You may be hot to trot, but do your kicks have a high price to match?
The first Yeezy sneakers that Kanye West wore have traded hands, and feet, for a whopping $1.8 million in a Sotheby’s private sale, reports CNN. That makes these Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototypes, which were expected to sell for $1 million, the most expensive sneakers ever.
A seemingly simple-looking pair of black high-tops with a small swoosh, these size 12 sneaks premiered at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008 on West’s own two feet — the first time he had ever worn Yeezys, now under the Adidas label, in public. The style never hit shelves for sale.
Rares — an investing platform that lets users buy and trade shares in limited-edition kicks — snagged the pair. Rares CEO and co-founder Gerome Sapp said in a release that owning these shoes is like owning “a piece of history.”
The sneakers were on display in Hong Kong this month in advance of the sale. EPAThough not a private sale, last May saw the $615,000 sale at a Christie’s auction of an autographed pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan in 1985.
In a statement, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles Brahm Wachter said this sale “speaks volumes of Kanye’s legacy as one of the most influential clothing and sneaker designers of our time.”
