Usually Adidas is used to better numbers - now the location looks very different. 2023 threatens to become a red year for the first time in a long time and make losses.
But let's start much earlier, with the fashion history of Kanye West.
The beginning
We spool back to 2007, where the creative fashion crowd starts and Kanye, together with A Bathing Ape (Bape), releases a sneaker, the Bapesta "College Dropout" and that in collaboration with Nigo, the founder of the brand and an important person in Kanye's Life. The sneaker was inspired by his album from 2004, which was called "College Dropout" and launched his start in the music scene. The friendship between Nigo and Kanye West was formed by Pharrell Williams, the music producer quickly realized that Mr. West was not just a child from Chicago who could rap a bit. He saw something in him that Jay-Z could not see at that time and so boosted Pharrell Kanye's self-confidence and most likely made him one of the best-known newcomers in the scene. In the documentary about Kanye West life there are some scenes with Pharrell where you can see that he was serious about the young talent.
Nigo, Pharrell, and Kanye West. Pre-VMA Party (2006)
Louis Vuitton- the springboard
A year later, in 2008, Kanye received an inquiry, from none other fashion house than from Louis Vuitton, whether he would like to design a sneaker in cooperation with the still relatively unknown Virgil and Don C and a short time later we got the first sporty sneaker the luxury brand. The "Kanye West X Louis Vuitton Patchwork Don" came onto the market in the same year and since the sneaker was successful, LV had offered two more colorways for sale. The shoes are still extremely popular today and go between € 3000 -5000 €, depending on the condition of the piece.
On the far we see Don C, Centig Kanye West and left Virgil Abloh at Paris Fashion Week 2009.
Marketing Move: Kanye comes to Nike
We are already writing in 2009 and Ye wanted to design more sneakers and decided without further ado to work with Nike. The Nike Air Yeezy "Blink" was released with the "Zen Gray" at the same time and prepared a lot of publicity. Kanye West was the first musician who had designed his own sneaker next to the Air Jordans,LeBron’s and Kobe’s noticed the shoe positively in the Nike line-up. In the beginning everything went great between the two parties, but as we know Ye, it is relatively difficult to satisfy him. Despite all this, the two business partners designed another sneaker that Nike Air Yeezy 2. The supposed highlight of his machinations with the US sports articles manufacturer is clearly the "Red October" who broke the Internet. Even today, the Nike Yeezy’s are still very much in demand and collectors sheet sheets decent money for a few in good condition.
Paparazzi pictures of the first Air Yeezy 2.
Adidas era
After a little more past time, the next company dares to get the artist - Adidas makes him a suggestion that he cannot reject. So in 2015 he launched his first Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 with the Colorway "Turtle Dove" and, as expected, the sneaker hit. People sometimes spent a week in front of shops to secure the extremely limited shoe. Many do not even know that the first Adidas Yeezy was actually the "Wolf Gray" 750, which flew below the radar at the time of the release. The V1 Yeezy Boost series was then completed with the "Moonrock", "Pirate Black" and the "Oxford Tan".
Immediately a year later, the Adidas Yeezy Boost V2 "Beluga" came onto the market, the sneaker is an improvement to the V1 and differs in every respect - the upper has been improved, the shape and even the sole. That was the beginning of an incredible number of colorways that can still be seen in the streets.
The Beluga has changed the market.
Adidas X Yeezy press conference.
Yeezy models storm the market
In addition to the 350 series, there is the Chunky 700 silhouette that initiated the Dad Shoe Trend. Even with the model there is a V2 and even a V3 version that differ a lot. The Adidas Yeezy Boost 700V2 is more adapted to the V1, but the third version goes a completely different way and is hardly chunky on the foot. The Adidas Yeezy Boost 500 is also a completely different sneaker from design and is more reminiscent of a trail shoe than anything else. There are also several colorways for each model and there is definitely something for everyone and especially for every occasion.
A Yeezy Collection from a Reddit user.
Why do the two want to separate?
Adidas was used to working with Kanye West throughout the green numbers - since the dispute of the two parties, it seems that Adidas had to write red numbers.
At the beginning of 2021 rumors arose that Kanye West and Adidas could separate. Of course, this has not been confirmed for a long time, but if something like that are in the area, the world talks about it.
In the same year, Kanye West even confirmed these rumors in an interview with Joe Rogan in the podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience". He explained that he wanted to separate from Adidas and has a new deal with GAP, in which he can take care of his own vision more. He always had the dream of working independently on a fire that is accessible to the large mass. As we have found, Kanye West's GAP campaign really went through the ceiling, the sales were incredible as well as the stock and the general perception of the fire has improved extremely.
Kanye West visits Joe Rogan, 2021.
So the cooperation between Adidas and Kanye West was ended in October. The reasons that Adidas called would be that Kanye was mentally unstable, and he also said many things that speak against Adidas Codex. They didn't want to have anything to do with his hate, the press spokesman said. The approximate value of Yeezys, which has not yet been sold, amounts to about 500 million USD, new contract says, if the goods have been sold, there will be no new designs from Kanye West for adidas. The further course is currently still unclear, but I personally hope that the two parties decide to start the business again. So many iconic sneakers that have set trends were created in this collaboration and it would be a shame if that just ended.