Piece of sneaker history…

In an auction that’ll no doubt make any sneaker lover salivate with anticipation, Sotheby’s will be hosting a private sale of one of the most iconic sneakers to take over the culture in recent memory. From April 16 to 21, sneaker lovers and dreams will be able to submit offers on Kanye West’s first ever Yeezy prototype, the Nike Air Yeezy 1, all the way back from 2008.

The shoe is expected to cop quite a hefty price tag as well, slated to sell for around $1 million USD at the very least (around $1.3 million AUD). The sneakers actually got a hell of a debut that same year as well, with Yeezy rocking them at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards where he gave that intensely emotional performance of ‘Stronger’ and ‘Hey Mama’ after his mother Donda West passed away that same year.

The shoe was absolutely groundbreaking at the time, not for only being West’s first signature sneaker with Nike (and would ultimately be one of the last), but it was one of the first Nike shoes designed for an artist as opposed to an athlete. Since then, countless brands have followed that same blueprint, and it’s made for some amazing moments for fashion as whole.

Speaking on the importance of the shoe to sneaker culture, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables said “This pair is critical to the development of the Yeezy franchise, which has become one of the most important sneaker and lifestyle brands in history.

“Debuted on-stage at the Grammys in 2008, the sneakers set off waves in the sneaker community as people tried to identify the mysterious pair. Afterwards, we saw a series of collaborations between Kanye and Nike, and then later the birth of his line with adidas.”

Pretty sick. Check out some pics of the historic kicks below.