in with the category of names like Kanye, Virgil Abloh and Pharrell? Here we’ll take a look at the full timeline of Travis Scott and his rise and dominance in the sneaker industry.
Travis Scott learned from the best when it comes to dominating the shoe industry. For multiple years before La Flame caught on and became the superstar he is now, he spent a lot of time with Yeezy himself. A whole catalog of images can be found of Travis Scott wearing multiple Yeezy silhouettes like the 750’s and early 350’s but with being apart of Ye’s crew and a right-hand man, he had a front-row view of the in’s and out’s of the industry. While he had ties with adidas through Kanye and even James Harden, the love for the Jumpman was always there. Fast forward to the present with multiple sneakers, albums and awards under his belt, he has owned the sneaker industry as of late with Nike but how and where did this all begin?
In 2017, Nike saw the potential the up and coming rapper had. While his music career had been taking off since 2015 with his albums Rodeo and Birds in the Trap later in 2016, he began his takeover of the mainstream music industry. As he started taking off and racking up streams along with billboard records, Nike saw the rise of something big and decided to give the potential superstar his own Nike Air Force 1. The sneaker featured a DIY aesthetic allowing owners to swap out different Nike Swoosh logos to customize their own look, all while being equipped with a grill-inspired lace jewel as well as a Cactus lace shroud. The upper also arrived with a canvas material that allowed many creative sneakerheads to dye them and create brand new unique looks. Through the reflective detailing, the peak of DIY ethos and his recent dating rumors with Kylie Jenner at the time, the shoe took off through social media and is looked at one of the most sought after Air Force 1’s ever, a huge accomplishment with the amount of AF1’s we have seen over the years.
Release Date: December 5th, 2017
Retail Price: $150
Resell Value: $1,300+
After the Nike Air Force 1 collaboration, Trav’s name had started to gain attraction around the sneaker culture and a partnership with Jordan surfaced. La Flame was set to add his take to the coveted Air Jordan 4 and the edition was one for the books. Paying homage to the Houston Oilers, the upper boasted baby blue and red accents that everyone had to have. Jordan Brand even celebrated the release with a Cactus Jack Carnival in Houston where ragers were given access to pairs at the event. From this moment, Travis wasn’t looked at as a one-hit-wonder, his path to taking over the industry was cemented and just heating up with his album AstroWorld on the hinges of being released.
Release Date: June 9th, 2018
Retail Price: $250
Resell Value: $675+
A couple of months later, Travis would revisit the Nike Air Force 1 and create a brand new “Sail” iteration. Virtually, the sneaker would be the same makeover as its predecessor but with a Sail canvas upper that gave a brand new look to the shoe. Released days before AstroWorld’s arrival, it would be the last sneaker to release before Travis would become a worldwide superstar that would see demand for his sneaker collection like never before.
Release Date: August 8th, 2018
Retail Price: $150
Resell Value: $925+
AstroWorld took off and Travis accumulated a surplus of ragers that looked up to the Houston rapper. He reached levels of fame like none other and became one of the best artists of the year, nominated for multiple Grammys and Billboard awards. On the popular song, Sicko Mode, it started a whole new era as the lyrics from Drake, “Checks over stripes” would echo through sneakerheads across the world that found themselves dedicated to the Swoosh and Jumpman. It was solidified, Travis was team Nike and there was no turning back. With the allegiance to the brand, he was able to add his take to the new Air Jordan 33 and really was the only amount of hype the silhouette received this year.
Release Date: February 14th, 2019
Retail Price: $185
Resell Value: $297+
When those were released, Travis was also hyping up a couple of silhouettes that at the time, we weren’t sure of an official release. One of those sneakers was the Cactus Jack Air Jordan 1. From the moment they were seen on his feet, the sneaker world went crazy. The brown and white upper along with the backward Nike Swoosh was wanted by many and sold out within a blink of an eye. Now on pace to be the sneaker of the year for 2019, the shoe is one of the grails that many still want to get their hands on.
Release Date: May 11th, 2019
Retail Price: $175
Resell Value: $1,100+
After the Jordan 1 collaboration, many took notice of what Travis was doing and the hype surrounded his partnership like never before. Not only his music fans and sneakerheads were out to get their hands on a Cactus Jack shoe, but he had also cracked the population outside of his niche, the general public. Next up was the Air Jordan 1 Low which was gone in an instant and is looked at as the sneaker that brought back the life for the Air Jordan 1 Low, which Jordan Brand ran with and is still releasing new colorways of the silhouette today.
Release Date: July 11th, 2019
Retail Price: $130
Resell Value: $620
Two months later, the Air Jordan 6 finally was set to release as many had been waiting for them for a very long time. Travis even wore them during his Super Bowl Half Time show way back in February, so you can only imagine how many shoe lovers were waiting impatiently for the release. They also released in GS and Toddler sized as well marking them the first Cactus Jack shoe that anyone could wear. Again, they sold out quickly, leaving many upset with the release and how it went. Which later, Travis would recognize and say he would do his best when it came to preventing bots and resellers.
Release Date: October 11th, 2019
Retail Price: $250
Resell Value: $539+
Finally, we are at the present with the latest Cactus Jack silhouette, another Air Force 1. This time it donned a completely new aesthetic that featured multiple different materials, colors and even a boatsful zip-up lace shroud. It to would also be released in GS and TD sizing and would sell out in an unimaginable time. Many took L’s on the release but Travis kept some stock behind and sent free pairs to lucky buyers who were unfortunate when it came to release date. The sneaker also showed Nike’s trust in the rapper with allowing him to go out of his way to create an unconventional look and design to such a standard shoe like the Air Force 1.
Release Date: November 16th, 2019
Retail Price: $160
Resell Value: $525+
With 2019 coming to a close, Travis’s year is over but it was an impressive one. He definitely put his work in and it showed as he dominated the year with most of his releases. Once just an ordinary kid from Houston, now has surpassed the likes of Kanye, Virgil, and Pharrell for the years most coveted sneakers. He also stayed true to himself and the city of Houston, which is something one cannot look over. His consumer base isn’t limited to sneakerheads, ragers and even hypebeasts even more, everyone wants a pair and he definitely has grown the sneaker community for many years to come. With a couple of rumored silhouettes for next year already, Travis is ready to run it up again and take over 2020 as well. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes from here, but without a doubt, La Flame will definitely bring the heat. As always keep it locked to JustFreshKicks for all Travis Scott related news going into the new year. What’s your favorite Travis Scott sneaker to date? Fell free to let us know.
Words By: Irven Sykes
