Commentary
It’s no secret to anyone that knows me, that I’m an addict for sneakers and a big Kanye West fan. So, when I found out that these two things would be combining I knew I had to get my hands on it. The “it” I’m referring to is the Air Yeezy, which Kanye designed along with other designers at Nike. It’s the first shoe ever to be designed by a rapper and, in my opinion, one of the most aesthetically appealing pair of shoes I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
The first time I caught a glimpse of this beauty was when Kanye performed in them at the 2008 Grammy Awards. At the time, I had no clue what they were, but I knew that if they were ever released I needed to get my hands on them.
As the weeks went by, I started seeing pictures of this mysterious sneaker on various sneaker Web sites. There were whispers throughout the blogosphere about Kanye’s involvement in the design process and whether the shoe would be released to the public.
In November, Kanye announced on his blog that the Air Yeezy would be released in March 2009.
All that was left to do was wait. For the next couple of months I checked nicekicks.com religiously for updates on the actual release date for the Air Yeezy, the colorways that would be available to the public and the number of shoes that were being released. As the days went by, more information came out and the hype around the Air Yeezy had reached a fevering pitch.
March came and with that we—sneakerheads, that is—found out that the first pair of Air Yeezy’s would be released on April 4. Retail? $200. Availability? Limited.
Shoes like the Air Yeezy, are usually released in sneaker boutiques that may carry up to 15 to 20 pairs.
Exclusivity is everything in the sneaker culture.
I had some major negatives holding me back from buying the Air Yeezy’s.
$200 is a lot of money, especially in a recession. Plus, I had no transportation to get to a sneaker boutique in Detroit or Chicago, which happened to be the closest locations to find the Air Yeezy’s.
The last colorway is supposed to be released on the first Saturday in June, which leaves me with one final chance to get my hands on them.
I know most people think it’s reckless to spend that much money on a pair of shoes, but I just love sneakers.
Some people buy stock, I buy shoes and regardless of an economic collapse, they’ll always have value to me.