Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototype

Records were shattered when auction house Sotheby’s attracted a $1.8 million winning bid for Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 ‘Prototype’. The enormous sum instantly made it the most expensive public sneaker sale of all time when the hammer fell in April 2021. The size 12 pair was worn by Kanye during his performances of ‘Hey Mama’ and ‘Stronger’ at the 2008 Grammy Awards, and was the exact shoe that announced Nike’s prospective Air Yeezy project to the wider sneaker world. Designed by Kanye and Mark Smith, the sneaker features a soft black leather upper with perforated detailing, a tonal Swoosh logo on the overlay, and the familiar forefoot strap seen on all Air Yeezy models. After buying the shoes, Rares announced that it will split ownership of the shoe into shares which its users will be able to buy and trade on its marketplace. If all goes to plan, sneakerheads the world over will be able own a fraction of the record-shattering shoes come this June. Welcome to 2021.