Nike Air Yeezy 2

About

The Nike Air Yeezy 2 is the second and final sneaker in Kanye West's collaboration with Nike, following the original 2009 Air Yeezy. Nike designer Nathan Van Hook worked with West on the shoe, which was announced on May 29, 2012, and released on June 9, 2012, at a retail price of $245. Three official colourways launched: Pure Platinum, Black, and Solar Red, the last of which became known as 'Red October.' The design departed from the original Air Yeezy: unnecessary upper padding was eliminated and the shoe was shortened for greater mobility, while a ridged, reptile-inspired heel counter and snakeskin-textured quarter panels were added. Sole tooling was borrowed from the Nike Air Tech Challenge II, and the tongue and insole featured depictions of the Egyptian god Horus alongside hieroglyphics spelling out 'YZY' under the strap. Jay-Z generated anticipation for the shoe with a public performance at SXSW in March 2012, ahead of Nike's official announcement. The line's final chapter came on February 9, 2014, when Nike surprise-released the all-red 'Red October' colourway online with a single tweet, months after West had already left Nike for Adidas; the pairs sold out within minutes.