A pair of Kanye West’s old trainers have sold for a whopping £1.3m ($1.8m), making them the most expensive pair of trainers ever sold at auction.
The size 12 black leather shoe Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes were sold by Sotheby’s auction house.
Kanye wore the shoes at the 2008 Grammy Awards while he performed the songs Hey Mama and Stranger. The shoes were made in 2007 and designed by Kanye and Nike’s Mark Smith.
They were bought by investment company Rares from trainer collector Ryan Chang.
Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables, said: ‘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.
He added: ‘Furthermore, it builds on the recent growth in Sotheby’s sneakers, which is now offered across our Buy Now marketplace, auction and private sales.’
The previous record for the most expensive trainers sold at auction was held by a pair of ’85 Jordan 1s, which sold in 2020 at Christie’s for £442,000 ($615,000).
Gerome Sapp, chief executive and co-founder of Rares, added: ‘Our goal in purchasing such an iconic shoe – and a piece of history – is to increase accessibility and empower the communities that birthed sneaker culture with the tools to gain financial freedom through Rares.
‘We look forward to working with Sotheby’s to continue to identify rare finds that will help elevate, preserve and uphold sneaker culture.’
The shoes aren’t the only things related to Kanye that have sold for six-figures recently, either.
The rapper has reportedly taken a leaf out of Kim Kardashian’s book by inviting cameras into his life as he sold a documentary to Netflix for a staggering £22m ($30million).
Following success with concert films from the likes of Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, Netflix has reportedly bought the film which has been in the works since the late 1990s.
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