On June 1st, 2009, you might have noticed notice dedicated fanatics setting up camp outside of sneaker stores. Kanye West continues to expand his pop culture iconic empire into fashion by teaming up with Nike and releasing his sneakers, the all new Air Yeezy. For those who know Nike’s history, Nike is very selective when choosing collaboration projects, not offering numerous opportunities towards athletes, moreover celebrities. Nike’s most known and significant athlete collaboration to date is Michael Jordan. Air Jordan has built an empire in itself since its first release back in ‘85 with the Air Jordan One and still grows today, making it one of the classic lines for a sneaker fiend to follow. However, a new classic has quickly emerged ever since Nike agreed on teaming up with Kanye West to develop Air Yeezy’s.

For sneaker heads of all ages and locations around the world, it would be well known that the Air Yeezy would be a valuable asset to any sneaker collection, thus making it one of today’s most sought after trainers. For most who choose to pay the $200+, they actually buy the famous names behind the sneaker: Nike and Kanye West. As for the true sneaker fans, purchasing the sneaker means being a part of all the hype, buying the brand and the quality dedicated to the design aesthetics of the sneaker. Kanye West and Mark Smith (the designer at Nike) have done all they can to ensure the shoe holds to its name and value. Kanye and Mark had pulled in references from Nike’s sneaker history, Air Jordans, Back to the Future, Robotech, and additional influences giving the Air Yeezy a futuristic and sleek look. Below is a breakdown of the new Air Yeezy.

The Air Yeezy is released in three colors: Zen Grey with Light Charcoal, all Black, and Net/Net. The Zen Grey/Light Charcoal colorway was released April 4th, 2009. The all black on Black colorway was released May 2nd 2009. And the final colorway, Net/Net, will be released on June 6th 2009. Complex gives a close look into the minds behind the creation. Kanye West and Mark Smith. Both stress the importance of design instead of the branding element. Leaders 1354 produced an excellent, short documentary about the Air Yeezy’s, explaining the breakdown of the shoe and the design details, the literal insanity retailers are expecting after the release this year, and a quick look into a sneaker fiend’s emotions about the shoe.

So far, fans have reacted generously to the sneaker ” one fan stating, I respect Kanye Wests fashion sense. For the amount of excitement for each colorway release, sneaker heads choose to camp for several days and even to a weeks end for the shoe. Retail locations usually always provide a checklist for these folks to endure the camping out process to ensure the dedicated troopers their pair.

Some retail locations however choose to raffle the shoes instead because of disorderly conduct. Some retail locations even keep buyers skeptical of their stock to prevent the possibility of disruptive behavior. Nonetheless, campers truly dedicate their time and energy to get a hold of the shoe: days of camping, checklists, and possibly even fights/riots have broken out all because of the fiend for the Air Yeezy shoes.

Camping out is part of the sneaker phenomenon and hype, especially for the most sought after sneakers such as the Air Yeezy’s. There is a momentous height of seriousness for these sneaker freaks when it comes to camping out. For most its comparable to preparing for a Black Friday sale, a sporting event in itself taking endurance and patience to reach the finish line. On another note, Kanye rocks the Black/Black Air Yeezy in his music video with Keri Hilton and Ne-Yo titled: Knock You Down. He also compliments his shoes well with his iced out Swiss Watch.