Most Surprising Sneaker Sell-Outs

We expect certain sneakers to sell out. The Air Jordan I "Banned," anything marked Kanye West, special edition Nike Dunks. The list goes on and on.

But what happens when kicks we don't expect to fly off shelves actually do? Besides disappointment creeping in, we begin to reach back and ask, why? The article you're about to jump into attempts to answer that very question.

By choosing a select amount of kicks and exposing each of their backstories, we found out why these shoes became the most surprising sneaker sellouts in recent memory.

Adidas Ultra Boost

Image courtesy of Adidas

When Adidas unveiled the Ultra Boost in 2015, there was little reason to believe the shoe would become a smashing success.

Runners were popular at the time, but we hadn't seen anything like the Ultra Boost before. The smooth detailing, one-piece mesh upper and caged sidebar—the only place where the Adidas logo is revealed—allowed branding take a backseat in favor of minimalism.

The design became so well received, it took home honors for the best sneaker of 2015, according to Matt Welty of Complex.

No one could have imagined this shoe would have sold out and become as big of a phenomenon as it did. But here we are today, and the Adidas Ultra Boost continues to serve as a company mainstay.

Reebok JJ 1

It feels like all of the mainstream media attention has been focused around Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Each company has been churning out elite signature sneakers, touching aspects of both fashion and sports.

Reebok has been cast aside in many ways. Without a basketball sneaker to talk about, CrossFit has become the company's latest platform of income. Using that as a base, the company released the JJ 1 in July 2016.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is now at the center of Reebok's signature efforts. The JJ 1 was a great start.

The shoe sold out quickly in an online capacity, as Charlie Carballo of Footwear News reported. Reebok's official website was wiped out of its inventory almost right away. This is shocking considering the sneakers received very little attention.

Who would have thought a year ago J.J. Watt and Reebok would come together to produce a white-hot shoe? Even though inventory has crept back online—today, the shoe can be easily copped—it was still an important moment for Team Reebok and brand parity.

Adidas Energy Boost 'ESM'

David Banks/Getty Images

Influencers have dictated the sneaker market for a while. Kanye West is one of the biggest.

West has helped put Adidas on the map with his Yeezy signature line and his on-foot promotion of some of the brand's best runners. In May 2015, West showed up to a Chicago Bulls playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers sporting the Adidas Energy Boost 'ESM," per Sole Collector's Brandon Richard.

The shoe was readily available before West tied them to his feet. After images surfaced of his style choice, Adidas' official website and other retailers quickly lost their inventory.

It's crazy to think West wearing the sneaker one time could turn it into a sellout. But that's exactly what transpired, and consumers were treated to the best Adidas runner not named Ultra Boost. The ESM's use of Boost foam in the sole, combined with a deeper cage-lining—one that wraps around the heel of the sneaker—gave the shoe a resounding sense of traction.

Today, the Energy Boost "ESM" is gone. With all of the NMD and Ultra Boost madness going on, it's hard to picture the company bringing these slept-on sellouts back to the retail space.

Nike Metcon 'Banned'

Image courtesy of Nike

Beneath the world of runners and basketball shoes is a different universe. This universe is all about CrossFit.

Reebok has been a major CrossFit player, building a catalog of sneakers, as well as hosting the CrossFit Games. However, Nike hasn't backed down. The Nike Metcon model is the company's direct answer to the CrossFit wars in 2015.

Marketing took center stage when Nike dosed the Air Jordan I "Banned" colorway on to the Metcon. It was a direct response to Reebok banning Nike shoes during the CrossFit competitions, per Complex's Matt Welty.

Outside of what goes on in the traditional sneaker world, few would expect a CrossFit shoe to sell out. But this model allowed Nike to one-up Reebok in a marketing capacity.

Air Jordan XII 'Wool'

Image courtesy of Nike

Don't get us wrong, the Air Jordan XII "Wool" was a beautiful sneaker. Substituting leather with wool to complete the upper was a fantastic touch by Jordan Brand.

But how did it sell out so fast? Famous Jordan collector, Jumpman Bostic was as surprised as the rest of us. He told Bleacher Report, "I'm still looking all over for the 'Wool' XIIs."

During a time when the Jordan retro market is feeling a slight tremble, as Josh Luber of StockX touched on, the "Wool" XIIs have joined the ranks of surprising sell-out kicks.

Adidas NMD R1

The Adidas sell out movement continued when the company unveiled its NMD R1 model in December 2015. It was a pivotal moment for Adidas, using the NMD release as the company's first, true follow-up to the Ultra Boost.

The result was another success story, with the original version selling out instantly through the Adidas Confirmed app.

Since then, Adidas has pushed forward with the NMD line in full force. Multiple colorways have been released ever since, leaving consumer's wallets empty and turning the shoe into a molten-hot release.

Air Jordan I 'Reverse Shattered Backboard'

This choice might surprise you, but before you rush to judgement, hear us out.

Everyone had big expectations for the Air Jordan I "Reverse Shattered Backboard" after the first rendition of the sneaker sold out the year before. It was logical to think these sneakers would eventually be cleared from the stock rooms of digital retailers.

However, Jumpman Bostic raised a good point about the "Reverse Shattered Backboards," when talking about them selling out. He was stunned how it took "seconds" for the shoe to dissipate and was even more taken back by how the quantities appeared to be limited.

It was a smart move by Jordan Brand. Raise the bar for hype by dumbing down the quantity. Unless there is a restock along the way, the "Reverse Shattered Backboard" I's selective run earns the shoe a spot on this list.

All production information and release dates via Nike News and Adidas News, unless noted otherwise.