June 13th, 2012 by John K.
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Looking at the Nike Air Yeezy 1 and the just released Nike Air Yeezy 2 side by side, it’s immediately evident that they come from the same lineage. The obvious similarities in shape, the mid-foot strap treatment, and the whole glow in the dark opulence lying underneath set up a clear bridge between these two entrances into the high end of collaborative Nike models. The climates the respective models arrived in weren’t quite so similar however, as the sneakerhead landscape changed quite a bit from the short span of the 2009 release of the first to last weekend’s debut of the second. Similarly the release approach was much more traditional, lineups and the occasional raffle here and there, where the second was forced to adjust after the looming threats on public safety posed by the ‘Galaxy’ business just a few months back.
The Nike Air Yeezy 1 was a bit more insular, a release seemingly driven to a much larger extent by the core sneakerhead crowd rather than the media at large. There was no heavy celebrity seeding (and obviously, no celebrity ‘Tweeting’ of their early pairs), no extensive CNN coverage building up to the moment, no fake $90,000+ auctions. Furthermore Kanye West himself was a bit of a different character back then, with the Nike Air Yeezy 1 more rooted in a history of sports footwear where the 2′s reflect his quick switch to the high-fashion houses right after, a trend played out in his lyrics and his on-going creative endeavors (recall the Louis Vuitton Pack that allegedly had Nike fuming).
Which of these two similar colorways of two separate sneakers in the Kanye West x Nike oeuvre will history be more kind to? At the moment the Nike Air Yeezy 2 ‘Black/Solar’ is a hotter commodity, with prices hovering around $2,000 on eBay whereas the ‘Black/Pink’ Nike Air Yeezy 1 only rose to that figure over the span of three years, but it will take some time before things level out and we can collectively look at them from a distance. There’s no doubt the sentimental attachment and historical signifance of the Nike Air Yeezy 1 will be unmatched for many, but there’s also the consideration of the Nike Air Yeezy 2 being that much harder to track down and arriving with a fervor much greater than before. We’re finishing off our 1 vs. 2 comparisons here with a detailed look at the Black/Pink and Black/Solar Red, so enjoy the gallery and let us know which of the two you like better!
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June 12th, 2012 by John K.
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The gap between signature shoe 1 and II is most often the widest among all others breaks between volumes. The Air Jordan, Zoom LeBron, and Zoom Kobe, etc. have all withstood that extra distance in the evolutionary jump, with the respective sequel taking on a much more distinct persona of the individual it was designed for. The Air Yeezy, however, is the exception to that rule; the first Yeezy, which officially released back in 2009, had some heavy expectations on its shoulders as it would represent the entire ‘sneakerhead’ constituency into one design. A bulky strap, a mega-high ankle cut, custom-designed lace-locks, an all-over ‘Y’ Yeezy press-mold print, glow-in-the-dark outsoles – it was the perfect sneakerhead’s shoe designed by perhaps the exemplar of the sub-culture in Kanye West. The Air Yeezy is also credited as the first signature shoe for an influential non-athlete, so the finished product was certainly an enticing news story for media outlets outside the bounds of the sneaker culture; the biggest pop culture superstar is getting his own Nike sneaker – this we gotta see.
The public outcry for a sequel followed not much after the mid-2009 release of the Air Yeezy, and since we first spotted it with our own eyes during the February 2011 world premiere of Kobe Bryant’s ‘Black Mamba’ short, the Air Yeezy 2 was a massive ongoing headline over the last sixteen months. The sneaker was kept under heavy wraps, with Kanye himself acting as lone ‘trailer’ as we witnessed him rotate a variety of different colorways on the street and during live musical performances. Eventually (in a long and dragging saga), Nike unveiled the final release information and the Air Yeezy 2 released globally this past Saturday, but what was already considered to be one of the toughest sneaker acquisitions of the year turned out to be much more difficult due to a variety of factors, with many pointing to the overall mainstream movement of ‘sneakers’ being the primary culprit. The landscape of the Air Yeezy 2 release was in clear contrast with the original Air Yeezy release; while many stores – official Nike retailers included – celebrated the momentous Yeezy occasion with themed in-store events, the dangerously high demand and ultra-low supply raised major concerns for Nike and ultimately forced the release to take on a ‘quick and painless’ approach; the Twitter RSVP took center stage (with controversial results) while other stores depended on controlled raffle/lottery arrangements, and a massive chunk of the hungry were left un-fed. The demand remained, and so the resale market value of the Air Yeezy 2 eclipsed that of the original Air Yeezy at its highest point, reaching jaw-dropping amounts in a short period of time.
The design contrast between the Air Yeezy and Air Yeezy 2, displayed in the following gallery, also speaks on Kanye West’s changing tastes in fashion and style, but surely Kanye’s own sneaker obsession played a major role in the design concept as the base of the shoe is shared with one of Nike’s most revered designs – the Air Tech Challenge. Above it is a slimmer, sleeker, and more luxurious build, opting for extravagant tastes like anaconda-skin and intricate details like the hieroglyphics and Horus logo on the tongue. The Air Yeezy 2 certainly met Nike’s fastidious demands of a signature shoe, as the overall design exuded Kanye’s more recent fascination with high-end luxury and fashion and grandiose self-imagery. The Air Yeezy 2 was a clear overlap of the sneakerhead community and the pop-culture/contemporary fashion circles, becoming a must-have item for a much larger population of fashion-forward, but Kanye’s ongoing relationship with Nike, based not only on this release but his participation in Kobe Bryant’s ‘The Kobe System’ ad campaign, will always be on the sneakerhead’s radar – regardless of where (or when) fashion trends evolve. Will there be an Air Yeezy 3? Kanye’s already hinted at that a few months back, but for now, let’s enjoy the Air Yeezy 2 for what it is and see for yourself just how similar and different the Air Yeezy 1 and 2 truly is by flipping through the gallery below.
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March 28th, 2012 by Brendan Dunne
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Plenty of sneakerheads across the globe are no doubt reeling in collective pain upon hearing the news of the hotly anticipated Nike Air Yeezy 2 being bumped back to June. And while nothing can truly alleviate the pain, some more high res images should help at least a little bit. That’s what we have for you here, as Complex goes behind the scenes of the Yeezy 2 for a special feature on the details and background of the shoe, as well as some design sketches that give an insight to the creative process behind the Nike Air Yeezy 2 before it came to its final fruition. Stay with us after the jump for the full gallery of the Nike Air Yeezy 2 ‘Wolf Grey’ and let us know if you think it will surpass the first model in terms of release day frenzy.
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March 21st, 2012 by Aaron Kr.
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Behold the Nike Air Yeezy 2 in all its glory! After countless peeks via paparazzi shots and camera phone pics, we finally get our first set of detailed images of Kanye West’s second Nike shoe. Here we see the Wolf Grey/Pure Platinum colorway from multiple angles and exposing all sorts of goodies like our best look yet at the Horus-inspired tongue logo and some additional Yeezy hieroglyphics on the velcro beneath the the midfoot strap. We also get a better indication of the luxurious upper materials, the Torch mesh in the tongue, the chunky metallic lace tips and a nice crisp view of the Yeezy 2 dustbag seen last night. These are set to hit worldwide retailers like Singapore’s Limited Edt on April 13th, so dig into these pics and you’d better start gameplanning for the release if you’re hoping to get a pair. Stay tuned for more pics and further release information coming soon. via streething
Nike Air Yeezy 2
Wolf Grey/Pure Platinum
508214-010
04/13/12
$250
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February 23rd, 2012 by John K.
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What’s Kanye West’s favorite shoe? Is it the Air Jordan VI, which we’ve seen him rock effortlessly time and time again on the streets and during live performances, or is it the Nike Air Yeezy, his first ever signature shoe with Nike? It’s likely a toss-up at this point because Kanye’s been wearing Air Jordans long before his Nike deal, but here’s a look at something that could have been – a Nike Air Yeezy with an Air Jordan VI outsole. This sick Yeezy x VI sample, shared by Kanye’s pal Don C, combines Yeezy’s first with Jordan’s first (championship) in a tonal-black set-up with an orange ‘Y’ lace lock, suede uppers, a leather ankle, and patent leather midfoot strap. Remember, these were a sample created at the Innovation Kitchen back in 2009 that was part of a special auction for a charitable cause. What are your thoughts on this Air Yeezy x Air Jordan VI sample as it surfaces again today? Check out the extra angles below and be sure to stick with Sneaker News for the looming release of the Nike Air Yeezy 2, which has been rumored to go down on March 23rd.
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September 12th, 2011 by John K.
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The release of the Nike Mag 2011 has left the sneaker world in a state of uncontrollable elation. It’s a sneaker release that had the CEO and bigwigs of Nike excited to a great degree, and some of our Sneaker News readers who were lucky enough to be in the LA or NY area came out to enjoy the festivities. One Sneaker News Blogs: WDYWT regular even made it out to the Hollywood unveiling while wearing the Air Yeezy (and posed wit the Delorean), but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best submission of the week! We’ve got other Yeezys, a hilarious take on the ‘Think Pink’ Kobe VI, and some more Air Jordan x Nike Air goodness, so check out this week’s twenty top selections from WDYWT and vote for your favorite at the very end.
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