In the world of pricey sneakers, Kanye West’s Yeezys are among the most expensive and the most collectible. After launching his shoe line in 2009, Kanye’s net worth quickly climbed past $6 billion thanks to massively successful sales and partnerships with brands like Nike and Adidas.
Today, Yeezy sneakers are easy to find since they’re so popular. The brand generates about $1.7 billion in revenue per year and Kanye himself earned over $190 million from sales in 2021. But being easy to find doesn’t mean Yeezys are cheap. Although prices vary depending on colorways, unique features, and other factors, most Yeezys easily cost more than $1,000.
These are the top eight most expensive Yeezys in the world.
- Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 in Chocolate
- Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 OG in Light Brown
- Adidas Yeezy Boost 350
- Nike Air Yeezy 1 in Zen Grey
- Nike Air Yeezy 2
- Nike Air Yeezy 1 in Net Tan
- The ‘Grammy Worn’ Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes
- The Red Octobers
Colorway: Brown and gum
Release Year: 2016
Interesting Fact: Kanye West released these shoes with Adidas shortly after leaving his partnership with Nike
photo source: solecollector.com
Kicking off this list are the Adidas Yeezy Boost 750s in Chocolate. The brown shoes feature gum-colored soles and came with an original retail price of $350. Boost 750s were the first Yeezys dropped with Adidas after Kanye left his partnership with Nike, so they hold a special place in Yeezy history.
Even though Boost 750s in Chocolate cost less than $400 when they dropped in 2016, the shoes easily sell for $900 or more on the modern resale market.
Before Adidas Yeezy Boost 750s in Chocolate officially launched, the new shoes were displayed at Kanye’s “season two” Yeezy presentation during New York Fashion Week.
Just like other Yeezys, these shoes feature midfoot straps and midsoles that glow in the dark.
Did you know?
Around the time Yeezy launched the Boost 750s with Adidas, Kanye called himself “the most influential person in footwear.”
Colorway: Light brown
Release Year: 2015
Interesting Fact: Kanye West personally handed out these shoes to a few lucky fans
photo source: stockx.com
These Boost 750s are the OG line by Yeezy and Adidas. The shoes came out in 2015 and marked the start of Yeezy’s new venture outside the Nike brand — and Yeezy fans were excited. “The minute the Adidas x Kanye West partnership was announced, anticipation began to build,” says one report. All that anticipation led to Kanye wearing one of the first pairs of Yeezy Boost 750s to the Grammy Awards as a promotional effort. Interestingly, Kanye did the same thing before his first line of Yeezys came out in partnership with Nike in 2009.
Although Boost 750s cost less than $1,000 in 2015, the shoes often sell for at least $1,000 on resale platforms.
Did you know?
Kanye and Adidas went all-out when it came to promoting their new collaboration. Beyond basic promo, the new shoes were displayed in a fashion show in NYC — and that fashion show was live-streamed to 42 movie theaters across the globe. When launch day came, Kanye took things a step further and handed out several pairs to fans in person.
Colorway: Turtledove
Release Year: 2015
Interesting Fact: These shoes sold for just $200 when they dropped in 2015
photo source: stockx.com
Boost 350s came out in 2015 and sold for just $200. Today, the shoes regularly go for more than $1,700.
Yeezy had a lot of products by the time these shoes came out, but that didn’t stop people from buying. The shoes were a huge hit, partially because fans seemed to like how versatile the design is. As one report put it, “not only do the sneakers look as fresh with gym gear as they do with date-night attire, they’re also insanely comfortable.” In the end, these shoes became Adidas’ and Yeezy’s most successful silhouette.
Did you know?
Turtledove was one of Boost 350s most popular colorways.
Colorway: Zen grey and light charcoal
Release Year: 2009
Interesting Fact: These shoes are sometimes called “the original Yeezys”
photo source: stockx.com
You could call these the original Yeezys. The Air Yeezy 1 line came out in 2009, just after Kanye wore a pair of Yeezy prototypes to the 2008 Grammy Awards. The newly released shoe line was extremely successful — but all the hype was just a preview of Yeezy’s multi-billion-dollar future.
Today, Nike Air Yeezy 1s in Zen Gray easily sell for at least $5,000, making them the fifth most expensive Yeezys in the world. Amazingly, the shoes had an original retail price of just $250, but that hasn’t stopped people from reselling their pairs for thousands.
Did you know?
Nike Air Yeezy 1s were the result of two years of designing at the Nike Innovation Kitchen.
Colorway: Black and solar red
Release Year: 2012
Interesting Fact: When they debuted in June 2012, these shoes sold for $250
photo source: stockx.com
Nike Air Yeezy 2s came out just before Kanye left Nike and joined Adidas. The shoes came in a variety of colorways, including Wolf Gray/Pure Platinum, but black and solar red is one of the most expensive versions on resale markets. Despite selling for just $250 when they dropped in 2012, these shoes go for $7,000 or more today.
Interestingly, Nike Air Yeezy 2s were developed in several sample colors that didn’t end up hitting the market. These included purple, which some compared to Christmas Day “Cheetah” Kobe VII Supreme — another celebrity shoe collab. Another set of Nike Air Yeezy 2s was made in red with snakeskin on the heel panels. These shoes didn’t get widely produced, so they’re likely worth a fortune.
Did you know?
These shoes had a “cement” sample that looked very similar to the Air Jordan line.
Colorway: Tan
Release Year: 2009
Interesting Fact: These shoes had an original retail price of just $250
photo source: stockx.com
Net Tan (sometimes just called Net) was the third and final colorway for Kanye’s debut sneaker. Like the other two Yeezy 1 colorways, these shoes were made in collaboration with Nike and came with a price tag of just $250.
Today, these historic shoes sell for at least $10,000. The iconic design features an upper body of beige leather and midsoles borrowed from the Nike Air Jordan 3.
Air Yeezy 1s in Net Tan also feature Yeezy’s characteristic midfoot strap with a glossy finish. Things are topped off with suede toe wraps stamped with the letter Y.
Did you know?
These shoes launched in June 2019.
Colorway: Black
Release Year: N/A
Interesting Fact: Kanye West wore these to the 50th annual Grammy Awards
photo source: robbreport.com
Before Yeezys were widely available for sale, one of the few pairs in the world was worn by none other than Kanye himself at the 50th annual Grammy Awards in 2008. The artist wore his prototype of the soon-to-be-released shoes as he performed in honor of his recently deceased mother, Donda West.
In 2021, that exact pair of pre-release Yeezys went up for sale — and fans got excited. When bidding at Sotheby’s auction house closed, the shoes had a record-breaking price tag of $1.8 million.
Did you know?
These size-12 shoes were designed by Kanye and Mark Smith, Nike’s creative director.
Colorway: Red
Release Year: 2014
Interesting Fact: These shoes sold out in 11 minutes after their debut in February 2014
photo source: nydailynews.com
The Red Octobers are the most expensive Yeezys in the world.
With an estimated price tag of $16 million, these Yeezys are easily the most expensive in the world. The Yeezy-Nike collab came out in 2014, shortly after Kanye left the brand citing a lack of creative control. However, Kanye eventually walked back some of his earlier statements about his frustration with Nike, saying, “I really do feel honored to have had the chance to blow Yeezy up with Nike and I really appreciate everything they did for me…I apologize for my frustration earlier.” Clearing the air with Nike seemed to work, and Kanye and the Swoosh dropped their extremely popular Red October collab in February 2014.
Although the Red Octobers had an original retail price of just $245, fans quickly resold the shoes on eBay for a lot of money. Like, a lot. According to one report, some pairs went for as much as $16 million.
Did you know?
One eBay listing offering these shoes for several million dollars said, “These don’t need much of a description as most people that are looking at this listing know exactly what they’re looking at.”
