Kanye West x Air Jordan 6 “Donda” is Available to Purchase Now

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Mere months after the release of his Grammy Award-winning album Graduation, Kanye’s biggest inspiration, his mentor and mother, Donda West, passed away from surgery complications. Kanye was really never the same — but the event did inspire some of Kanye’s best works — including the soon-after release of 808s & Heartbreak — and ultimately, his future trajectory into fashion. That pursuit lead him to a deal with Nike, and during his time at the Swoosh — around the same time he was developing the Nike Air Yeezy 1 — he created a very special pair of sneakers to commemorate his late mother.

A young Kanye and Donda West

The pair has only ever been seen in the possession of long-time friend and fellow Chicagoan Don C — until now. Unearthed earlier this week by @NikeAirJordanVI, the size 12 promo pair from 2008 indicates that they could have been produced for Yeezus himself. Before Ye moved onto adidas for ‘more creative freedom,’ he had a deep yearning for the Air Jordan 6, seen on the feet of the superstar rapper countless times — even an Air Yeezy 1 Prototype included the Air Jordan 6 sole unit.

This unreleased Air Jordan 6 PE features an iconic Chicago-themed colorway (what else would you expect from the local boy?) with white leather uppers, deep red midsole accents, tongues, and liners, and it’s championed by an all-over rose leaf pattern in black. A solitary rose sits prominently on the heels, as does a special rose bush motif on the toe box, and the pair is complete with a callout to Donda and lyrics to Kanye’s “Roses” song printed on the insoles.

Update 09.27.22

World-renowned auction house Christie’s new Department X division — a program dedicated to selling rare collectibles — is offering up a pair of the Kanye West x Air Jordan 6 “Donda” in a size 12 US. Price is on request, but you can expect the figure to be sizable (around $3.5 million), considering that only 4-6 official pairs are in existence.