The KAWS x Jordan Brand collaborations span the 2017 Air Jordan 4 sneaker and the Jordan x KAWS vinyl figures, with the AJ4 in grey and black colorways now trading at $1,500-$4,500 on the secondary market against a $350 retail. The 2017 KAWS x Jordan vinyl figure clears $800-$1,200 against $200 retail. Both pieces are essential to any serious KAWS collection.
Why the KAWS x Jordan Brand Collaboration Matters
When KAWS (Brian Donnelly, born 1974) partnered with Jordan Brand in March 2017, it did something no previous KAWS collaboration had achieved: it bridged the worlds of contemporary art collecting and sneaker culture in a single product. Donnelly, whose work has been validated at the highest levels of the contemporary art market — including the $14.7M "The KAWS Album" sale at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2019 — brought his signature Companion aesthetic to the most coveted silhouette in basketball footwear.
The result was immediate secondary market chaos. Within hours of release, the KAWS x Air Jordan 4 was reselling for 5-10x retail. More importantly, it permanently expanded the KAWS collector base into a sneaker community that had never previously engaged with vinyl figures or signed prints.
The KAWS x Air Jordan 4 — Sneaker as Art Object
Release Details and Retail Pricing
The KAWS x Air Jordan 4 dropped in two colorways:
- Grey Suede (March 31, 2017): Friends & Family release, retailed at $350 — never offered to general public
- Black (March 31, 2017): Limited public release, retailed at $350
Both colorways featured premium nubuck construction, glow-in-the-dark outsoles, and the signature KAWS XX motif embroidered on the heel — a quiet but unmistakable signal to anyone in the know.
Current Secondary Market Values
| Colorway | Size Range | Retail | Current Secondary (2026) | Appreciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | US 8-12 | $350 | $1,500 - $2,800 | 4-8x |
| Black | US 13+ / 7- | $350 | $2,200 - $3,500 | 6-10x |
| Grey Suede (F&F) | All sizes | $350 | $3,500 - $4,500 | 10-13x |
| Deadstock w/ original box | Premium sizes | $350 | $4,000 - $5,500 | 11-16x |
Gauntlet Gallery has catalogued 160,000+ comparable sales across street art and designer collectibles, and the AJ4 KAWS continues to outperform virtually every other Jordan collaboration on a year-over-year basis since release.
The Jordan x KAWS Vinyl Figure
Released alongside the sneaker, the Jordan x KAWS vinyl figure featured the Companion silhouette in a custom Jordan-branded colorway. Standing 11 inches tall and limited to a small production run, it retailed at approximately $200 and currently trades between $800 and $1,200 in the secondary market with original packaging.
Why the Figure Matters
For traditional KAWS collectors, the figure is the more important piece. It slots cleanly into a Companion-focused collection alongside the 2016 BFF, the 2017 Holiday releases, and subsequent OriginalFake archive pieces. Sneaker collectors often overlook it, which creates opportunity for crossover buyers.
Authentication — Footwear vs. Figures
Authenticating the AJ4
KAWS x AJ4 authentication is fundamentally different from authenticating a KAWS figure or print. The relevant signals are:
- Stitching density on the heel XX embroidery — counterfeits average 20-30% lower stitch count
- Nubuck nap direction and color depth — replicas use bonded leather with uniform nap
- Glow outsole quality — authentic outsoles charge fast and glow uniformly; fakes have hot spots
- Box label SKU and date stamp — must match factory production windows for the March 2017 drop
- Tongue tag font weight — counterfeits consistently use the wrong weight on the Jumpman
Authenticating the Vinyl Figure
For the figure, Gauntlet Gallery applies our standard KAWS/BE@RBRICK authentication chain: original packaging condition, vinyl mold consistency, paint application precision, and the OriginalFake/Medicom branding alignment on the base. Every KAWS figure that ships from Gauntlet Gallery includes an embedded NFC chip and our OneCOA digital certificate, allowing tap-to-verify provenance for the life of the piece.
Why This Collaboration Expanded the KAWS Base
Before March 2017, the KAWS collector was overwhelmingly a contemporary art or designer toy buyer. After the AJ4 release, the buyer pool widened to include sneaker resellers, hypebeast collectors, and athletes — many of whom had never owned a KAWS print or figure. That single shoe pulled millions of new eyes into the KAWS market, and the downstream effect on every subsequent release (the 2019 Sesame Street collaboration, the 2020 Holiday Tokyo release, the 2021 What Party series) was a measurable lift in both demand and pricing.
For collectors building a KAWS position today, the Jordan collaboration represents one of the cleanest entry points: limited editions in the 5-20x retail appreciation range, with deep liquid secondary markets and clear authentication pathways.
How Gauntlet Gallery Verifies Every KAWS Piece
Founded in 2012, Gauntlet Gallery specializes in authenticated contemporary art and designer collectibles. Every KAWS piece we list — whether it's a Companion figure, a signed print, or a Jordan collaboration sneaker — passes our authentication chain and ships with an NFC chip plus OneCOA digital certificate. We do not claim Pest Control or artist-direct certification (that authentication chain belongs to Banksy work). For KAWS, the chain is OneCOA + NFC, period.
For deeper background on the KAWS market, read our KAWS Collector Guide, or browse our full authenticated collection to start your position.