The sneaker resale market has long been dominated by a few brands, such as Nike, Jordan Brand and Adidas. But on StockX, there’s a newcomer that’s making some noise: Hoka.
In its latest Big Facts report, which identifies the fastest-growing brands on the platform, StockX revealed the sneaker companies with the highest increase in trades globally at the halfway point in 2022. The brands considered, according to StockX, had to have at least 100 trades during the first half of 2021.
Leading the pack was Hoka, which had an increase in trades of 3,606% for the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2021. (StockX confirmed with FN that the first Hoka to trade on the platform was its Engineered Garments collaboration from 2018.)
“The collaborations, of course, carry a high premium, so those are things that typically do very well. But if you look at the inline models, if you search Hoka on the site and sort by top selling, the inline models are the top selling models,” StockX merchandising director Drew Haines told FN. “In some cases, we have inline models for below retail price. It’s actually more of a smart shopper play as opposed to someone that’s looking for something that’s sold out.”
He continued, “We have both sides of the coin, and I think that’s where we’re going to have a lot of success in the future. We have the hype things but we also have things potentially on discount as well.”
Although Hoka is finding its footing in the sneakerhead world, Haines is confident the brand’s recent success on StockX isn’t a fluke.
“Hoka definitely has a smaller base to start with, and Hoka trades certainly aren’t one of the big three — Nike, Adidas or Jordan Brand — but it wasn’t nothing either,” Haines said. “This is real growth, this is a real trend and we’re definitely seeing the and swing toward these things that maybe aren’t as popular because they’re looking for something different.”
Looking ahead, Haines believes Hoka’s presence on StockX will continue to rise.
“If you search sneakers and then other brands, we now have a filter for Hoka. We just added this because so many people are looking for the brand,” Haines said. “It’s quickly climbing up the ranks of most popular brands. Beyond your Nike, Adidas, Jordan and Yeezy, you have New Balance, Reebok and Vans in that second tier in terms of volume. Hoka is making a move toward that tier.”
He continued, “Are they going to see the volume that Nike or Adidas sees? I don’t think so because they’re just such monsters in the game. But can they break into that second tier with the other household names like Puma, New Balances or Vans? That’s absolutely possible.”
Bodega x Hoka Kaha Low GTX. CREDIT: Courtesy of Hoka
Following Hoka in terms of growth was Puma, which experienced a 415% climb in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year. Much of the brand’s success on StockX comes from trades of the MB.01, which is the signature shoe of NBA superstar LaMelo Ball.
“We were seeing the shoes show up in top volume [on the site], similar to the volume that we would see for a new tier one Jordan release or a new tier one Yeezy release,” Haines said.
Puma MB.01. CREDIT: Courtesy of Puma
Rounding out the top five sneaker category growth leaders on StockX for the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 are Common Projects (376%), Louis Vuitton (245%) and Birkenstock (219%).
Specific to Birkenstock, StockX made note that collabs with the likes of Stussy and Manolo Blahnik were partly responsible for the brand’s position in the top five.
“People are taking items that are meant to be purely utilitarian and turning them into a fashion statement. Birkenstocks were meant to just be comfortable,” Haines said. “Sneaker enthusiasts are evolving and maturing over time into different types of models and different types of brands.”
Just outside of the top five are New Balance and Under Armour, which experienced growth of 200% and 142%, respectively. New Balance, according to StockX, was boosted by the success of its popular 550 style, and Stephen Curry’s shoes — including the Curry 4 Flotro “Vivid Lilac” worn by the baller during the 2022 NBA Finals — helped improve Under Armour’s growth. (StockX said nine of the 10 top-traded Under Armour shoes on StockX were Curry’s.)
New Balance 550. CREDIT: Courtesy of New Balance
Looking ahead, Haines identified two brands that he believes will be among the top performers on StockX by year’s end.
“Two or three years ago, if you talked to a sneakerhead about Crocs, they would probably laugh at you. Now it’s like, ‘Did you get the Post Malone collab? Or the Salehe [Bembury Pollex Clog]?’” Haines said. “The other one that will continue to do well is New Balance. We have them as our No. 6 growing brand in the first half of the year — but that’s off of a much larger base from the prior year. To be able to grow to 200% year-over-year with already a sizable business, New Balance is cementing itself as that first brand below your big three.”
Beyond footwear, StockX revealed Yeezy took the top spot in terms of apparel trade growth for the first half of 2022 compared to 2021 (1,063%), followed by The North Face (761%), Uniqlo (582%), Palm Angels (366%) and Drew House (336%).
For accessories, Swatch led the way with an 4,771% increase in trades, with Drew House (279%), Kaws (244%), Goyard (166%) and Palm Angels (151%) following.
The top five brands in the StockX collectibles category were Hot Wheels (498%), Mschf (468%), Disney (388%), Lego (372%) and Bape (195%). As for electronics, the top five brands in order were Finalmouse (1,090%), Meta (454%), Nintendo (280%), Beats by Dre (113%) and Samsung (105%).
Prior to the today’s release of the Big Facts report, StockX has been the subject of several headlines as of late. For instance, the company confirmed in June that it had laid off 8% of its total workforce, which was announced to employees by CEO Scott Cutler in an email that was viewed by FN. The email stated the measures were taken to reduce costs by prioritizing existing investments, reducing discretionary expenses, placing limits on new hires and improving efficiency in the company’s trade process. StockX confirmed impacted employees would receive severance packages and health benefits for a period of time after termination.
In May, StockX expanded its executive leadership team, tapping tech industry veteran Damien Hooper-Campbell as its first-ever chief impact officer. In the position, StockX said at the time that Hooper-Campbell will be tasked with overseeing core functional areas including diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as its environmental, social and community engagement initiatives from a global perspective.
