Kanye West’s kicks are generating more buzz than his romance with Kim Kardashian.
New Yorkers are going Kanye crazy over his Nike Air Yeezy 2 sneakers, which are going on sale in only a handful of Manhattan stores tomorrow.
Sneakerheads have been camped outside Foot Locker’s House of Hoops store in Herald Square since Tuesday for a chance to plunk down $245 for the high-tops. Fans are also expected to rush a Harlem House of Hoops tomorrow.
“I’m a huge fan of Kayne,” said Daniel Rivera, 19, of Clifton, NJ, who has been camping out with buddy Miles Morillo near the Herald Square shop since Tuesday. “I’ve always been a big sneaker person. I haven’t bought an expensive pair in a while, but this pair brought me out of retirement.”
Rivera and Morillo were the first in line. They go home in shifts for food and personal hygiene.
More than 30 people were lined up at the store.
“I’ve been sleeping out here, just going home to shower, and getting right back.” said Morillo, of the Upper West Side.
“It’s a beautiful shoe,” he said. “I’m doing this for my love of shoes. I’ll actually wear mine.”
Which is more than fan Jonathon Scott can say.
“I wear them once or twice and keep them in a box for the rest of the year,” the student said.
Preordered pairs were attracting sky-high bids on eBay. One pair hit nearly $90,000 before the seller or auction house removed it yesterday morning.
Others were receiving bids as high as $7,000.
Nike says it is making only 3,000 to 5,000 pairs available for sale.
Other shops, like KITH NYC in Harlem, are raffling purchase passes. Winners will be notified today.
“We’re doing a raffle instead of having 6,000 people waiting in line for three days,” said Pete Forester, operations manager.
KITH, like other stores carrying the sneakers, will be beefing up security.
The last big sneaker release was in December, when a new Air Jordan hit the market, sparking fights and vandalism.
Anaconda-textured leather and hieroglyphics that spell out “YZY”
Reptilian spine
Number of pairs Nike will release: 3,000-5,000
Air Yeezy 2: Retail price: $245
UPDATE: Harold Towers sent us an email saying. It’s insane to spend hundreds, nonetheless thousands of dollars on shoes. Whatever makes these people happy, though. They are pretty cool looking shoes. Prepare for the thousands of people that are going to be crowding Herald Square tomorrow, because Selena Gomez will be there too launching a fragrance line. Such a busy weekend for celebrity products!
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It’s insane to spend hundreds, nonetheless thousands of dollars on shoes. Whatever makes these people happy, though. They are pretty cool looking shoes. Prepare for the thousands of people that are going to be crowding Herald Square tomorrow, because Selena Gomez will be there too launching a fragrance line. Such a busy weekend for celebrity products!