​Kanye West’s Yeezy Trainers Sell For Record-Breaking £1.3 Million

A pair of Kanye West's Yeezy shoes have sold for a whopping $1.8 million (£1.3m) in a private sale, making them the most expensive trainers in the world.

The Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes were West's very own pair of size 12s, which he premiered at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.

PA

They were acquired by RARES, a sneaker investing platform that allows people to buy and trade shares in limited edition and sought-after footwear.

Gerome Sapp, CEO and co-founder of RARES, said in a statement that the purchase was like buying a 'piece of history'.

He said: "Our goal in purchasing such an iconic shoe is to increase accessibility and empower the communities that birthed sneaker culture with the tools to gain financial freedom through RARES."

The shoes had originally been valued at $1 million, but breezed past that figure to fetch the highest publicly recorded price for any pair of sneakers, Sotheby's auction house confirmed.

Sotheby's

Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectibles said in a statement: "We are thrilled with the result, which has nearly tripled the highest price on record.

"The sale 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.

"Furthermore, it builds on the recent growth in Sotheby's sneakers, which is now offered across our Buy-Now marketplace, auction and private sales."

As the shoes were a prototype, the style never actually went on sale to the public, with Sotheby's saying the Nike Air Yeezy I and Air Yeezy II are 'still some of the most coveted sneakers by collectors'.

Ahead of the sale, Wachter had said of the shoes: "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.

"Afterwards, we saw a series of collaborations between Kanye and Nike, and then later the birth of his line with Adidas."

Topics: Kanye West, News, Shoes

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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