Kanye West’s sneakers sell for 1.8 million dollars, a smashing record | Radio WGN 720

FILE – Kanye West performs at the 50th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
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NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of Nike prototypes worn by Kanye West during his performances of “Hey Mama” and “Stronger” at the Grammy Awards in 2008 broke the record for a pair of sneakers ever sold.
Sotheby’s announced on Monday that West’s so-called “Grammy Worn” Nike Air Yeezy 1 fetched $1.8 in a private sale. It was acquired by RARES, a sneaker investment marketplace.
The sale marks the highest price publicly recorded for a sneaker sale and the first pair of sneakers to surpass $1 million. Sotheby’s negotiated the private sale.
The size 12 shoes designed by West and Mark Smith are made from supple black leather with perforated detailing throughout the upper, and the heel overlay is marked with a tonal Swoosh. The design features the iconic Yeezy forefoot strap and signature Y-shaped medallions in hot pink.
The price is nearly triple the auction record for a sneaker set in 2020 at Christie’s for $615,000. It was a pair of 1985 Jordan 1s that the basketball superstar wore when he smashed the backboard during a pre-season game in Italy.
“We are delighted with the result, which almost tripled the highest price ever,” Brahm Wachter, head of streetwear and modern collectibles at Sotheby’s, said in a statement. “The sale speaks volumes about Kanye’s legacy as one of the most influential apparel and sneaker designers of our time, and the Yeezy franchise he built that became an industry titan. ‘industry.”