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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian may be the #worldsmosttalkedaboutcouple, but when it comes to shoe design, there is no better duo than Yeezy and Zanotti.

It’s no secret that these two legendary figures have forged a close relationship over recent years. Now, for the first time in an interview with Style.com, designer Giuseppe Zanotti is offering insight into what his relationship with the Yeezus rapper is really like.

“Kanye West and I are longtime friends and have been collaborating for years. As artists, we naturally share a similar creative process as well as a natural passion for fashion and music. Back in 2009 we met at a charity event in Milan. Kanye was interested in the process of designing a shoe collection and asked to visit my factory. Working together was a natural progression. He taught me something, I taught him something.  I showed him my archives, and he sang something for me and my team,” he said.

Zanotti also discusses the “$6,000 pair of shoes that made it to the Paris news,” a pair of beaded white heels worn by Mrs. West herself, and how they helped inspire his own collection.

“Kanye’s debut was in Paris during Spring 2012 fashion week. We designed four exclusive styles for the collection. The most sought-after was a pair of white beaded sandals that Kim [Kardashian West] also wore to the show that day. This is the first sneaker Kanye and I created together. It was never produced, but we still consider it to be the original. That same year I launched my first men’s collection, with a style inspired by Kanye.”

And who could forget the Cruel Summer heels? We saw them on the feet of countless celebrities and all wished we could get our hands on a pair. Zanotti offers insight into the design process behind the popular heel:

“In September 2012, we collaborated on Cruel Summer, a shoe inspired by Kanye’s album of the same name. I took a gold pair of the shoes Kanye liked and customized them in all-white ceramic to give the same glam-Renaissance vibe as the album cover has. The customized shoe and album were released simultaneously. Cruel Summer went on to be one of my most iconic styles, and I even created a limited-edition version of the shoe to commemorate my 20th anniversary. “

When it comes to ‘Ye, it’s safe to say your taste level ain’t at his waist level. We’re hoping to see more collaborations from these two in the future.

PHOTO CREDIT & SOURCE: Style

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