 Air Yeezy Samples | |
| Type | Sneakers |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Nike, Inc. and Kanye West |
| Inception | 2008 |
| Manufacturer | Nike |
| Available | No |
| Last production year | February 9th, 2014 |
| Models made | Air Yeezy, Air Yeezy II |
The Nike Air Yeezy is an official sneakers collaboration project between Nike and Kanye West, launched in 2009. Notable as the shoe brand's first non-athlete full collaboration, the project has released two editions: the "Air Yeezy" (2009) and the "Air Yeezy II" (2012 and 2014).
The Nike Air Yeezy was developed from 2007 to 2009 by rapper Kanye West, Nike Creative Director Mark Smith and later Nathan Van Hook. Kanye has spoken very highly of Smith as both a collaborator and designer. Smith has said the same of Kanye, stating that he is "a truly creative talent" and a "natural designer." [1]
The design process for the Nike Air Yeezy was long and features dozens of sample colorways and silhouettes. Inspiration behind the line notably include the Air Tech Challenge II, Jordan III and IV. The early prototype of the Air Yeezy had many features that greatly differ from the release version of the shoe. For instance, the midsole and outsole featured what the shoe's creators referred to as "Death Star" tooling, named for the large spherical shape on the back half of the midsole. The outsole also featured the "Y-print" that was used on the toe box of the three release versions. Also, on the very early prototypes, the shoe used LED lights implanted in the outsole, but after issues with low battery life and cost evaluation, production staff at Nike came to the conclusion that phosphorescent rubber would be used in place of the LED lights. [2]
While several color and wear test samples of the Nike Air Yeezy were made, some are more widely known and discussed than others. West wore an all black suede pair during his 2008 Grammy Awards performance of "Stronger" and "Hey Mama." Up until after his performance, the public was unaware that a collaboration between Nike and Kanye West was in the works.[ citation needed ] This sample was later sold via an online charity auction to benefit the patients of the Doernbecher Children's Hospital alongside an unreleased prototype of the Nike Air Yeezy featuring the tooling used on the popular Air Jordan VI. [2] Mark Smith stated that Kanye wanted to use Jordan tooling on the Air Yeezy, but that Nike would not allow it, and therefore, before the date of the auction, Kanye was unaware that the "Jordan VI" Nike Air Yeezy sample existed. The other sample that was met with much discussion among fans of the shoe was the "Fire Red" Nike Air Yeezy, which was named for the bright red color on the midsole. This colorway was first worn by Kanye during his "Glow in the Dark" Tour and has been worn by the rapper several times since. According to industry rumors, this colorway was strongly considered for release alongside the other 3 release colorways, but was scrapped at the last minute. [2]
After the long sampling process, three colorways of the Nike Air Yeezy were chosen for public release; a "Zen Grey" colorway that released on April 4, 2009, and was the colorway that was created after almost equal input from Smith and West, a "Black/Pink" colorway (sometimes referred to as the "Blink" colorway) which was more the brainchild of Mark Smith and released on May 4, 2009, and finally a "Net" colorway that reflected more of Kanye West's design tastes and released on June 1, 2009. [1] Each colorway had a suggested retail price of $215 and sold out almost immediately. [3] [4]
In early 2020 while speaking to GQ , West stated that he was open to the idea of a retro release of the Air Yeezy line. [5]
Anticipation around the release of the Nike Air Yeezy 2 started after a Complex Magazine interview with Mark Smith and Kanye West about designing the Nike Air Yeezy, wherein Kanye stated that there were several designs left over from the Air Yeezy design process that could eventually become the Nike Air Yeezy 2. [6] Despite this statement, none of these designs were used for the Air Yeezy 2, and instead, Nathan VanHook sat down with Kanye to design the Yeezy 2. [7] The shoe features much more of an animalistic design inspiration than the original Air Yeezy, sporting a ridged, reptile inspired heel counter and a snake skin inspired design on the quarters. The shoe, like the original Air Yeezy, borrows tooling from other Nike models. The Air Yeezy 2 borrows its sole unit from the popular Nike Air Tech Challenge II tennis model. The shoe also features several references to Egyptian culture, featuring depictions of the god Horus on the tongue and insole, and using Egyptian hieroglyphics that spell out "YZY" under the strap. [8]
There were also several design decisions during the making of the Nike Air Yeezy 2 that were a direct response to some of Kanye's issues with the initial Nike Air Yeezy. Firstly, unnecessary padding along the upper was eliminated, and the shoe was made shorter for greater mobility. Also, the shoe was purposely slimmed down, to create a thinner look on feet and better fit Kanye West's foot. [9]
As with the original Nike Air Yeezy, several sample colorways were created, the most famous of which was the "Kobe" or "Cheetah" Nike Air Yeezy 2 sample which was based on a popular Christmas colorway of the Nike Kobe VII. Aside from the rumored three pairs in existence and the pictures of the aforementioned sample that spread through various sneaker media sources, very little is known about the sample. [2]
Following a series of high-profile teases of the shoe (including rapper Jay Z exclaiming "Shoutout to my Yeezys, Yeezy 2s" during a March 2012 SXSW performance), Nike announced the Air Yeezy II sneaker on May 29, 2012. [10] The shoe was released on June 9, 2012. While it had a retail price of $245, preorder bids on eBay reached as high as $90,000. The Air Yeezy II was available in two colors, platinum and black, [9] [11] [12] and was later released in an all-red colorway known as "Red October", which were released on February 9th 2014. [13]
In April 2021, the Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototypes, worn by West during his 2008 Grammys performance, sold for a record $1.8 million. The Air Yeezy 1 prototypes beat the previous sneaker sale record which was held by a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s that auctioned for $615,000. Additionally, the Air Yeezy 1 prototypes became the first pair of sneakers to top $1 million in a sale. Brahm Wachter, head of streetwear and collectibles at Sotheby's, stated the price "speaks volumes of Kanye's legacy as one of the most influential clothing and sneaker designers of our time, and of the Yeezy franchise he has built which has become an industry titan." [14] [15]
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but over time, shoes also became fashion items. Some shoes are worn as safety equipment, such as steel-toe boots, which are required footwear at industrial worksites.
Converse is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003.
Nike Air Force is a range of athletic shoes made by Nike that began with Air Force 1. It was created by designer Bruce Kilgore and was the first basketball shoe to use Nike's "Air" technology. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.
Air Jordan is a line of basketball shoes produced by Nike, Inc. Related apparel and accessories are marketed under the Jordan Brand.
Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars is a sneaker manufactured by Converse. Initially developed as a basketball shoe in the early 20th century, its design has remained largely unchanged since its introduction. The shoe consists of a stitched upper portion, and a toe cap and outsole usually made of rubber. Although Chuck Taylors are made of various materials such as leather or suede, the original and most widely known version is made from cotton canvas. The innovative detail of the original shoe was the "loose lining" of soft canvas that was intended to provide flexibility and prevent blisters.
Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the shoe and intended to provide cushioning to the underfoot. Air Max was conceptualized by Tinker Hatfield, who initially worked for Nike designing stores.
Tinker Linn Hatfield Jr. is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". He is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects. For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.
Nike Shox is a support system feature in several of Nike's flagship sneakers, first released in 2000. The design is an arrangement of primarily polyurethane hollow columns in the midsole supporting the shoe's heel. Most models include four circular columns in a square formation to provide stability. Later variations sometimes added additional columns, or changed to triangular or rectangular formations.
Adidas Samba is an athletic shoe manufactured by German multinational Adidas. It was designed by Adidas Founder Adolf Dassler in 1949. It is among Adidas' most popular shoes, being the second highest selling Adidas design ever with over 35 million pairs sold worldwide, behind the Stan Smith model. It has been produced in a variety of color schemes.
Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.
Nike By You is a service provided by Nike allowing customers to personalize and design their own Nike merchandise, most specifically footwear but also sportswear. They offer online services as well as physical studios in different countries around the world, including: United Kingdom, Italy, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, China, USA, Canada and Australia.
Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.
The Nike MAG is a limited-edition shoe created by Nike Inc. It is a replica of a shoe featured in the film Back to the Future Part II. The Nike Mag was originally released for sale in 2011 and again in 2016. Both launches were in limited quantities. The 2011 release was limited to 1,510 pairs, while the 2016 release was limited to 89 pairs.
"New God Flow" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Pusha T. It was released as the third single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012), a collaboration between members of their record label GOOD Music. Produced by West, Anthony Kilhoffer and Boogz & Tapez, "New God Flow", which is a hip hop song, incorporates numerous samples into its arrangement. It features lines by Pusha T directed at American rapper and record producer Birdman. American rapper Ghostface Killah, whose song "Mighty Healthy" is prominently sampled in the song, is featured on an alternate version entitled "New God Flow.1" that appears on Cruel Summer. West and Pusha T performed "New God Flow" on several occasions, including the 2012 BET Awards and Jay-Z's Made in America Festival. The song was awarded Best Beat at the XXL Awards.
Reebok Ventilator is a line of athletic shoes by Reebok. The footwear was first introduced in 1990 as a lightweight sneaker with vented side panels. The Ventilators focused on "breathability" with bold colored silhouette. Originally popular in the '90s, the Reebok Ventilator has been released in different styles throughout the years and is still in production.
Adidas Yeezy was a fashion collaboration between American rapper, designer, and entrepreneur Kanye West and German sportswear company Adidas. It offered sneakers in limited edition colorways, as well as shirts, jackets, track pants, socks, slides, lingerie and slippers. The first shoe model was released in February 2015. In 2020 Forbes described Yeezy's rise as "one of the great retail stories of the century". Yeezy influenced and inspired a multitude of other fashion brands. Outside of the former Adidas collaboration, Yeezy is the name of Kanye's company Yeezy LLC and is not connected to Adidas.
"Facts" is a song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released as a promotional single on New Year's Eve 2015, marking his first solo release since 2015's "All Day" – West released "Only One" on New Year's Eve the previous year, but that was released as an actual single and not a promotional one. The song was later released on West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016) as "Facts ". The song is a diss track aimed at footwear company Nike.
Nike and Off-White: "The Ten" was a sneakers collaboration between Nike and Off-White in 2017. It initially involved the deconstruction of ten iconic Nike silhouettes, designed by Founder and CEO of Off-White, Virgil Abloh. The ten shoes were individually broken down by Abloh, and then rebuilt with a different design and rearranged components. The collaboration sold out and the shoes became highly sought after. Further additions to this collaboration were then added throughout 2018 and 2019 which included endorsements from athletes and celebrities but are not included in the original "ten".
Space Hippie is a line of sneakers by Nike engineered from recycled materials, released by the company in 2020.
Jordan Michael Geller is an American sneaker collector who founded and operated the ShoeZeum, the world's first sneaker museum. In 2012, Geller was certified by Guinness World Records for having the largest sneaker collection in the world, at 2,388 pairs.
| Subsidiaries |
|  | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brands | |||||||||
| Products |
| ||||||||
| People | |||||||||
| Advertisement | |||||||||
| Original Run series | |||||||||
| Sponsorships | |||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||
| Studio albums |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Live albums | |||
| Compilations |
| ||
| Mixtapes | |||
| DVDs | |||
| Films | |||
| Tours | |||
| Books | |||
| Fashion | |||
| Family |
| ||
| Related articles | |||
