by Claude Julian | ARCHIVES

The global rap icon known as Kanye West is use to trendsetting moves that give haters and critics’ juicy reality to digest. West’s deal with the shoe company has him designing a pair every two years, and after 2009′s Air Yeezies sold out in record time, sneaker freaks have been begging for the sequel. The Nike Air Yeezy is an official sneaker collaboration project between Nike, Inc. and Kanye West. The first Nike sneaker collaboration with a non-athlete, the shoes were released in 3 colorways throughout 2009 and were sold exclusively to quick strike Nike accounts. The shoe was designed in part by Kanye West. West detailed on Twitter the terms of his deal with Nike in which he is followed to design one pair of sneakers every two years. As with most of Mark Smith’s projects, Chanhmy Vongxay, the Senior Footwear Technician at Nike’s Innovation Kitchen, is often the person tasked with creating an initial sample based off of any of his sketches. After Kanye and Smith met in May of 2007 and began to sketch out some thoughts and ideas, Vongxay pieced together the very first pull-over sample of the Air Yeezy, which was heavily inspired by the Air Jordan V.

In The Black Mamba video, Kanye West is seen sporting a pair of brand new Nike shoes that have not been seen anywhere. As time progressed, the artist has been seen wearing these new shoes at different events. This has led to speculation that they are in fact the Air Yeezy 2. Though there is no official information about the shoes, rapper Big Sean added fuel to the fire when asked about the shoes. When asked if they were coming out, he stated that there is a possibility before going on to add that “I know too, I just can’t say it”.  Rapper Jay-Z confirmed the Air Yeezy 2, at his performance at the Amex Sync Show, where he replied to a screaming fan.  Jay-Z replied with “Shoutout to my Yeezy’s, Yeezy 2′s.” One website has claimed that the shoes will be released this year with three different colorways. It is believed that all three shoes will be released on the same date and will cost $245.00. But a lucky few were able to pre-order the kicks — and some of these people have already pre-listed them on eBay. The online auctions range in value — but one has already reached over $90,000 … FOR ONE PAIR!!!

Slimmer and more stylish than the Air Yeezy 1, these kicks rest on a Tech Challenge II sole and feature a molded forefoot strap with a luxe hand-skived anaconda side panel. Get them in the all-white “Platinum” look if you’re not worried about scuffing, or in black with pink accents for that post-apocalyptic tea time style. The Air Yeezy 2 will be available in France first (for all you Gold Diggers who can fly to Paris at a moment’s notice) but hit globally on Saturday, June 9, 2012.