words // Zac Dubasik
When we gave our year-end awards for 2009, we chose the Air Yeezy as Shoe of the Year. Much like Kanye himself, the shoe was polarizing. There were those who loved the design, and those that loved it because they thought they were supposed to. There were also those that hated the design, as well as those that would have hated it regardless of how it looked. And that’s exactly why it was such an easy choice for Shoe of the Year, because everyone had an opinion on it. Whether or not you personally liked the design, there was no denying its impact and importance.
Based on the influence the original Air Yeezy had on the industry since its release, a follow up was pretty much inevitable. And after a long, slow build, which started all the way back in February of 2011, the Air Yeezy II finally made its launch this month. To the surprise of pretty much no one, the hype reached levels rarely, if ever, seen before when it came to a sneaker release. This issue, we’ll take a closer look at the Yeezy II, along with an in-depth look back at the shoe that started the craze, the original Air Yeezy.
It’s not all Yeezy in this issue, though. We also have a Pac-Man retrospective. Manny may have lost a controversial decision on the same day that the Yeezy II released, but there’s no controversy about how popular his Nike Training kicks have been. We’ve got each exclusive model dating back to the Trainer 1. And speaking of exclusives, if you are a LeBron fan, you won’t want to miss the special sample we’ve also featured.
A signature sneaker line by a non-athlete would have seemed improbable at one point. One as influential as the Yeezy line would have seemed impossible. That’s the reality of today’s sneaker world though. And judging by the response of the latest release, that won’t be changing any time soon.
In This Issue //
Sneaker Tweets | Featuring Eddy Curry, Jessica Burciaga, Cam'ron & more
WDYWT | The best of what our Forum members wore this month
Focus: Artist | SN'EADS creator Tyree Dillihay
LOOK / SEE Spotlight | "Miami Nights" LeBron 8 Mid Sample
Kicksology Performance Reviews | Hyperdunk Elite, Kobe VII Elite, Hyperdunk Low & Spalding Slash
PE Spotlight | LeBron Trainer 1.3 Max Collection
Kanye & Nike | How The Yeezy Line Began
Nike Air Yeezy 1 | Upper, Tooling & Details
Nike Air Yeezy 2 | Yeezy Taught You & 360 View
Retrospective | Manny Pacquiao Sneakers
Showcase | Vans Summer Collection
To Download: Search "Sole Magazine" in the Apple iPad Newsstand, install and purchase "SOLE COLLECTOR : Issue 8"
