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Hurricane Sandy Relief Auction Provides Good Excuse to Finally Own Kanye’s Sneaker

kanye west, skrillex

Kanye West and Skrillex will put items from their personal wardrobes on the block for Re/Create, a series of auctions to raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Starting January 17, fans have a chance to take home the leather-sleeved jacket Skrillex wore to last year’s Grammys, which has since been signed by the Leaving DJ himself. On January 24, bidding begins on one of West’s own sneakers: a member of the Nike Air Yeezy II series, naturally, autographed by ‘Ye. (Sorry, that 12-12-12 kilt isn’t up for grabs.)

Michael Stipe has also contributed to Re/Create — which has collected a variety of exclusive, one-of-a-kind pieces from musicians, visual artists, fashion designers, filmmakers, and more — vis-à-vis three bronze casette tape sculptures that go up on January 11. Also pitching in is British songstress Karen Elson, who has shared signed vinyl and CD versions of her 2010 debut album, The Ghost Who Walks, along with an autographed poster, all in service of organizer CREATETHE GROUP’s mission.

“Like many New Yorkers, we were saddened by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and motivated to help,” reads the Re/Create website. “To assist the ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts we are proud to present this auction of personal, one-of-a-kind items donated by prominent members of our creative community.”

Other celebrities participating include Anne Hathaway, Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Selena Gomez, Kelly Osbourne, Arianna Huffington, and many others. Re/Create is the latest in a line of star-studded charity efforts looking to raise money for Sandy relief, following numerous benefit gigs along the East Coast, and, most notably, last month’s millions-generating 12-12-12 concert at Madison Square Garden, which featured performances from both West and Stipe. Don’t credit tardiness with the timing for this auction series, though. According to CREATETHE GROUP CEO James Gardner, this initiative was conveived to specifically remind people that while Hurricane Sandy may have hit months ago, many are still reeling.

“We really feel the people that need our help now are the ones in serious need,” Gardner told SPIN over the phone. “We really thought post-Christmas, the harshest time of winter, is the best time to raise awareness.” Gardner didn’t name an exact goal amount the auctioneers are hoping to hit, but did say there is already significant interest in several items, particularly Kanye’s signed shoe. 

There will be three batches of biddable items, with the first round launching on Friday (January 11). Each auction period lasts for 10 days. All proceeds will be donated to volunteer service New York Cares. CREATETHE GROUP also partnered with streaming service Spotify to curate playlists from many of the participating artists for your very own listening pleasure. Those sets can be heard over at Re/Create’s website.