Before building a clothing empire with adidas, Kanye West dipped his feet into the sneaker market with Nike. The Nike Air Yeezy 1 was West’s first sneaker collaboration and one of the first times someone other than a sports star had created their own shoe. Since then every man and his dog has had their own sneaker deal, with West once again proving how groundbreaking an artist he is. West debut the sneakers at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008. Taking the stage to perform Hey Mama and Stronger, sneakerheads went ape shit when they saw the Nike Air Yeezy 1’s for the first time. Developed in the “Innovation Kitchen” at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, West was only allowed to wear the sneakers if returned them straight after his performance.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sotheby’s (@sothebys)
The shoes themselves are made from soft black leather with perforated detailing throughout and feature the classic Nike Swoosh. The sneaker design also incorporates the iconic Yeezy forefoot strap and signature ‘Y’ medallion lace locks in bright pink (which were not worn by Kanye during his performance). The Yeezy 1’s come with a custom wooden box with a design and etching by the Yeezy 1 creator, Mark Smith. “This pair is critical to the development of the Yeezy franchise, which has become one of the most important sneaker and lifestyle brands in history,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear & Modern Collectables, said in a statement. “Debuted on-stage at the Grammys in 2008, the sneakers set off waves in the sneaker community as people tried to identify the mysterious pair. Afterwards, we saw a series of collaborations between Kanye and Nike, and then later the birth of his line with adidas.” The sneakers will be available to view at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from April 16 to April 21, before being sold privately by Sotheby’s, where they are expected to fetch over $1 million.
See more about - Steve McQueen’s famous Persol sunglasses are back
Before building a clothing empire with adidas, Kanye West dipped his feet into the sneaker market with Nike. The Nike Air Yeezy 1 was West’s first sneaker collaboration and one of the first times someone other than a sports star had created their own shoe. Since then every man and his dog has had their own sneaker deal, with West once again proving how groundbreaking an artist he is. West debut the sneakers at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008. Taking the stage to perform Hey Mama and Stronger, sneakerheads went ape shit when they saw the Nike Air Yeezy 1’s for the first time. Developed in the “Innovation Kitchen” at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, West was only allowed to wear the sneakers if returned them straight after his performance.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sotheby’s (@sothebys)
The shoes themselves are made from soft black leather with perforated detailing throughout and feature the classic Nike Swoosh. The sneaker design also incorporates the iconic Yeezy forefoot strap and signature ‘Y’ medallion lace locks in bright pink (which were not worn by Kanye during his performance). The Yeezy 1’s come with a custom wooden box with a design and etching by the Yeezy 1 creator, Mark Smith. “This pair is critical to the development of the Yeezy franchise, which has become one of the most important sneaker and lifestyle brands in history,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear & Modern Collectables, said in a statement. “Debuted on-stage at the Grammys in 2008, the sneakers set off waves in the sneaker community as people tried to identify the mysterious pair. Afterwards, we saw a series of collaborations between Kanye and Nike, and then later the birth of his line with adidas.” The sneakers will be available to view at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from April 16 to April 21, before being sold privately by Sotheby’s, where they are expected to fetch over $1 million.
See more about - Steve McQueen’s famous Persol sunglasses are back
Before building a clothing empire with adidas, Kanye West dipped his feet into the sneaker market with Nike. The Nike Air Yeezy 1 was West’s first sneaker collaboration and one of the first times someone other than a sports star had created their own shoe. Since then every man and his dog has had their own sneaker deal, with West once again proving how groundbreaking an artist he is.
West debut the sneakers at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008. Taking the stage to perform Hey Mama and Stronger, sneakerheads went ape shit when they saw the Nike Air Yeezy 1’s for the first time.
Developed in the “Innovation Kitchen” at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, West was only allowed to wear the sneakers if returned them straight after his performance.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sotheby’s (@sothebys)
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sotheby’s (@sothebys)
The shoes themselves are made from soft black leather with perforated detailing throughout and feature the classic Nike Swoosh. The sneaker design also incorporates the iconic Yeezy forefoot strap and signature ‘Y’ medallion lace locks in bright pink (which were not worn by Kanye during his performance). The Yeezy 1’s come with a custom wooden box with a design and etching by the Yeezy 1 creator, Mark Smith.
“This pair is critical to the development of the Yeezy franchise, which has become one of the most important sneaker and lifestyle brands in history,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear & Modern Collectables, said in a statement.
“Debuted on-stage at the Grammys in 2008, the sneakers set off waves in the sneaker community as people tried to identify the mysterious pair. Afterwards, we saw a series of collaborations between Kanye and Nike, and then later the birth of his line with adidas.”
The sneakers will be available to view at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from April 16 to April 21, before being sold privately by Sotheby’s, where they are expected to fetch over $1 million.
See more about - Steve McQueen’s famous Persol sunglasses are back
See more about - Steve McQueen’s famous Persol sunglasses are back
