Wil Fry's "Air Yeezy 2" t-shirt
Inspired and perturbed by the eBay listing that saw the Nike Air Yeezy II, the second signature shoe of US musician Kanye West, sell for the high price of $90,300, artist and t-shirt designer Wil Fry decided to create his own t-shirt mocking the price paid for the sneaker.
Fry’s t-shirt design has been named the "Air Yeezy 2" shirt, and has no association whatsoever with Nike or Kanye West. Instead, it stands as a mocking commentary of a society who is willing to dish out thousands of dollars for a piece of clothing affiliated with a famous brand and celebrity.
To further his point, Fry has put the shirt on eBay at the high asking price of $90,300 – the same price that an unknown bidder paid for the Nike sneaker associated with Kanye West.
Although the designer had no expectations that anyone would purchase this one-of-a-kind t-shirt at such a price, he was ultimately proven wrong. The
eBay listing for the shirt claims that the shirt has been sold, and it appears Fry has already put up another listing for the same shirt.
The
description for the new listing reads: "Looking for the perfect T-Shirt to match your favorite sneakers, but can't find a shirt that is limited enough? Limited T-Shirt by Wil Fry. 1 of 1."
The price for this t-shirt, which also features an image of the infamous sneaker layered over the top of itself, is also set at $90,300 and has already received 18 offers.
"I'm not trying to make a profit, I'm not trying to mass produce the shirts. It's a response to high fashion and I'm just trying to have a bit of fun," Fry
says.
This is not the first time that Fry has taken to his designs to make some kind of social commentary. Earlier in the year, renowned fashion designer Marc Jacobs turned a photograph of graffiti into a hot pink t-shirt and sold it for $689. The shirt, which became known as "Art by Art Jacobs", was promptly copied by Fry and sold for the meagre price of $35.