The history of Yeezy: from Nike, Louis Vuitton to adidas Yeezy

Kanye has been in contact with brands like Nike and adidas since 2005. Back then, he wanted to get his first official collaboration, with the main motif being the legendary Dropout Bear. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, and Kanye created his first sneaker with BAPE two years later.

NIKE? CHECKED.

There was still a long way to go to Ye’s collaborations with three stripes as we know them today – the path to ruling the sneaker market began at adidas’s biggest competitor – Nike.

After a long period of discussions and changes, the first Nike Air Yeezy sneakers were released in 2009, featuring the instantly recognizable Air Sole bubble.

KANYE IN LOUIS VUITTON

The same year, before the next line of Air Yeezys came out, Kanye signed with the fashion house Louis Vuitton. This deal created a premium collection featuring three silhouettes with a retail price of around $1 000. Kanye named each pair after his close collaborators – Don (after his DJ and tour manager Don C), Mr. Hudson (after the popular British singer) and Jasper (after Ye’s court barber). Today, these sneakers will cost you about ten times the original price. Even this collection was successful and rapidly sold out, it’s nothing compared to what came a couple years later.

In 2012, proof that Kanye and Nike’s collaboration wasn’t over surfaced. The Nike Air Yeezy 2 was enhanced with several new features – for example, a wavy heel and “snake skin” on the upper, hinting that reptiles played a role in the creative process behind the sneaker.

5 000 pairs of the two original Air Yeezy colorways, Solar Red and Pure Platinum, were made. Soon after, they were accompanied by a surprise drop of the Air Yeezy 2 Red October. For most sneakerheads, this is the holy grail of sneakers, selling out in seconds and landing a spot on our list of the most expensive sneakers in the world.

THE BIRTH OF THE BILLION-DOLLAR YEEZY EMPIRE

2013 was the breaking point that led to Kanye’s brand transforming into what we know now. He left Nike and signed a $10 000 000 deal with adidas. Aside from having more control over the creative process, Ye also gained much more in earnings from sold units.

At that time, amongst all kinds of controversies, Kanye gave one of his most well-known quotes, shortly after signing to adidas.

“I’m telling you, I am Warhol! I. Am. The number one most impactful artist of our generation! I am Shakespeare, in the flesh! Walt Disney. Nike. Google. Now who’s gonna be the Medici family and stand up and let me create more? Or do you wanna marginalize me ’til I’m out of my moment?”, Kanye demanded respect in the notorious interview with radio host Sway.

A billion dollar empire doesn’t build itself. The Medici family didn’t turn up and investments in projects including adidas Yeezy got Kanye into deep trouble in 2016, when he was tens of millions of dollars in debt. The outcome is all the more interesting – in a matter of years, Kanye gained more than $1.5 billion dollars.

How did he do it? In his own words, his faith and getting diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is supposedly a key part of his creativity, played the biggest parts.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE YEEZYS AND THE HYPE AROUND THE YEEZY 350

In 2015, the first adidas Yeezy sneaker was released – the adidas Yeezy Boost 750 in a grey colorway, a strap over the laces and an aesthetic that would hint at what direction Kanye would take with the three stripes brand. This OG colorway is also the most expensive adidas Yeezy – you can get them for about $2 000 on StockX. Shortly after, other colorways of the Yeezy Boost 750 were introduced – for example, Triple Black, Grey Gum or Chocolate.

Yeezy Slides, Source: StockX

The second and also the most popular adidas Yeezy sneaker was the 350. It was these sneakers that made people all around the world used to camp out and wait for the release. Folding chairs, sleeping bags and even tents were a common part of the loadout you had to be equipped with when waiting for a new model. For every drop, lines began forming outside the stores even a whole day earlier.

Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman

Kanye West – Facts, Life of Pablo

In February 2016 Ye released the album Life of pablo. The track Facts features the line “Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman”, which was an obvious jab at the most successful product line out there, Air Jordan. That same year, the adidas Yeezy Boost V2 also came out in the unforgettable colorways like Beluga or Zebra.

The hype continued, new sneakers kept coming out and in 2017, fans received new colorways and also new models, such as the adidas Yeezy Boost 700 and the long-awaited adidas Yeezy 500, which were released in the Desert colorway.

YEEZY FOR EVERYONE

Kanye wasn’t exactly happy with his sneakers being sold for such a high price, or that people are even getting injured while waiting for the results of raffles. So, in 2018, he came forth and said that he wants Yeezy’s to be for everybody. This led to more sneakers being produced and different colorways being released more frequently.

The hype calmed down. Not that the world lost its interest in Yeezy – the volume of high-quantity releases that immediately sold out confirms the exact opposite. But the truth is that camping outside of stores is a thing of the past.

THE FUTURE OF YEEZY

The current situation backs up Kanye’s “Yeezys for all” statement. Today, with the score of models, over the years joined by for example the Yeezy Boost 380, Quantum or the Yeezy slides, it’s easier for anyone to get a pair of the shoes they want.

Yeezy Slides, Source: StockXOn secondary markets such as StockX, the priciest models are the older ones, but to say that Yeezy resell is dead is a bit of a stretch. Take for example the latest release of the Yeezy Slides, which were available at Footshop too. The exclusivity and uniqueness of Kanye’s and adidas’s brand is on its way out. But that might actually be a good thing – how else could you create an iconic sneaker brand without an audience large enough to be able to appreciate it?

To stay up to date on the newest adidas Yeezy releases, keep an eye on our Releases platform.