Metallic sneakers are pairs with a silver, chrome or gold finish, whether it covers the whole upper or sits on one detail such as the Swoosh. We think they are underrated in the sneaker industry, and seven pairs from 1997 to 2024 show the range. According to Wikipedia, the Air Max 97 Silver Bullet retailed at $150 in 1997, and Hypebeast gave $200 as the retail price of the Air Jordan 1 High ’85 Metallic Burgundy in 2024.
- Air Max 97 Silver Bullet: $150 retail in 1997 according to Wikipedia, and $185 on 8 November 2022 according to Hypebeast.
- Air Jordan 4 Metallic Purple: according to Hypebeast, $190 retail and a 20 May 2020 release date.
- Air Jordan 1 High ’85 Metallic Burgundy: according to Hypebeast, $200 retail and a 16 February 2024 release date.
- Wales Bonner x adidas Samba: a silver leather upper, with 9 June 2023 given as the global release date by Hypebeast and no price stated.
What counts as a metallic sneaker?
A metallic sneaker is a pair where a silver, chrome or gold finish carries part of the design, either across the whole upper or on one detail. The shine does not have to cover the shoe, and a single gilded Swoosh is enough to change how a pair looks.
The Air Max 97 Silver Bullet sits at the full-upper end. In its roundup of the November 2022 drops, Hypebeast described the pair’s OG design cues “from the metallic uppers to the mini red Swooshes to its solid black trim”.
Nike SB shows the detail end. According to Hypebeast’s 4 December 2020 report, the Sean Cliver x Nike SB Dunk Low had laces and collars that “shine with silver skins”, while its Swooshes, midsole stitching, outsole speckles and heel branding “possess gilded finishes”. Our Sean Cliver Dunks post covers that pair.
Are metallic sneakers hard to style?
No, we do not think metallic sneakers are hard to style, and that is our opinion as writers, not a measurement. They are easiest in monochrome: a tonal outfit lets the shine work as the statement piece, and it pops.
If you want the pair to calm down, style it the way you would style a black or white pair of kicks. A plain top and plain trousers take some of the edge off, and the shoe reads as an ordinary one that happens to shine.
We think multicolor pairs are a bit harder to style than metallic ones, honestly, but you do you. Our monochrome sneakers post covers the tonal approach, and our multicolor sneakers post covers the busier pairs.
Are metallic sneakers ugly?
No, we do not think metallic sneakers are ugly, although we get why people say it. A shiny finish is imposing, and it catches your attention whether you asked it to or not.
That reaction is about the finish, not the design underneath. When the execution is right, the pair can go really hard, and when it is wrong, it looks like a mistake. In our view, the difference is in how much of the shoe the shine covers and what sits around it.
So the next time you see a pair like this, ask yourself whether it is ugly or just different. In our experience the answer is usually the second one, and the dated pairs below are there so you can judge for yourself.
How much did these metallic pairs cost at retail?
The retail prices that the sources state for the pairs in this post run from $150 to $200. The table lists each pair with the date its source gave and the page we read.
| Pair | Date given by the source | Retail price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, original | 1997 | $150 | Wikipedia |
| Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, return | 8 November 2022 | $185 | Hypebeast |
| Air Jordan 4 Metallic Purple | 20 May 2020 | $190 | Hypebeast |
| Air Jordan 4 Metallic Green (Nike SNKRS China) | 13 May 2020 | $190 | Hypebeast |
| Air Jordan 1 High ’85 Metallic Burgundy | 16 February 2024 | $200 | Hypebeast |
| Wales Bonner x adidas Samba, silver | 9 June 2023 | Not stated | Hypebeast |
| Sean Cliver x Nike SB Dunk Low | 19 December 2020 | Not stated | Hypebeast |
The only like-for-like comparison is the Silver Bullet. According to Wikipedia it retailed at $150 in 1997, and according to Hypebeast’s 8 November 2022 roundup its return was priced at $185. Comparing the Wikipedia and Hypebeast figures, our own subtraction of $185 minus $150 gives $35 more across 25 years (2022 minus 1997), with no adjustment for inflation.
The Samba and the Dunk are marked “not stated” because the pages we read gave no price. Several dates come from reports published before the drop, so they are the dates the sources gave, not confirmed sales dates. Market prices move and are shown for reference, not as a promise.
What is the Air Max 97 Silver Bullet?
The Air Max 97 Silver Bullet is the metallic silver colorway that the Air Max 97 was introduced in. According to Wikipedia, the shoe was first released in 1997 as a running shoe, and designer Christian Tresser’s look was said to be inspired by high-speed Japanese bullet trains. Hypebeast described the 2022 version this way in its 3 August 2022 report:
Metallic silver lines its mudguards and wavy lines, the latter of which are inspired by Japan’s bullet trains.
The Air Max 97 has been re-released more than once. Wikipedia says it was popular in Italy, where it was re-released in 2007 for its 10th anniversary, and Hypebeast said the Silver Bullet colorway “last saw a release back in 2017” before the 25th-anniversary return in 2022. That August report gave early, unconfirmed figures of 11 November and $180, so we use the later November roundup. Our Air Max 97 Silver Bullet post covers the pair itself.
Two Air Jordan 4 Metallic colorways borrowed from the Air Jordan 1
The Air Jordan 4 Metallic pack is a set of four colorways on a white Air Jordan 4: Purple, Green, Red and Orange. According to Hypebeast’s 27 March 2020 report on DJ Khaled’s Instagram reveal, the pack was “centered around a pure white base accented by colorful metallic elements on the Jumpman branding and eye stay hardware”.
Two of the colors came from the Air Jordan 1. Hypebeast’s 19 May 2020 report said the Purple hue was “specifically inspired by 1985’s Air Jordan 1 ‘Metallic Purple'”, gave 20 May as its release date through Sneaker Politics and Nike SNKRS, and put the retail price at $190.
For Green, Hypebeast reported on 12 May 2020 that the color scheme drew on the OG Air Jordan 1 “Metallic Green”, that the pair retailed at $190, and that it was scheduled for 13 May through Nike SNKRS China, noting that the pack consisted of regional drops. We found no sourced date or price for Red or Orange, so we give none. Our Jordan 4 Metallic pack post covers the same pack.
What happened to the Jordan 1 Metallic Red rumor?
A Metallic Red Air Jordan 1 Hi ’85 was only a rumor in 2023, and the 2024 pair that Hypebeast reported on carried a different name. On 11 April 2023, Hypebeast reported that the pair was returning in 2024, said the original debuted in 1986, and noted that no hard launch date had been announced.
On 11 January 2024, Hypebeast reported that the Air Jordan 1 High ’85 “Metallic Burgundy” “arrives on February 16 in select retailers and online at Nike for $200 USD”, and called it the first retro appearance in 38 years. The two reports use different names and neither says they describe one pair, so we treat them as separate reports.
No page we opened confirms an earlier retro of either pair, so we give no earlier retro date. Our Jordan 1 Metallic Burgundy post covers the 2024 release.
Silver and chrome also appear on collaboration pairs
Collaboration pairs show the same range, from a full silver upper to a chrome accent. According to Hypebeast’s 8 June 2023 report, the Wales Bonner x adidas Samba came in two takes, one of them “a playful silver leather upper with crochet stripes”, and the collection had a global release date of 9 June 2023. The page gave no price. Our adidas Samba post covers the silhouette.
The April Skateboards x Nike SB Dunk Low is the chrome-accent case. Hypebeast’s 6 June 2023 preview, built from photos shared by a sneaker leaker, described “chrome detailing throughout” and a chrome rose design on the translucent outsole.
That page treated the release as unannounced, and as of 6 October 2026 we have not confirmed a release date from a page we opened, so we give none. Our April Skateboards Dunk SB post covers the pair.
