Yeezy Shoes
Yeezy is an all-encompassing fashion label founded by Kanye West once he struck a deal with adidas to work on footwear in 2015. Debuting with Yeezy Season 1, this was the beginning of a multi-billion dollar empire that now encompasses technology and industrial design while still focusing on footwear and apparel. While many think of Yeezy as an adidas brand, Kanye owns 100% of the brand Yeezy, so if he were ever to decide to part ways with The Three Stripes he could continue to release products with the moniker.
While his journey into the fashion industry began way back in 2004 with an F&F adidas collab, Kanye truly began to make waves in the sneaker world once his Air Yeezy silhouette was released with Nike in 2009. Fast forward past their tumultuous breakup and Ye was back with The Three Stripes under his newly founded label, Yeezy. Iconic releases popped up in the early years of the partnership with adidas including the Yeezy Boost 750 and Yeezy Boost 350 (V1 & V2). These beginning stages saw staggered releases in ultra-limited quantities with rumors that the original Yeezy 750 “Light Brown” only had about 10,000 pairs hit the market, though as time passed, pairs became accessible and fulfilled Kanye’s promise of “Yeezys for everyone.”
Notable models from the brand include the dad-shoe-inspired Yeezy Boost 700, designed by the “Godfather of Dad Shoes” Steven Smith, and the retro-built Yeezy 500 that utilizes the same adiPRENE+ sole that adidas Kobe sneakers used when he was signed to The Three Stripes. While these fall under the contemporary design language that Yeezy was known for in its early years, recently introduced models like the Yeezy Foam RNNR, Yeezy 380, and Yeezy Slide take on a much more futuristic, organic design that has truly separated the brand from others in the industry.
As of late, Ye (FKA as Kanye West) has had a rocky relationship with his partner adidas, from accusing them of stealing his designs to stating that they have made decisions for Yeezy without his approval. For the time being, we should still see plenty of new colorways, models, and more from adidas Yeezy, a partnership that has reshaped the sneaker industry in many ways.
