October 27, 2022, 7:14 AM
October 27, 2022, 7:14 AM
Kanye West’s Yeezy collaboration with Adidas it has been one of the most successful in the history of the brand.
But that ended, after the clothing giant canceled their business relationship. with the rapper, now known as Ye, for making anti-Semitic comments.
Cutting partnership means Adidas will have a net loss of $252 million in 2022. Many other brands are also expected to end their ties with him.
For fans of fashion and music, and the world of sneakers in general, the big question is Whats Next?
“I was a fan of his,” James Drury tells BBC Newsbeat. “He’s a genius in the fashion industry and in the music industry.”
However, the 28-year-old comments that he is no longer a fan and says that he cannot support Ye after the anti-Semitic comments.
“It seems like he’s looking for attention to stay relevant,” he says. “And he’s a bit far from me now.
“There are certain things you just can’t agree with.”
James, from Shropshire, England, has been collecting Yeezys since 2016.
“It was more the weirdness,” he says. “Seeing images of various celebrities wearing them instantly draws you in.”
and states that will remain a Yeezy collector despite Ye’s comments.
“I almost see Yeezy as a separate brand from Kanye West. Obviously he controls a lot of it, but for some reason I see Yeezy as a separate brand. So I’ll continue with that.”
James points out that he doesn’t collect for money.
“Personally I’m not in it to sell them, I collect for rarity rather than money.”
“I have great stories behind [de ciertos zapatos que tengo]”, he adds.
Apprenticeship for Adidas
Emily Atkins of The Sole Supplier, a specialist website for trainers, calls Yeezy “the most important story in the world of sneakers.”
And while cutting the partnership has cost Adidas money, Emily is interested in seeing the impact more broadly.
“We’ve seen people riot and boycott Adidas over Kanye’s comments,” says the shoe expert. “And I think his influence is across the brand.”
Emily, 25, adds that Adidas can recover of the backlash and that they can learn a great lesson about not trusting “one influencer so much for their campaigns”.
“I think he started damaging his reputation a long time ago,” he says.
But he acknowledges the need to take into account the mental health issues of Ye, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
He also points out that there are other ways Adidas can overcome this situation.
“It’s dangerous for any brand to rely so heavily on one influencer to drive such a large part of their sales,” he says.
“But on the other hand, they have other products, some very iconic silhouettes that have always been around before Kanye.”
And what will happen to Ye?
As for Ye, he has lost his spot on Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires.
Having terminated the partnership with Adidas reduce net worth from US$1.5 billion to US$400 million.
But also, in the world of fashion, Emily feels that the rapper no longer offers “the positive contributions that he had so many years ago.”
“It will be interesting to see his next move. And which brands are brave enough to protect him.”
As for his music, James comments that he’s not yet at the stage where he’ll push “skip” to his songs, but “he’s getting pretty close.”
“I think a lot of people will turn off their music now, ignore it and put [sus comentarios] before the music.
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