Just before I start, I wanna give a shout out to my bro Baanji, the founder of I.C.Stars Clothing, who is killing it with his graphic tee designs. I would definitely recommend buying one of his new designs right here.
http://www.icstarsclothing.com/
You can find my review of one of his older designs as well in a couple of weeks' time :)
So without further ado, here is the much anticipated and slightly controversial review of the illusive Red October Yeezy 2 by Nike X Kanye West
February 9th 2014, it's 1pm on a Sunday afternoon and Nike suddenly decide to drop the Red Octobers without telling anyone- NOT EVEN KANYE.
Now, I happened to be one of the lucky few who was on Twitter when Nike dropped the link via the social media website and I had no choice but to buy a pair. At first, I didn't believe that the link was real, and maybe that the site had been hacked or something. But curiosity got the better of me and it ended up being the real deal! I snapped up a pair at the retail value of £220, without even considering the price because I had seen so many previews and photos leading up to that moment! For me, these Yeezys would be the best buy of 2014 by a long shot because from the pictures Nike had released, they looked incredible.
Now here comes the kicker. I got home from my lectures, knowing they had been delivered, and was more excited than you could imagine. I opened the box, and I can honestly say I have never been more disappointed by a pair of shoes.
Now, I know a lot of you will stop reading here because you strongly disagree with me or apparently it is some sort of sin to criticise one of the most sought after shoes of the decade. But hear me out.
Poor. That is the word I would use to describe this Yeezy. Nike's photos showed that the shoes would be a royal red colour, like the red you would find on the Union Flag or the stars and stripes familiar to my American readers. NO. The worst thing about the Red October 2s, is the fact that THEY ARE NOT RED. For the most part anyway.
What on God's good earth is this? Let's dissect the different shades of so called red here. The main upper is hot pink at best. The glow-in-the-dark sole that is present in all Air Yeezy designs, is pink. The heel and strap across the front are a strange coral colour! And the suede, don't even get me started on the horrific maroon suede leather. Even the mesh on the tongue is a strange pink that I cannot understand. In all honesty, the side panel, the laces, lining, midsole topline, and midsole are all a varsity red. WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY?
Now I've got that out of my system, let's move onto some positives. (If you are still reading this, I commend your perseverance).
Some of the design features on this shoe are the most beautiful things I have seen. I mean, just look at this.
The side panel with tiny raised pyramids is just excellent in every way. To touch, it feels like fortified rubber spikes and visually it adds depth and texture to the design. The chipped out effect on the Swoosh makes it look like there are 3 layers to the panel, and catches the light very well.
Now, my favourite feature on the entire shoes are the gold aglets on the lace ends.
The perfect contrast to a rich red is a flawless gold.
Once again, this tiny detail is what, in my opinion, saves the shoe. Like them or not, if you wear these shoes out you will turn heads and break necks, but the smallest reflection of light is what will get people double taking. The redness is striking but the 2 smallest features are the most noticeable thing about this shoe!
In terms of materials, I couldn't criticise the quality of the look and feel of them. At no point did I think that the upper looked cheap or the suede looked rough and inconsistent, but I was once again disappointed by the quality of the finish. Just above the midsole, there were signs of excess glue, (in the picture below, please excuse my expression. That's my "not sure I like this" face) and the stitching was frayed on the inner side of the left shoe side panel. In all fairness, I have noticed similar issues with Jordan brand's latest releases and also in the Air Max 180 QS that I purchased earlier this year. Nike definitely need to address this issue.
So I've finally come to the end of my rant, and to summarise I would say that I was massively disappointed by this shoe. Yes, some of the design features are amazing, but putting it all together I am surprised someone at Nike didn't take a moment to think "Hang on, this looks kind of s**t".
The Black/Solar Red Yeezy 2 design is a much better option, and if you can afford to pay resale prices, I would much rather recommend them!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this shoe, and if you agree with my review or not! Go ahead, be brutal!
Until next time folks!
