MILAN – A new year, a new Yeezy drop. After already drawing in fans for the past three releases of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350s in the colorways black, moonrock and tan, as well as for the Yeezy Boost 750 in all-black, the re-release of the black colorway did not fail to gather crowds in Milan.
Most retailers opted for an online release only on Friday at 10 a.m. (CET), such as department store Excelsior and concept store Antonia, but already 30 minutes before the official launch, the websites of the retailers were not responding any longer, due to too many fans trying to connect. Sneakerhead paradise One Block Down communicated days before the drop via Instagram that the coveted sneakers would only be available via gogetyouryeezy.com and urged fans not to form lines outside the store. The sneakers were sold out in all sizes two minutes after the site went online.
Concept store Antonioli chose the face-to-face experience with customers again, as for the previous drops, and held a raffle outside its store as well as an Instagram competition. Before the store staff started distributing tickets at 10 a.m., a line from the store to the close by canal Naviglio Grande had formed, which continuously grew until 11 a.m., when the lucky ticket numbers were drawn.
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The around 300 to 350 people attracted spectators from the neighborhood, who were suspiciously eyeing from their balconies and windows the constantly growing crowd, that included sneakerheads, resellers and real Yeezy enthusiasts.
“I would like another pair, because they are the bomb,” said 19-year old Matteo Case, a high-school student and promoter, proudly wearing the 350s in Moonrock, which he snatched at Antonioli in November. “I would also sell them, but only if I can win another pair somewhere else.”
Jay, a student at design school IED, wouldn’t mind adding another pair to his collection, which already features two Yeezy 750 models and two 350s. “They are very comfortable, and of course it’s due to the giant hype around them,” he said.
His friend Gianfranco Lo Sterzo, a communications and advertisement student at University Cattolica and assistant store manager at Massimo Piombo, hasn’t been as lucky yet with the Yeezy drops, even though he was picked from two raffles already.
“At the previous release, I was the last one to be raffled, and they don’t raffle by sizes here, it’s first come, first served,” he explained. “So I was the last one out of 180 pairs and I got a size 46, but I’m a 44, so I sold them. The second time, for the tan model, I got a call from Footlocker two days after the release, because I got re-raffled since someone didn’t show up for their pair, but it was a 42, so I sold them as well,” he added laughing.
Antonioli also held an Instagram competition, so only around 20 pairs were available at the raffle, which sent the owners of the lucky ticket numbers into a state of excitement, leaving 280 disappointed fans who quickly left the scene.
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