Not only princely tiaras and iconic and very rare bags: auction houses have also been organizing events dedicated to sneakers and streetwear for some time, with often surprising results. This is why Christie’s has decided, first among the main players in the sector, to inaugurate the “Department X – Sneakers, Streetwear & Collectibles”, a new department dedicated to these new collectibles, which was born as a derivation of the lively dedicated department to luxury goods. Department X, which will be active within the next few weeks and which adds its categories to the approximately 80 already offered by Christie’s, will offer above all young passionate creations from the world of music and avant-garde art, but above all fashion. Obviously there will be online auctions, the medium preferred by new customers, with physical previews in New York, but also private sales.
In 2022, Christie’s (which belongs to the Groupe Artémis of the Pinault family) recorded record sales for this kind of object: the Michael Jordan Upper Deck Signed 1986 Fleer # 57 Rookie Card sneakers were sold for 1 million and 8 thousand dollars and the Game Worn & Signed 1997-1998 Jordan XIII for 378 thousand.
Department X is led by Caitlin Donovan, who commented: “Feeling the pulse of pop culture and following the evolution of what is now meant by” luxury “, we are proud to announce the birth of Department X – Sneakers, Streetwear & Collectibles, with which we will offer sales that will cross different genres, from music to fashion to the history of sport ».
The launch event will be “Ye Walks”, a journey into Kanye West’s impact on the design and iconography of sportswear, through two pairs of sneakers: the Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototype, the first designed by him together with the creative director of Nike, Mark Smith, and designer Tiffany Beers, worn during West’s performance at the 50th Grammy Awards, a model that marked the beginning of Kanye West’s career as an accessories designer. The second sneaker is the Nike Donda West Air Jordan VI, created in memory of West’s mother, never released before as it was created in only six pairs for the singer and his family.
In the first half of 2022 Christie’s recorded sales of $ 4.1 billion, up 18% compared to the same period in 2021, marking its best performance since 2015. 30% of customers were new: 38% of them are entered through luxury, and 34% belong to the Millennial generation, up 31% compared to the same period in 2021.