Nike Air Yeezy 2 'Red October' Dual Signed by Kanye West | US 13

As the last Yeezy style made in collaboration with Nike before transitioning to his partnership with adidas, the Nike Air Yeezy 2 'Red October' represents a pivotal moment in Kanye West's design career and the evolution of the Yeezy brand. This extremely rare pair is an iconic piece at the intersection of music, fashion, and pop-culture — and rarer yet, dual-signed by Kanye West himself.

First worn by the artist in public during his May 2013 performance of ‘Black Skinhead’ on Saturday Night Live, the Red October was one of the most discussed and anticipated sneakers of the year. The original Nike Air Yeezy 1 was a true mashup design paying homage to some of Nike’s most successful creations from court classics to new streetwear — borrowing an Air Jordan 3 sole and Air Trainer straps. In creating the silhouette, West looked to Nike’s archives and then applied his own creative touch through colorways, materials, and finishing.

The Nike Air Yeezy 2 diverges from the Air Yeezy 1. From the moulded rubber-heel, to the YZY hieroglyphics, textured panels and gold aglets, Kanye West designed a unique sneaker at the intersection of sport, fashion, and design. Showcased on the feet of his contemporaries Jerry Lorenzo and Don C, and with further social media support from West’s then-partner Kim Kardashian throughout the year, the curiosity and intrigue for this pair continued to swell.

Furthermore, Kanye West was seen wearing the Red Octobers throughout his critically acclaimed Yeezus tour — performing his sixth solo album of the same name. Celebrated for its set design, fashion, and thematic execution, the Yeezus tour was described by Kanye as “imagining the end of the world." For this event, West worked with Maison Margiela to feature some of the Paris fashion house's most important archival pieces. The wardrobe consisted of 10 couture pieces, 20 ready-to-wear pieces, as well as several head-encasing masks often adorned with crystals and mirrors. West’s work with Margiela brought the tour explicitly into the world of fashion, expanding beyond simply hip-hop and pop-culture. It was no surprise that throughout the tour, social media was dominated by fans and critics alike offering their opinion on Kanye West and the Yeezy aesthetic.

Adding to the theatrics of Yeezus, was the evidently strained relationship between Kanye West and Nike — with West often breaking out during his performances to criticise Nike and then CEO, Mark Parker. West finally revealed in November 2013 that the Yeezy Brand was being brought to adidas. Onlookers, intrigued at what Yeezy had in store going forward, were still captivated by the elusive Red Octobers, and whether or not this divorce would result in a scrapped release.

On February 9th 2014 — the day after the 10th anniversary of West’s College Dropout album, Nike released a Tweet with a link to purchase the Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red Octobers from the Nike website. Just 11 minutes later, Nike again released a Tweet to announce that the model had completely sold out. The pair, which had been documented, shared, and discussed for just under a year, had sold out in an online-only drop without marketing or advertising. 

The lot is sold with the backstage pass to Jay-Z’s Made In America Festival from 2014, where Kanye West performed. This lot is accompanied by a letter from James Spence Authentication in regards to the signatures.