A Closer Look at The $50,000 Nike So Cal Air Force 1 Supreme Max

When we talk about Nike designer sneakers, one of the biggest stirs in the fabric of the lineup happened when Big Boi acquired a pair of $50,000 Nike So Cal Air Force 1 Supreme Max sneakers. He’s half of the wildly popular duo that makes up the rap band Outkast and he’s the man that owned this expensive iteration of the Nike So Cal Air Force 1 Supreme Max. This is a staggering price tag that is a bit hard to wrap your mind around. Just what makes this pair of Nikes so expensive? The devil is truly in the details and we have the scoop on these ultra posh kicks worn by Big Boi when he’s in the mood to kick it in style.

The origins of Nike’s ultra expensive SoCal

First, we take a look at the base model of the shoe that was chosen to host the veritable fortune of gemstones in its upper. The Air Force 1 Supreme Max So Cal was first released in 1982. This isn’t a new model but it’s certainly getting a lot of attention these days. The sneaker was designed for the basketball court, but it ended up having a dual purpose and setting trends in stylish fashion, hurling it into the lifestyle category. This was a significant model because it featured Nike Air technology for the first time ever. We’ve seen some powerful collaborations between Nike and the likes of Michael Jordan and a host of other celebrity athletes as well as models bearing the signature styling of the Swoosh and some of the top designers across multiple industries. When it comes to collaboration, Nike is the king in the sneaker business.

The high priced version owned by Big Boi are a hybrid of the shoe with the visual aesthetics of the Air Force 1 with optimal comfort thanks to the Air technology located in the sole of the sneaker. They’re not just all about the fancy bling and the expensive diamonds. This sneaker is every bit a bona fide Nike Air Force 1 Supreme Max model with all of the attributes given to the models you can buy for under $200 and a bit of extra added value.

What makes Big Boi’s version so expensive?

Most of us who are familiar with the rap star are also aware that he’s worth about $50 million in net wealth, so it doesn’t come as any surprise that he has procured a special edition of one of the most comfortable, stylish and iconic Nike sneaker models and had it customized to suit his personal preferences.

The reveal of his new shoes came in November of 2007. The $50,000 Nike Air Force 1 shoes have some very special attributes which add a ton of value to them, in materials alone. The shoes are encrusted with a full 13 karats of high quality champagne diamonds. We learned that these sneakers were the design efforts of P& C Diamonds and Ernel Dawkins of Laced Up Atlanta and between the two entities they added the diamonds to the shoes to create a pair of the most valuable Nikes on the face of the earth.

The sneakers we’re highlighting today were designed by Big Boi, who has a passion for sneakers and an equal love of jewelry. He used his own creative genius to put the two together in one really cool and very expensive accessory.

Big Boi’s philanthropy

The bling on these sneakers is out of this world and they’ve not only made it to several “most expensive sneakers” lists, the sneakers are also listed in another important book. They’ve been added to the Guinness Book of Sneaker Records. Big Boi became a client of Ernel Dawkins to seal the deal on the sneakers which were featured items at a fundraising event with the proceeds designated for the Big Boi’s BIg Kidz Foundation.

Can anyone own a pair?

This is a question that simply has to be asked and we do have the answer. After learning about Big Boi’s $50,000 Nikes we wondered along with everyone else if these were only available to a select few. We discovered that anyone who has an extra $50,000 to lay down can have their own $50,000 Nikes just like Big Boi. All you have to do is contact Lace Up and they will definitely hook you up. Your choices in shoe models are not limited just to The Air Max though. You can have your own choice fully blinged to the max and you decide how you want them to look, up to a point. If you’re into diamonds, rubies sapphires or whatever.

Final thoughts

Just when you thought that you had seen about everything that Nike had to offer, something new comes up. This is becoming the rule rather than the exception. Although it’s not a regular in the Nike lineup of sneakers, you can pay to have your Nike’s blinged just like this through Lace Up. This is something that the average Nike fan would consider to be a bit out of reach, but it’s a novel idea. Those of us who don’t have a spare $50,000 lying around for a custom designed pair of sneakers are still content in knowing that the brand is consistent in delivering new releases of our favorite sneaker models in new colorways. This makes the regular MSRP not seem quite so steep. Nike constantly offers some new technology or innovation in their sneaker design that may not drive the price up in the tens of thousands, but rather keeps them within reach of the average American shopper and it’s one of the things that we love about them. Still, it’s nice to dream and to indulge our whimsical side every now and then. If you could design a Nike sneaker to your own specifications, what would it look like?