Top Future Grails From February

The criteria for this ranking will take into account the things that I’d define that make a sneaker a grail. Those categories are:

Rarity: It’s hard for an easily available sneaker to be a grail.
Story: Grails usually have an interesting story or moment involved.
Model Legacy: There are certain models that tend to more commonly create grails, for good or bad.
Aesthetics: Does the sneaker look good, unique, will it stand the test of time?
Quality: Are the materials good? Cheap materials don’t usually make for a grail.
Early demand signals: This shouldn’t be the driving factor, but it’s no coincidence that expensive sneakers are desired by others, which makes them more expensive, which makes people want them and think they are a grail, and it creates a cycle.

Let’s get to the list with some explanation on the top of the rankings, and note that I’m also going to cheat by lumping many of these into the sets they were a part of and considering the whole set to be the “grail”. I realize this list is heavy on Jordan/Nike, but guess what, so are grails in general.

Nike x Victor Solomon Set (Foamposite One Westside Beaches, Air Force 1 Sunset Strip, Air Max 90 Diamond District)

My #1 choice may shock people, but this was the set of releases that grabbed me the most and had me saying “DAMN!”. It hits every category being a limited release, the sneakers tying into Victor Solomon’s story of growing up in the LA jewelry scene, and tying in with the geography of the All-Star game being in LA. The sneakers are high quality, they look great, and they are models of sneakers that tend to produce grails. If I had to rank the pairs in order I’d go Foamposite, Air Max 90, and Air Force 1.

Jordan 1 High OG Union Fragment Set (Sport Royal, White/Black, Varsity Red Sport Royal)

I get many thought this might get top billing, but it feels less fresh compared to the Victor Solomon set since we’ve seen similar shoes from Union and the Fragment touches are just that, Fragment touches. I really like all three pairs though, and would rank them Sport Royal, White/Black, and Varsity Red. My reasoning is the Sport Royal are more limited than the Varsity Red, a bit more different than the the multiple Union Jordan 1s with red as a base color, and it’s already had some great moments like Lebron wearing them in the tunnel. While the White/Black pair are the most limited in quantity and have the highest price right now, it looks a bit much like a Panda Dunk or Jordan 1 White/Black ’85 to come in at the top.

Jordan 3 Levi’s Denim Set (LA All-Star, Sail Year of the Horse, Black Cement, and Indigo)

Another beautiful set of shoes, and everyone has their opinion on their favorites here. The Jordan 3 is my favorite model so personally I like this set a lot. My favorite pair is actually the Black Cement as the LA All Star pair looks quite a bit like a slightly worse version of the Jordan 3 A Ma Maniere Diffused Blue to me (a sneaker I love). However, I will admit that the LA pair is the most likely of the group to be a future grail on it’s own.

Nike All Star Warning Label Pack

I’m not sure which individual sneaker out of this pack I’d say is a for sure future grail, but the whole set works set well together and captures the moment in time of Nike basketball athletes. Having the whole set seems like a major grail accomplishment.

Jordan 6 Bin 23

Not my favorite sneaker, but the premium nature of a legacy model and limited status makes this a likely future grail still.

Nike x Ja Morant Air Force 1 and Ja 3 Swarovski

Very cool luxury set right here, but it might depend on Ja’s career from here on whether that collaboration behind these helps or hurts the value.

adidas Bad Bunny x Badbo 1.0

Not my favorite sneaker, but it’s a Super Bowl halftime worn sneaker of a real cultural moment whether you liked it or not that had limited availability.

Nike Foamposite Stranger Things

Might have had more hype had this landed in December, but the glow in the dark nature and cultural moment in time of Stranger Things makes this a leading candidate to be a must for every Foamposite collection out there.

Jordan 11 Tokyo

Jordan 11s tend to create grails, and this is a clear pair and has a GOAT on it.

Jordan 5 Wolf Grey

Lines around the block, fights, and people getting shot made this a well-known release of a great looking sneaker that hadn’t been released for 16 years. However, many recent re-retros are not achieving the grail status of their first version. Which is okay too.

Jordan 4 Lake show

We are getting down to “probably not a future grail territory”. These look like the quality is good, they will be big in LA, but it's probably a pro and con that it looks like it's also trying to be the Travis Scott Friend and Family Jordan 4.

Jordan 6 Infrared Salesman

Likely not a future grail, but a fun story on this one.

Do you agree with this list? Where did I get it wrong? Hit reply and let me know and I’ll include the best responses in the next newsletter.

Grail Releases and Socials

If you are enjoying The Grail Report, please share with a friend and tell them they can subscribe at OregonGrail.com

Forward to a Friend