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Kanye West has probably been the most documented man in the sneaker world after the past 15 years. Fans know every shoe that he wears, and the Kanye Effect—him wearing a shoe and it selling out—is real. We’ve seen it happen over the years. Ronnie Fieg has even reproduced rare New Balance sneakers because Kanye wore them, and he’s put his fans onto odd Japanese high-end shoes by simply lacing them up. But there are also Kanye sneakers we don’t remember. Although they are few and far between, there are those sneakers he only wore once or ones that people don’t know or remember. Here they are.
Adidas Samoa
Year: 2002
There was a time when Kanye was into rare and obscure Adidas sneakers before he signed a deal with the brand. We all know about him wearing the Marathon TR, but what about the Adidas Samoa? I’ve never been a huge fan of the big bumper on the toe of this shoe, but Kanye makes it work. His jeans cover most of the shoe anyway.
Nike Zoom Miler
Year: 2004
My only memory of the Zoom Miler is that we sold it at Dick’s Sporting Goods and running dorks liked them. Kanye had a pair, too, and he wore them in the “Workout Plan” music video. Good shoe to sweat out some pounds in. Also checkout the late Anna Nicole Smith in the background. God bless her soul.
Nike Air 180
Year: 2005
Kanye received a special pair of his own Nike Air 180s that never hit retail. But he also liked the original colorway of the shoe, as seen by his rehearsing in the shoes here. I bought the same pair a year later on sale for $49.99.
Reebok Court Victory Pump
Year: 2006
Kanye’s never really been a Reebok guy. Here he’s seen wearing a pair of Court Victory Pumps in black denim. The shoes are so old that they were on highsnobiety.blogspot.com and sold at Karmaloop. Kanye’s outfit, although littered with Louis Vuitton, is the sort of stuff that Karmaloop made a killing off in the 2000s. There’s also a special colorway of the Zoom Miler in the background. Think I’d rather have those.
Vans Slip-On Checkerboard
Year: 2006
There was a time when people thought Kanye was leaving Adidas for Vans. LOLZ. That never happened, but there was a few-year period where Kanye was wearing the Vans Sk8-Hi. Here he is wearing the Vans Slip-On in the famous Checkerboard colorway. He’s always waving an Irish flag at the same time. Shoutout to my Full Size Run castmate, Brendan Dunne, who is also an Irish citizen.
Gucci Slip-On
Year: 2006
Kanye has been a big proponent of high-end sneakers over the years. Most of them aren’t worth talking about. These Gucci Slip-Ons are a different story. Everyone and their mother has worn Gucci lately -- before the brand got put on pause -- but this takes us back to a more innocent time, when wearing Gucci’s monogram print didn’t feel ironic.
Adidas Rod Laver Vintage
Year: 2006
A lot of people would expect Kanye’s classic Adidas choice to be a pair of Stan Smiths, but he was actually into the Rod Laver Vintage, a version of the classic tennis shoe with a slimmer sole. It’s exhaustive and corny to talk about wearing sneakers with a suit, but this is a shoe that worked with his.
Common Projects Achilles Low
Year: 2007
If you had asked me if there were a bunch of pictures of Kanye West wearing Common Projects sneakers, I would answer, “Yes.” But there isn’t. I only found this one where he’s got a pair of low-tops on in navy suede. He’s also got his now-ex, Alexis Phifer, on his arm, too.
Nike Dunk
Year: 2008
We all know about all-red Nike sneakers from Kanye. How could we not know about them? He only rapped about them and every site waited for them to come out for a year until they shock-dropped on a Sunday morning. Now that’s a real Sunday Service. Here’s a moment, though, where Kanye wore his first pair of all-red Nikes—just a plain pair of red Dunks. Minor at the time, but bigger in the grand scheme of things.
Ice Cream Board Flip II
Year: 2008
Kanye eating ice cream is the level of happiness that we should all strive to achieve at one point. Kanye eating ice cream and wearing Ice Cream sneakers, which were designed by his close friend Pharrell Williams, is almost inception. We’ve seen Kanye in A Bathing Ape sneakers over the years, and very early on, but this is the only time we’ve witnessed him in Ice Creams, which are viewed as an offshoot to BAPE by some. As cool as these sneakers were, you could actually get them at places like Finish Line.
Jordan Spizikes
Year: 2010
Surprise! Didn’t think Kanye wore Spizikies, did you? Does that change your perception of the mashup Jordan shoe designed by Spike Lee? A lot of people think the shoe is awful. Some people think it’s great. The latter is in the minority, at least when it comes to sneaker opinions on the Internet. But Kanye wore a pair, the “Grape” one to be exact. Want them now?
Nike Air Flight 89
Year: 2012
The Nike Flight 89 is basically an Air Jordan IV that isn’t an Air Jordan IV. That’s a sneaker we’ve seen Kanye wear in the past, but the Flight 89 is something that’s made rare appearances in his wardrobe. I’ve seen Joe La Puma wear this sneaker a bunch in black/grey, but the white/navy is a nice throwback to the sneaker’s days on the hardwood.