These the Red Octobers: Meet the Lucky Winners of the Kanye West's Red Yeezy 2 Giveaway

Yeezy's all in your sofa, except for these people, in whose closets Yeezys will hide.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Of course it was 'Ye.

Yes, Kanye West was naturally the rapper who got not one, but two of his own shoes with Nike. And yes, Yeezy was the one who'd have a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-style giveaway for his kicks. This July on Kanye West's website, a contest appeared: Using an entry code from the website or a copy of Yeezus, you could enter the drawing, and potentially win a pair of Red Octobers. And we're not just talking a pair of kicks: This is a shoe that's appearing in an edition of 1,000, previous versions of which now go for over $3,000. 

More than a shoe, it's a windfall. When the 24 winners were announced, it was a bit of a frenzy: Could these people even begin to understand their luck? And who the hell are they?

Well, we wanted to know, too. So we went out and tracked down five of them, and found out just who they were, and what they thought of their new kicks (as well as whether or not they're going to sell them). Some of them are serious kicks-fiends, others, not so much. One of them might sell them, and another one is—true story—going to play Kobe Bryant in a game of H-O-R-S-E with them. They all won Yeezys, but they couldn't be more different (or more lucky). 

So, without further ado: Meet the Lucky Winners of Kanye West's Red Yeezy 2s Giveaway

RELATED: 10 Reasons You Should Already Give Up on Getting the Red Air Yeezy IIs

Lennox Bamfield of Tempe, Arizona

Not Available Interstitial

Name: Lennox Bamfield (@LennoxQB)
Age: 18, about to be 19.
Location: Tempe, AZ.
Size: Ten and a half. 
Occupation: Roadie, aspiring music scout. 

You go to ASU?
I do not. I'm in music, and at the beginning of the year, I went on tour with Murs, an—

Oh, shit. Really? Murs is ill.
Yeah. He made a lot happen for me. So I'm supposed to be going back on tour, hopefully with Kid Ink in Europe, I think next month or something.

What do you do for Murs?
Merch. That was my first tour ever. I was right next to him the entire time. He was teaching me a lot of stuff, telling me how the industry is. He's a legend.

Do you want to be a musician? Do you rap?
No, I just want to be in the industry. I'm good at finding new talent.

How'd you find out you won the Yeezys?
It was a Friday night, I was on Twitter, and a friend @'d me, and it went to my phone. It said "Congrats to Lennox, he won the Yeezys." I didn't even: I went to Google, typed in "Air Yeezy winners," scrolled down, and saw my name right there. I couldn't believe it. I was jumping up and down. I called the marketing firm running the contest to confirm yesterday, and they said it was me. 

What was your first thought when you won?
I really couldn't believe it—I'm a huge, huge Kanye fan. And for me to be able to win his shoes, man...I got an email on the deadline for when you have to turn in the paperwork to the marketing company. When I got that, I literally ran to the bank, got it notorized, faxed it in, did everything I had to do. And to see, later, that I had actually won them? It was just like: Wow. Anything's possible.

On a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being "Zero Fucks Given" and 10 being "I'd sacrifice my children to the Dark Lord Yeezus," how badly did you want the Red Yeezys before you won them?
Um...I would say either eight or nine. 


 

Definitely not gonna sell them. I got two offers already hitting me up like, 'Yo, man, can I buy them? Can I this..' Nah, man.


Definitely not gonna sell them. I got two offers already hitting me up like, 'Yo, man, can I buy them? Can I this..' Nah, man.Definitely not gonna sell them. I got two offers already hitting me up like, 'Yo, man, can I buy them? Can I this..' Nah, man. 

Would you consider yourself a "sneakerhead"?
No, but there are certain shoes I really like. The red [Jordan] 4s, but they're so hard to get your hands on, because all the hypebeasts are trying to sell them back—I'm really trying to get them and wear them out. So I'm never able to get them like that.

So, you're gonna wear your Yeezys? Not gonna sell them?
Definitely not gonna sell them. I got two offers already hitting me up like, 'Yo, man, can I buy them? Can I this..' Nah, man.

Are you going to wear them out in public? 
I'm not, but if I go to a huge concert—if I go to Kanye's concert—I'd wear them. If I went to an awards show, that's when I'd wear them. Super-special occassions. 

Maybe a hot date?
Mmmmmaybe. Depends how hot she is. [Laughs]

If you were to sell them, how much would you ask for?
Somebody told me yesterday that if I were to sell them, I'd have to go above $4,000. It depends on the offers I would be getting. 

What are your favorite pair of kicks you own right now?
90s Air Max. And I got some sample Adidas, high-top Adidas I've never seen before. And I've got some sample Nikes. My kick game is weird.

What do you think of Yeezus? Do you have a favorite track and/or line?
Actually, I love it. A lot of people my age aren't too much of a fan. But I listen to it every day, prior to winning, even. Literally every day. If I had to pick a favorite song? It'd be "New Slaves," of course. But I'd say "I Am A God," it's crazy to me. "Bound 2." It's kind of hard to pick a favorite track, because it's like picking away from the whole. It's not like an album, it's more like one huge track.

Are you a user of KTT?
I am not. 

Good man. Finally: If someone asks you what shoes you're wearing when you're wearing your new shoes, how will you respond?
I'd just be like: "These the Red Octobers."

CORRECT! 
They wouldn't believe me, they'd probably think they're fake, but that's okay, that's on them.

Ronald Saysangkhy of San Diego, CA

Not Available Interstitial

Name: Ronald Saysangkhy
Age: 28
Location: San Diego, CA
Occupation: Fitness Equipment Assembler

Are you a "sneakerhead"?
Yes I am. 

What's your favorite pair of kicks that you own right now?
A deadstock pair of Space Jams. 

How'd you find out you won the Yeezys?
I'm actually a part of a few sneaker groups here in San Diego—San Diego Sole. Everyone was posting about it. I couldn't believe it. 

Have you decided if you're going to keep them or sell them?
I was gonna wait until I have them in my posession. One side of me wants to, because of the heat. The other side of me is a parent, and there's a good chance I can get some money for my kids. I haven't decided yet.


 

One side of me wants to keep them, because of the heat. The other side of me is a parent, and there's a good chance I can get some money for my kids.


 

What do you think of Yeezus? You have a favorite song?
"New Slaves." Definitely "New Slaves."

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being "Zero Fucks Given" and 10 being "I'd sacrifice my children to Lord Yeezus," how badly did you want these before you won them? 
10. They're super rare.

If you were to wear them, would you wear them out, or save them for special ocassions? 
Special occassions. 

Like what?
A sneaker swap. I'd probably wear them to that. Everyone wears their heat. I'd bring 'em there. 

Sami Samuels of Brooklyn, New York

Not Available Interstitial

Name: S. Samuels (@S_Universal | Instagram)
Call Him: "
S-Dot Sami. Or Sami. Sami is my nickname."
Age: 25.
Location: Brooklyn, New York. 
Occupation: IT auditor.

Do you consider yourself a "sneakerhead"?
Definitely. Back in middle school, high school, I used to do Jordans and Bapes and some Dunks. But now I'm just focused on Kobes and Kanyes and some other stuff.

How'd you find out that you'd won?
My Twitter was blowing up. I checked it and my friend sent me a screenshot. I was checking my communications and saw that the contest people had reached out to me.

What was your first thought when you found out that you won them?
Super-excited. I bought three [Yeezus] CDs hoping I'd win, and one of them won.

I'm not sure, but I think I read somewhere on your Twitter feed that you've actually won a pair of Yeezys before. Is that true?
Yeah, it's true. You know Krispy Kicks? They had a raffle and I bought a ticket and won a pair of Grey Yeezy 2s. 

On a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being "Zero Fucks Given" and 10 being "I'd sacrifice my children to the Dark Lord Yeezus," how badly did you want the Red Yeezys before you won them?
10. And if I didn't win, I'd find a way to get them.

Now that you're getting a pair, have you decided whether you're going to keep them or sell them?
Yeah, I'm keeping them. I'm actually playing a game of H.O.R.S.E. with Kobe, and I'm going to wear them for that.

Wait—Did you just saying you're going to be playing a game of H.O.R.S.E. with Kobe Bryant? How'd that happen?
I won a charity auction for it last year. Did you see the picture of me with Kobe and Bill Clinton?

I did—I meant to ask you about that.
Yeah, the picture was taken during that charity auction.

That's...like... 
The game was supposed to happen earlier, but the injury, you know? So he actually offered me a dinner or the game, once he gets healthy. So I took the game.

So you're going to play a game of H.O.R.S.E. with Kobe, in the Red Yeezys?
Yeah.

Dude. That's fucking amazing. 
Yeah, even Kobe might be a little shocked when he sees them. Kobe's a sneakerhead, too. I have a pretty sick Kobe collection—every box set that came out, I was at the 81-point game Kobes. Back in the day, after the trial, when Adidas dropped Kobe, he was trying out the other brands (specficially, the Jordan brand), I actually got a pair of Game Word Jordan PE 7s, black, gold, and purple.


 

Yeah, even Kobe might be a little shocked when he sees them.


 

Wow. Wait, so are you gonna wear these out in Brooklyn?
I'll probably just wear them out to Lakers games. If I get them by then, I'll wear them to the Christmas game, Lakers and Heat, Staples Center. I might be honorary team captain for that. I'm still waiting for confirmation.

Wait, what? How would you get to be an honorary team captain? Is that from the charity auction?
Nah, that's from something else. If you check out my Instagram, you'll see that I've been [honrary captain] three times. The Dallas game when Shaq was getting retired, I was team captain for that. I was a team captain with Pau, and a team captain with Fisher. 

How do you get to be an honorary team captian for the Lakers? Have you killed people for that?
Nah, man. Not yet. [Laughs] Connects. Kobe never goes to center court, only on rare ocassions. Kobe followed me on Twitter, so I DM'd him, and told him I was going to be honorary captain for a game, and that I was bringing my mom with me, and I'd love to meet him there. So he responds like, 'Yeah, no problem.' Pau [Gasol] was coming to take the picture with us, and he goes, 'Hey, Pau, I'm taking this.' So he came up to us, said 'Hey, mom' to my mom, and took the picture at center court.

Wow. I gotta say, you live a pretty exciting life for a—what you say you were?
IT auditor.

I don't think most IT auditors have lives nearly as exciting as yours.
I know! Living it up. [Laughs]

Do you just hustle the connects?
Yeah. It's just networking. All that stuff. 

If you were to sell your Yeezys, what would it take to realistically seperate you from them?
I don't know. Probably fifteen.

Fifteen hundred, right?
Nah. Thousand. $15,000. I'm not getting rid of them. I'm actually trying to get another pair: One I can display, and one I can wear.

What's your favorite pair of shoes that you own right now?
I actually like the new Kobe 8s. I've been wearing them every day. Of all time? Jordan 3s. I like my [Diamond Supply Co.] Tiffany Dunks. And my Kobe 5s. Those are the top of my collection that aren't Yeezys.

What do you think of Yeezus? Favorite track?
I like "I Am a God."

Have to ask you: What's your deal with [WWE wrestler] CM Punk? He called you out? Were you the guy he called a...
[Laughs] Yeah. Well, I was sitting ringside at RAW, and he was getting upset, 'cause he'd lost the night before. And we're Brock [Lesnar] fans. We were going pretty hard, and when he quieted down the ring, we just kept going, kept going. He could definitely hear it, and he just called us out. It was pretty cool. I actually like CM Punk. It was just all in good fun. And the day before, I met Brock. We thought he was going to be a tough guy, but he was pretty nice.

I gotta say, man: You're really out here for Brooklyn. You're winning multiple pairs of Yeezys. You're wearing Yeezys to a game of ball with Kobe. You're getting called out by wrestlers. Lemme ask you, if you have any advice for other Complex readers, what would it be?
Just keep networking. Keep building relationships. Don't go burning any bridges. Keep in contact. Catch up here and there. 

Decent advice. 
For sure, man. 

Finally, if someone asks you what shoes you're wearing when you're wearing them, what words will you respond with?
"Yeezys." And if they can't figure it out, I'll just tell them it's Kanye's signature line.

Matt Prang of Newark, Delaware

Not Available Interstitial

Name: Matt Prang (@MatthewMcGnarly | Instagram)
Age: 27
Location: Newark, Delaware
Occupation: Operations at a Scientific Instrument Company.  

Do you consider yourself a "sneakerhead"?
Aw, yeah man. I don't like to use that term anymore. "Sneaker Connoisseur." Sneakerhead's fine, though, that's what the masses call it.

How'd you find out that you won? 
When I first got the email from the marketing company, I thought it was spam, so I was going to delete it. I just kind of forgot about it and went about my day. Later when I was going through my emails, I was like, "Let me kind of investigate a little more..." I started Googling the marketing company, saw that everything was legit. Needless to say, I was pretty excited.

What was your first thought when you won?
That's why I thought it was fake—I don't win anything, raffles, whatever. It could be a raffle between me and you, and we could do it a hundred times, and you'll win 99 of them. It still hasn't even sunk in yet. 

On a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being "Zero Fucks Given" and 10 being "I'd sacrifice my children to the Dark Lord Yeezus," how badly did you want the Red Yeezys before you won them?
Wouldn't sacrifice any kids, would probably sacrifice a portion of my collection. I'd say a solid 7. 

Have you decided whether you're going to keep them or sell them?
Man, I am not sure. I'm pretty open to keeping 'em, I'm open to trading, I'm open to selling. I always told myself—I remember when Jordan was doing one-of-ones, I was actually...not really offended at first, but I was like: I can't believe people are selling these. I would never do that. But now I'm approching my 30s, I'm a homeowner, I'm trying to do home rennovations and start a little business as well. Money is an important thing. So when you don't have it, you think about getting rid of them. The only thing that makes it okay for me is: I love the color red. I already have five or six pairs of predominately red or all-red sneakers already. It'd be tough, because I'm already attached to them and I don't even have them in my possession yet. But, yeah...


 

I'm approching my 30s, I'm trying to do home rennovations and start a little business as well. Money is important. So when you don't have it, you think about getting rid of [the Yeezys].

I saw you Tweeting at Nate Robinson. Are you gonna sell them to him?
Nate: That is my guy. I'm a die-hard Bulls fan, die-hard Chicago everything. I've always loved Nate, even when he was with the Knicks, dunk contest, all of that. But he has too many fans, he didn't respond. But a guy I really respect, Chumlee of Pawnstars, he actually got back to me. We've talked a few times through email, see where that goes.

If you were to sell them, how much would you ask for?
Aw, man, you know...I'm not even...I'm not a selfish person. If they were going to the right individual, it would be different. If I were to come off 'em, I'd would like to get them to someone who's really a die-hard collector, and they would mean a lot to them. As opposed to some random person who'd like to make money off of them. So I really don't know...

So you wouldn't sell them to Flight Club, for example.
No, I wouldn't go that route. I'd go with someone more passionte. I still don't know how limited these are going to be...

1,000 Pairs.
Oh, wow. The thing that's kind of weird to me is that we don't have a set date of when we're going to get them. They said you'll have them before Februrary 2014—January or February. I'm not confident they're going to release in October. 

If you were to keep them, would you wear them out, or keep them for special occasisons?
I'm a special occassions kind of guy. I have a decent amount of sneakers, I've been in the game quite some time, going back to days when I used to go to J.C. Penny's with my mother, when they still sold Jordans there. You probably remember, when you could just walk in and buy them, and it was nothing. Those days are far, far gone. I just have so much stuff, and being in an office environment a lot, I don't get to wear sneakers as often. So all my limited stuff, I try to save for something special.

What's your favorite pair of kicks that you own right now?
I know everyone has to struggle with this question, because it's so hard. But I'll put it to you like this: If I could own only one other pair of shoes, for as long as I live, I'd probably have to say Bred 12's, man, AKA Flugames. I just loved that shoe growing up—it was the first shoe I purchased with my own money. I worked so hard, cutting grass, doing all that stuff as a kid. And I finally got them, and wore them every day, with every outfit, whenever I could. I practically slept in them. I actually just grabbed a deadstock pair of OG 97s, box and everything. I'm just waiting to wear them, without fold seperation or anything.   

What do you think of Yeezus?
I'm a big Kanye fan, and it's not my favorite album of his. But I love his whole messgae behind it—or what I took from it—which was "Dude, I'm the shit, I'm gonna put out whatever I want, and it's gonna sell. It's gonna be ill. Love it or hate it." I like some tracks more than others. "New Slaves" is cool. Like I said, it's not my favorite album. I don't see myself laying low, vibing to that, like if I'm cruising. That more's like if I decide to pop a molly, that's the album I'm gonna have with me. Yeezus is the molly-popping anthem.

Totally fair. If someone asks you what shoes you're wearing when you're wearing your new shoes, how will you respond?
[Laughs] That determines who asks me. I'm kind of a brash dude. Not an asshole, but...I'd have to say something funny. I don't know, man. In Delaware, there are no boutiques or anything like that, so every time I have to get something good, I go to Philly. And every time I'm lining up, camping out or something, older people always stop me and are like "What's going on here?" It's always a funny thing. I'd respect them, though. If it were some young kid, though, I'd have to put them in their place.

This is not the first time you've been in the sneaker news. I saw something about you and a pair of moldy shoes?
Aw, man. So I only have about 100 pairs now and go in mostly for new releases, but I won't wear them for a while. I don't need to try them on—I'll buy 'em, box them away. I get to a red light on my way out of buying a pair, I'm bored, I decide I'm going to look at these, it's not like it's a retro. I open them up, and this incredible mold is covering both shoes, both sides. They didn't believe me at first, and I bring them in there. One of the managers was like "That's not mold, man, that's dust." I'm like, dust is not blue and green and growing on things. They'd let me return them, but they were sold out, and I wanted them. Nike didn't care. Once SneakerFiles put it on their site, and Champs got a bad rep, someone from Champs got me a replacement pair. But Nike didn't care! They're a multi-billion dollar company. 

Well, at least you got the pair.
In retrospect, I realized I should've kept them in a glass case and let them grow mold. 

Possibly. But now you lucked out.
It's true. It's about time. 

Jeff Veillette of Toronto, Ontario

Not Available Interstitial

Name: Jeff Veillette (@jeffler | Instagram)
Age: 
21 years old.
Shoe Size: I requested 11's as my prize.
Location: Toronto, Canada 

So, how'd you find out you won? 
The marketing firm that organized the contest contacted me in the first week of July. They said I was a potential winner, contingent on filling in a prize form and having it notarized and sent to them by a certain date. As well, because I'm Canadian, I had to answer a skill testing question (our laws are set up so you can only give away the opportunity to win, the actual prize must be won by ability). 

What was your first thought when you found out you won?
Disbelief, really. I wasn't even sure if my entry went through, and the message was corporate speak to the point of sounding fishy. When I was confirmed as a winner after getting the skill testing question right, relief. They had called me minutes after I had sorted out some hotel issues, my head was all over the place as it was. I honestly thought I was going to mess up the question!

On a scale of 1 - 10—1 being "Zero Fucks Given" and 10 being "I'd sacrifice my children to the Dark Lord Yeezus"—how badly did you want the Red Yeezys before you won them?
Probably about an eight. I'm sure there were people whose hopes were higher than me, but as someone who's both a Kanye West fan and appreciates sneakers, getting my hands on a pair was pretty high on my priority list. 

Now that you're getting a pair, have you decided if you're going to keep them or sell them?
I guess that's the big question for everybody right now, isn't it? It's tough. On one hand, they're incredibly cool shoes. They're also one of the ultimate collectors items for either a stan or a sneakerhead. But the hype has people in a hysteria of sorts, and the demand is leading to some big speculative numbers in terms of what they're worth. As much as I want to sit here and say I'd definitely keep them, value is relative, and an offer that may be a drop in the bucket to some may be a difference maker for me. It ultimately boils down to what the demand is once I get them in hand. 


 

As much as I want to sit here and say I'd definitely keep them, value is relative, and an offer that may be a drop in the bucket to some may be a difference maker for me.


 

If you are keeping them (or were to keep them), would you wear them out? Or would you save them for special occasions? And if so, like what? A hot date? Your wedding? A funeral? All-Star Weekend? Etc.
Honestly, probably not. Not that the other two Yeezy 2 colourways were exactly inconspicuous shoes in their own right, but the reds stick out like a sore thumb. For some, that's an asset. But as it stands, I'm one of two people in Canada who can say they'll definitely have them in their collection for at least a moment. Not just that, my name is out there, and I live in Toronto, which isn't exactly a small city by any means. It seems like too much attention drawn to myself.

If they were to be more common, I'd totally wear them. But in the current situation, I wouldn't draw attention to myself.

If you are selling them (or were to sell them), what would it take to realistically separate you from your Yeezys?
That's really impossible to say right now. We don't know if we'll receive them before the general public, or if the general public will even see a release (that SP at the end of the name has me raising an eyebrow, not going to lie). I had a "sell" price in my head if I was ever going to put them on the market. I haven't tried to sell the shoes yet, and I've had two people already offer me that sell price.

What are your favorite pair of kicks you own?
These ones! No but seriously, I'm a poser sneakerhead. Money is usually tight and I tend to need to get new gadgets before I can drop money on shoes. The "nicest" pair of kicks I own is a pair of Air Flight Falcons I got on clearance. Pretty bad, I know. My favourite that I regularly wear is probably a pair of beat up grey Chuck Taylor's.

What do you think of Yeezus? Do you have a favorite track and/or line?
When it first dropped (okay, when it leaked... sorry Ye), my first impression was that I really liked the direction he went in with the production, but that it was lyrically vapid. I've since warmed up to it though. I keep bouncing around on what my favourite track is. I love the sample on "Bound 2," "Black Skinhead" has an awesome energy to it, "New Slaves" was absolutely unreal live (I was at OVO Fest), and I'm sure everybody who won this contest screams out "Yeezy's all on your sofa, these the Red Octobers" whenever "Hold My Liquor" comes on. It's just a great album all together.

If someone asks you what shoes you're wearing when you're wearing them, how will you respond?
"These are all red shoes designed by Kanye West for Nike". Anybody who would understand "oh, these are Red Octobers" or "these are Red Yeezy 2's" would recognize them from a hundred feet away.

Oh, also: Are you on KTT?
Yup. Same name as Twitter.