Kanye West's Departure From Adidas: What's Next For The Yeezy Brand?

 Kanye West has a lot of work to do now that Adidas has kicked Yeezy from its lineup.

 

Kanye West's Departure From Adidas: What's Next For The Yeezy Brand?

We looked at Kanye West's relationship with Adidas less than two months ago. Kanye was launching an all-out social media assault on the German company at the time of our deep dive. Every day, he would go to his Instagram account and yell into the void about why we should support him in his quest to get out of his Adidas contract.

Kanye West - Yeezy

Ye made some interesting claims about the brand, claiming that Yeezy silhouettes and colorways were being released without his permission. The legendary artist felt he had lost control of the Yeezy brand and that Adidas was destroying his vision. Ye mentioned oversaturation, infringement on intellectual property, and a lack of ownership over his own creation His goal was to reclaim Yeezy and transform the brand into what he had always imagined it to be. However, given recent events, that goal may be impossible to achieve.

 

Kanye was dropped by Adidas due to a seemingly never-ending news cycle of antisemitism, bigotry, and white supremacy. In addition, his agency dropped him, Jaylen Brown and Aaron Donald left Donda Sports, and his Donda Doves were barred from competing in a tournament.

Ye has left a shambles of a legacy. There are only a few people left in his inner circle at this point. Those who do support him do so because he is purchasing their failed social media platforms. Despite this, he got what he desired. His contract with Adidas has expired.

Be careful what you wish for, as the saying goes. Unfortunately for Kanye, losing his Adidas deal means he is no longer a billionaire and will have to rebuild the Yeezy brand from the ground up. When Adidas announced its breakup with Ye, it revealed that it owned every Yeezy design except the Adidas Yeezy Foam Runner. This means Adidas is permitted to sell Yeezys.

sneakers devoid of Yeezy branding That, it turns out, is exactly what they intend to do. More importantly, it means that Kanye cannot independently release these designs. If he does, he exposes himself to a massive lawsuit, and Adidas has the financial means to force him out of the building.

 Moving forward, if Kanye wants to keep the Yeezy name, he'll have to create a slew of new designs, which won't be easy. This will be a slow process, and given the damage he has done to his reputation, he may not even be able to obtain distribution for these shoes. Without Adidas, he will now have to establish his own assembly lines, warehouses, and shipping company, as well as regain the trust of his fans.

People simply don't want to buy what Ye is selling after making inflammatory comments about George Floyd and wanting to go "Defcon 3" on Jewish people. Sure, some people will continue to support him no matter what, but he's done irreparable harm to himself. Moving forward, it will be much more difficult for him to sell his shoes, and without the backing of a major corporation, Ye may be in trouble. Kanye has always had a big brand to lean on, whether it's Adidas, Nike, GAP, or Balenciaga. He's unlikely to have those resources again, putting Kanye in unfamiliar territory. He no longer has the credibility he once had, and as a result, Yeezy suffers is going to sleep for a long time.

Kanye West

Social media today chews you up and spits you out quickly. If your music isn't good enough, you're fired. People will forget about you if you do not release tracks quickly enough. People will switch to new brands and products if your brand stops producing goods. This means Kanye needs to get Yeezy up and running right away, and he simply does not have the infrastructure to do so.

We're talking about Kanye here, so we could be completely wrong. It's entirely possible that he has something planned here. He's proven people wrong before, and he's more than capable of doing so again. It's just that this time appears to be different. From wearing white supremacist t-shirts to appearing on Fox News, Kanye seems to have "done it this time" when it comes to antisemitism.

If you're a sneakerhead who still wants your Yeezy fix, you'll be relieved to know that Adidas will continue to release the classics. From the Adidas Yeezy 750 to the Adidas Yeezy 700 "Wave Runner," Ye and Adidas provided us with some truly incredible sneakers. Despite everything that has happened, it is encouraging to see that these designs are not going away.

For Ye, the road to redemption will be long and difficult. While he has made some forced apologies here and there, he shows no signs of lowering his rhetoric. Until he does, there is little chance of a Yeezy comeback.