Adidas Yeezy, even at its creative and financial peak, was an uneasy partnership. Kanye’s erratic instability didn’t just cause very public episodes, but resulted in the development of far more silhouettes than needed, ultimately to shelved, and the building of various new design studios, which were never used. An entire subculture of Yeezy collectors exists that are focused solely on finding and reselling rare prototype shoes; and whereas these are rare at major brands like Nike, the disorganization of Kanye’s process meant there are many out there.

In the waning days of their partnership, two examples of interesting, unreleased shoes stood out, both in bold volt orange: a zip-up high-top boot-sneaker blend called the 1050, and a bright orange version of the QNTM. A small run of 1050s was produced, but they are all samples, given to friends like the rapper Offset. However, a full run of the Hi-Res orange QTMNs was released, and this July, Adidas sold them off to clear out the remaining Yeezy stock. As a sneaker collector, I was curious to get a pair at a discount.

The QTMN is an odd sneaker: Kanye’s attempt at a basketball shoe that was too performance-focused and expensive for the average street-style consumer, yet too casual for the court. Kanye initially released the silhouette at the infamous 2020 Chicago All-Star Weekend, but it didn’t receive much love, partly because it didn’t stand out.

The look is somewhat interesting, taking cues from the 350 v2 and their neutral tones, then adding a black shroud upper and reflective heel guard. The problem though was that, because it shared the neutral, natural tones of the wider Yeezy range, and took so many cues from them, what point was there in wearing the QTMN? They just didn’t seem that distinct.

Though this Hi-Res orange is just a colorway of the same silhouette, it transforms the look and attitude of the pair. Had this been the debut colorway, it might have been a hit. They stand out, have attitude, and are much more interesting than the standard colorways.

The side panel, a blend of black stripe and translucent waves, combined with the shoe’s natural curves, makes it resemble a poisonous fish found in a reef. The searing orange color is so intense that no camera can capture it accurately. The shoes are made with various levels of transparency and mesh, including transparency on the heel guard and midsole, revealing the full boost foam inside. The light orange mesh on the tongue and collar lightens the overall look of the shoe.

As I said in my piece on discount Yeezys, I can’t generally recommend the QTMN for the average person who just wants a comfortable pair of shoes, and this colorway doesn’t fix its technical and pricing issues. But in orange, you can see what this shoe could have been; and for a collector, getting a once-mythic shoe for under $150 is worth it.