Expected to bring a record sale price, a piece of music, footwear, and cultural history is going up on the auction block.
Valued at more than $1,000,000.00, the Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototype worn by Kanye West at the 50th Grammy Awards is currently available for purchase at Sotheby’s. On sale via private showing, in which prospective buyers submit their offers directly to the auction house, the footgear will also be on display at a Hong Kong exhibition from Friday (April 16th) thru April 21st.
The black footwear is significant in a number of ways as the pair was the first look at a top-secret collaboration between Nike and the rap mogul. West’s Air Yeezy 1 was the debut of what was to become his billion-dollar Yeezy fashion brand and the shoes took the sneaker world by storm in 2008 ahead of a booming market for luxury gear.
Ryan Chang, a sneaker collector and curator who previously owned the shoes, appreciates them for their cultural significance. “The Air Yeezy Prototype is particularly special to me because it captured the cultural moment in 2008 so perfectly,” he said in a statement. Moreover, the 2008 Grammys were particularly momentous for West as he took home four awards (out of eight nominations), including rap album honors for 2007’s Graduation.
A $615,000.00 sales record that was formerly set by a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1’s worn by Michael Jordan himself, West’s Yeezy prototypes are poised to become the most expensive sneaker sale by the auction house.
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Photo: Pieter-Jannick Dijkstra