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Friday, April 3, 2009

Kanye West 's New Air Yeezy Sneaker is 300 bones. Huh?
So these sneaks are worth $300? What do you think?

Nonetheless, Kanye and Nike have collaborated to make the Air Yeezy sneaker.  (Young Jeezy, C-Breezy, (Chris Brown) Weezy (Lil Wayne) ) I can't take all these eezy's, it must be the new urban Pig Latin, but whatever.  The men's-only shoe will be available Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at the Villa (formally Sneaker Villa) at 52nd and Market Street. Here is the catch: these kicks are $300! We know Kanye has lost his mind, but has Nike lost its mind too?

I have so many problems with this.

Let's start with aesthetics: From a fashion standpoint, these kicks are just weird. We know that Kanye hasn't been wrapped too tight lately. And I know the West derived Battlestar Galactica look is hot with the frohawk,  the oversized glasses and  the fitted version of the Miami Vice blazer, but these sneakers are just not hot. The forefoot support strap is simply a blast from velcro sneakers past.  Orange is a good color and the pink lining for men is definitely  forward, but The Y's along the base of the shoe, which I'm assuming stands for Yeezy, is overkill. Why are these sneaks worth $300?  Louboutins, yes? Yeezys not so much. (And I'm a Kanye fan) Next month Nike will release a black on black color way and in June they will introduce a beige version. Maybe those will justify the price tag.

Speaking of price, here is my real issue: Three hundred dollars in this economy for a sneaker marketed to young people? Come on! It saddens me that Villa - which I'd like to say has a  really good track record for its community awareness - would hype this up. Already people are camping out. It's one thing if the sneaker was available in stores, but creating a frenzy and only having 18 pairs available in the most economically depressed and violent are in Philadelphia is not really thinking things through. Is it?  That's a recipe for disaster. I just hope Kanye isn't so hot that people bum rush the doors. There would be nothing fashionable about that.

 
Posted by Elizabeth Wellington @ 1:15 PM  Permalink | 6 comments
6
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:07 PM, 04/03/2009
    ...but the Kayne/Louis Vuitton sneakers, that are simply red alife looking sneaks that will go for $800-$1200 are ok? Why, because its LV and not Nike. And why would anyone camp @ 52nd and Market when these will be @ Ubiq, a real sneaker boutqiue on Walnut- not like the ghetto fab villa locations.
    — phila1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:06 PM, 04/03/2009
    Kanye Louis Vuitton sneakers aren't OK either... All bad.. All bad. I forgot to mention those in my blog. Phila1 thanks for mentioning!
    — MirrorImage
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:55 AM, 04/06/2009
    These monstrosities are very offensive to my eyes. What's up with that weird plastic looking strap across the front? It makes it look like it's falling apart and needs to be MacGyvered with some old-fashioned duct tape. Just terrible.
    — Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:16 PM, 04/07/2009
    the problem with Ubiq was that they were rippin' people off! VILLA was selling them for $215, Ubiq was $300, or if you prepaid they were like $550!!! At least VILLA was "reasonable," if you can say that. Obviously people must not be hurting too much in this economy, all pairs sold out at VILLA within an hour. Not sure about Ubiq though, but I assume they probably got rid of them there too.
    — chipat51
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:26 AM, 04/12/2009
    The Yeezys were created in the image of Marty McFly's sneakers from Back 2 The Future. There are 3 original colorways with at least 1 more on the way. If you remember what made this movie popular you will understand why these recreations are so popular. It is Nike not Kanye that put them at a price point of $220. Then individual vendors then took it upon themselves to mark it up even higher. In the NY area store with actual Nike accounts marked them up to $500. So don't put the blame on Kanye for the absurd price, like chipat51 said it is the individual vendors that are choosing to use his popularity to overcharge the kids. As far as the retro 80's look, I am sure you have a favorite pair of Oliva Newton John "Let's Get Physical" stretch pants or Madonna "Like A Virgin" lace gloves that remind you of a simpler time. That is all these Air Yeezys are doing.
    — Bighomie
  • Comment removed.


6 comments
About Elizabeth Wellington
I’m a Libra so I’m all about pretty things. We of the scales sign know what we like, and our standards are high. So I can’t help but love fashion – one day I will get that Diane von Furstenberg wrap and those Christian Louboutin shoes. And fragrances? My favorite right now is Chanel Mademoiselle. As for makeup, can we say MAC? So let’s thank the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, that a true fashionista can find everything she needs right here in Philly. I’ve covered fashion here for six years, and I have traveled to New York, Los Angeles and Paris to write about local and national designers. Let me tell you, there is no place where people wear midnight Eagles green or Phillies red with such wild abandon as they do on the west side of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Sound familiar? This blog is for you.
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