Introduction to Yeezy
Like Michael Jordan's legendary Air Jordans, Kanye West's Yeezy running shoe line has become one of the most sought-after shoe collections in history, with prices skyrocketing after limited quantity drops are snapped up in minutes. Since partnering with Kanye in 2013, adidas has quickly climbed the ranks in the running shoe category.
And while the Air Jordan has become a venerable pop culture driver off the basketball court, there's one place where Yeezys rule the roost–the runway. West has always yearned to be one of the fashion industry's most respected designers, and his annual Yeezy debuts are some of the hottest tickets during Fashion Week in New York, Paris and Milan. Early shows garnered a few critical reviews, but West didn't dwell on them, instead pushing the boundaries of creativity and design in his work. "I think bad taste is vulgar, it's like cursing," West told Forbes in 2015.
History of the Yeezy
Ironically, Jordan and West were once on the same team. West initially brought his Yeezy concept to Nike after a chance meeting with Nike's then-CEO Mark Parker in 2008. Parker paired West with the Air Jordan team, and West wore a prototype Air Yeezy 1 high-top onstage, with the real thing arriving in 2009. Hip-hop has been intertwined with footwear for nearly 40 years, from Run-D.M.C.'s adidas shell toes in the mid-1980s to Reeboks from Jay-Z and 50 Cent two decades later, but West was the one who got the Jordan Brand to really take notice.
After a dispute with Nike over royalties, West moved to adidas in 2013. They were thrilled at the chance to work with a musical artist who had become a superstar–and whose antics blew him up in the pop culture universe.
In 2015, West and adidas launched their partnership with the Boost 750, a high-top boot inspired by desert boots from companies like the Australian footwear brand, Blundstone. The first Yeezy running shoe, the Boost 350, came soon after, igniting a frenzy that hasn't let up. With the energy-returning adidas Boost sole technology as a base, the aggressively designed Boost 350 embodied speed. Its forward-leaning shape and minimalist design also happened to be one of the most comfortable shoes ever made.
Yeezy Lines: Plenty to Choose From
West is fond of releasing the same shoe with slight design tweaks and additional colourways, one of the reasons why there are so many versions of the Boost 350. A year after the 350 release, Kanye began teasing a new model, which would eventually become the genre-defining Boost 700. Running shoe enthusiasts initially panned the new model, dubbing it "dad shoes" due to its chunky midsole. But after Chance the Rapper rocked the initial blue and grey Wave Runner model on a 2017 Saturday Night Live appearance, the Boost 700 spread like wildfire.
The Most Popular Yeezy Sneakers
- Boost 350 V2 Butter
- 500 Blush
- Boost 700 Wave Runner
- Boost 350 V2 Sesame
- Boost 350 V2 Clay
- 500 Bone White
Boost 350 V2 Cream Triple White
Boost 350 V2 Static
Boost 700 Geode
Boost 350 V2 Zebra
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