Adidas has officially cut ties with Kanye West – now known as ‘Ye’.
In an official statement, Adidas said it will “terminate the partnership with Ye immediately”, while remaining the “sole owner of all design rights to existing products.”
We don’t know what the future holds for the Yeezy brand but in the meantime, let’s have a look at some of the craziest Yeezy sneakers ever made.
4. Yeezy Knit Runner ($200)
READ MORE: Kanye West drops first look at McDonald’s collaboration
Yeezy has never been afraid to try different things and this model proves it.
Officially known as the Knit Runner, this sneaker is available in several colorways and they’re all a bit mad.
And with mad names, too, including the one you see in the picture which is called Sulfur.
CHECK THIS OUT!
Like other Yeezy models, the sneaker doesn’t have any shoelaces and it essentially consists of a big, soft, foamy shoe and a thin sole.
Yeezy also made a boot-style model, and several celebs including Ye himself have often been pictured wearing it.
It retails for $200 but the price in the secondary market oscillates a lot.
The Sulfur colorway we previously mentioned is the most expensive at $340.
3. Yeezy 750 Boost ($500-$1,000)
This is one of the most significant Yeezy models because the shape is clearly inspired by the sneaker that made Yeezy iconic: the SP2 Red October.
We shouldn’t say that out loud, though.
Because the SP 2 Red October (pictured below) was made by Nike.
When Ye left Nike to join Adidas in 2015, he came up with a very similar concept for the Yeezy 750 to celebrate the new partnership.
It’s very easy to detect the similarities: same shape, similar high-top design.
Fortunately, the price is not similar.
The Red October is impossible to find under $15,000 whereas this one ‘only’ costs $500-$1,000
2. Yeezy 450 ($150-$300)
The Yeezy 450 is yet another crazy shoe with a crazy design idea.
The shoe looks like it has been made from soft fabric and then dipped into melted rubber.
The design is polarizing, you either love it or hate it.
Ironically, this sneaker is one of the few that didn’t appreciate in the pre-owned market.
It can be had for just $200 or thereabouts.
Which is more or less what you’d pay if you managed to find one at retail.
1. Yeezy Foam Runner ($150-$200)
No other shoe has generated the same amount of hype as the Yeezy Foam Runner in recent years.
Honestly, we don’t even know where to start.
First of all, where did the inspiration come from?
Some say it looks like the Alien from the eponymous movie, while others believe it was inspired by a futuristic yacht concept.
It isn’t even that expensive, with a retail price of $90.
The problem is you can’t find one at retail price because the Yeezy brand is so hot right now.
Which brings us on to the question, what happened between Adidas and Ye?
A few weeks ago, Ye shared some controversial antisemitic tweets that got him banned from Twitter.
After that, GAP and Balenciaga immediately dropped him, while Adidas said it would place the partnership “under review”.
Just days later, Adidas decided to end it due to mounting pressure in the industry.
According to the company, Ye will be able to use the Yeezy name but he’ll have to redesign the whole line-up from scratch because Adidas will retain the rights.
This sounds like the start of a long legal battle.
