Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy Prototypes to be Sold for Over AU$1.31M

The Nike Air Yeezy prototypes will be offered starting next Monday

Kanye West prototypes for the Yeezy line have shown up for private sale at the Sotheby’s. As per estimates, the Nike Air Yeezy could be sold for as high as US$1 million (AU$1.31 million) or even higher than that amount. These shoes were developed by Kanye West and Mark Smith for Nike. They are making the headlines as they are the most valuable sneakers that have ever appeared at the auction house.

The Nike Air Yeezy prototypes will be offered starting next Monday. They are extra special also because Ye premiered them on stage at the 2008 Grammys, where the rapper performs hits like Stronger and Hey Mama and even claimed four awards. In the next few years, Kanye West collaborated with Nike for several Air Yeezy releases. He then switched to Adidas as he thought Nike was not paying him enough.

One of the reasons why these Nike Air Yeezy prototypes are getting such a high price is that Yeezy is a powerful brand now. The sales value of the brand’s sneakers was about US$1.7 billion (AU$2.23 billion) in 2020.

These Nike Air Yeezy prototypes also signify a vital moment in sneaker design because this was the first time the sneakers were created for an artist instead of an athlete. These sneakers, designed by Kanye West, also had an entirely new silhouette.

While talking about Nike Air Yeezy prototypes designed by Kanye West, Brahm Wachter, the head of modern collectibles and streetwear at Sotheby’s, said, “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. 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. Afterward, we saw a series of collaborations between Kanye and Nike, and then later the birth of his line with Adidas.”

The Air Yeezy prototypes will be on display from April 16 to April 21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. These designer sneakers from Kanye West are very highly priced. The last pair of sneakers with a hefty price was Nike Air Jordan 1 that was sold for US$615,000 (AU$807,000) by Christie’s in August last year. The high price of Nike Air Yeezy prototypes also seems justified if you think that the richest Black man in the history of the US (according to Bloomberg) has designed and worn them in public.