A pair of shoes Kanye West wore at the Grammys in 2008 just broke the record for the most valuable sneaker sale ever

• Sneakers worn by Kanye West shattered the record for the most expensive shoes ever sold.
• The Yeezy prototypes West wore at the 2008 Grammys were sold to RARES, a sneaker-investment platform.
• The shoes went for $1.8 million, more than triple the previous record for a recorded shoe sale.

In 2008, Kanye West wore high-top black Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototypes on stage at the Grammy Awards, where he performed "Stronger" and "Hey Mama." Now, those same sneakers have sold for $1.8 million to RARES, a sneaker-investing platform. The shoes are the prototype of West's Yeezy line, and they're the most expensive sneaker sale ever recorded.

The pair of Yeezy sneakers was the first recorded shoe sale to top $1 million, according to New York-based auction house Sotheby's. The sneakers were the first-ever shoe in West's Yeezy line, which, in the years since, has contributed to West's becoming a billionaire and a major player in sneaker and streetwear culture.

Ryan Chang, who listed the shoes at Sotheby's and collects and curates streetwear under the handle of @applied.arts.nyc, worked with Sotheby's on the sale to RARES.

RARES will launch sales of shares of the sneakers on June 16, according to the platform's website, which entreats users to "own a piece of the world's most valuable shoe."

RARES said that users can "reserve a spot" to buy shares of the valuable sneakers. Users create an account and are notified when shares of the shoe open up for sale. RARES sells these and other sneakers as SEC-approved investments and allows for collective ownership of the shoes.

Shares of shoes sold on the platform usually run between $15 and $25, according to the company. Gerome Sapp, the CEO of RARES, said in a press release that acquiring the Yeezys worn by West would allow "millions of individuals the ability to now invest in the culture."

The Yeezy prototypes dethroned another Nike Air model for the title of most expensive sneakers sold at auction - the Nike Air Jordan 1s signed and worn during a game by basketball star Michael Jordan. They sold in May of 2020 at Sotheby's for $560,000.