Adidas Yeezy
Product brand
UnclaimedA globally influential footwear and apparel collaboration between Adidas and Kanye West that operated from 2015 until its termination in 2022.
Last updated August 21, 2026
Overview
Adidas Yeezy was a fashion and footwear collaboration between Adidas and Kanye West, whose creative work was then credited under the name Ye. The collaboration combined West’s design direction and cultural influence with Adidas’s footwear technology, manufacturing capacity, distribution network, and international retail infrastructure. Although Yeezy became closely associated with Adidas during the partnership, Yeezy was also the name of West’s separate company and brand; the independent Yeezy business should not be treated as the same entity as the former Adidas collaboration. The partnership formally debuted in February 2015 with the Yeezy Boost 750, following West’s departure from Nike and Adidas’s confirmation of a new shoe agreement in late 2013. The first release was highly restricted and sold rapidly, helping establish the scarcity-driven commercial model that would characterize much of the line. The collaboration soon expanded with the Yeezy Boost 350, whose knitted upper and Boost cushioning made the range more accessible and widely recognizable. Later families included the Yeezy 700, Yeezy 500, Yeezy Boost 380, Yeezy QNTM, Yeezy Slide, Yeezy Foam Runner, Yeezy 950, and football footwear. Products typically used muted earth tones, futuristic or deliberately bulky proportions, minimalist branding, and staged or limited releases. Yeezy also extended into clothing and accessories. Yeezy Season 1, presented in 2015, used military-inspired garments, neutral colors, oversized silhouettes, jackets, sweatpants, boots, and other ready-to-wear pieces. Adidas’s role became more concentrated on footwear after the early apparel collaboration, while West continued to develop clothing through his own Yeezy business and other production arrangements. The footwear line nevertheless became the central commercial expression of Adidas Yeezy. The brand achieved major influence in sneaker collecting, streetwear, celebrity culture, and contemporary fashion. Its success helped normalize premium designer collaborations as large-scale commercial businesses and contributed to renewed interest in chunky athletic silhouettes, minimalist color palettes, knit uppers, molded footwear, and limited-release strategies. Adidas Yeezy was frequently compared with Jordan Brand for cultural visibility and commercial power. The partnership deteriorated in 2022. West publicly criticized Adidas executives and the company’s Yeezy-related initiatives, while also making antisemitic statements and other controversial public remarks. Adidas placed the relationship under review on October 7, 2022, and announced on October 25 that it was ending the collaboration immediately. Adidas stopped producing Yeezy-branded products and ended payments to West under the partnership. The termination made the collaboration a discontinued brand rather than an active Adidas product line. Adidas subsequently faced the problem of disposing of existing Yeezy inventory. In 2023, the company announced plans to sell already-produced footwear without creating new designs or continuing the former full collaboration. Adidas said that portions of the proceeds would be directed to organizations addressing issues associated with the controversy. Further sales of remaining inventory took place through selected periods, including activity in 2024. These sales represented liquidation or controlled distribution of existing stock, not a resumption of the collaboration. Adidas Yeezy is therefore best classified as a discontinued product brand and former collaboration, while Yeezy as West’s independent business is a separate subject.
History
The Adidas Yeezy story developed from Kanye West’s long-running interest in fashion and footwear collaborations. West had discussed working with Adidas as early as 2006, including ideas for a clothing line and a customized Adidas Rod Laver Vintage shoe, but those discussions did not initially produce a commercial collection. West later worked with Nike on the Air Yeezy line. After leaving Nike in 2013, following disagreements that included compensation for his designs, he pursued a new partnership with Adidas. Adidas confirmed the collaboration in December 2013 and offered West royalties and broad creative control. West retained ownership of his brand while Adidas handled much of the product and commercial infrastructure. The collaboration’s public debut came in February 2015 with the Yeezy Boost 750. The shoe’s restricted initial release, premium pricing, and association with West generated intense attention. The first Yeezy Season 1 presentation also introduced apparel influenced by military clothing, muted colors, oversized forms, and utilitarian styling. The apparel collection was presented with performance artist Vanessa Beecroft and attracted substantial celebrity and media attention, although its sales performance was less consistent than that of the footwear. Yeezy Season 2 followed in September 2015, and later seasons continued to develop West’s independent fashion direction. Adidas increasingly focused its formal role on footwear, even though Yeezy footwear was connected to the broader fashion identity. The Yeezy Boost 350, released globally in June 2015, became the partnership’s most recognizable early model. Its knitted upper and Boost cushioning gave it a modern, comfortable profile, while repeated colorway releases expanded the audience beyond the first 750. The 350 V2 followed in 2016. Other product families broadened the design vocabulary: the 700 used a chunky retro-running form; the 500 emphasized sculpted, layered construction; the 380 introduced a sock-like profile; the Slide and Foam Runner moved toward simplified molded footwear; and QNTM explored basketball-oriented styling. The line also included boots, cleats, and other footwear categories. In June 2016, Adidas and West announced an expanded agreement and a new Yeezy category. The partnership’s distribution and release model combined highly publicized launches with limited quantities, surprise drops, regional releases, and later broader availability. Celebrity wearers and social-media visibility reinforced the products’ cultural status. By the end of the decade, Yeezy was widely discussed as a major competitor to established premium sneaker franchises. Its influence extended beyond its direct sales, encouraging other brands to experiment with bulky silhouettes, neutral palettes, engineered uppers, and scarcity-based launches. The relationship became increasingly contentious in 2022. West criticized Adidas chief executive Kasper Rorsted, accused the company of copying designs, objected to the Yeezy Day promotional event, and complained that Adidas had not delivered on aspects of its retail strategy. He also said he did not intend to renew the partnership when the contract was expected to expire in 2026. In October 2022, after a sequence of antisemitic statements and other public controversies, Adidas first placed the partnership under review. On October 25, it announced immediate termination, describing West’s conduct as incompatible with its values. Production of Adidas Yeezy products and payments to West stopped. The termination left Adidas with substantial existing inventory and created a difficult commercial and reputational problem. In 2023, Adidas and West reached an arrangement under which existing footwear could be sold without developing new designs or continuing the apparel collaboration. Adidas stated that some proceeds would support organizations including the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change. Sales occurred in selected periods and channels, including releases extending into 2024. These transactions did not restore Adidas Yeezy as an active collaboration. The former Adidas line is now discontinued, while West’s separate Yeezy company remains a distinct subject requiring separate treatment.
- 2024
Further remaining-stock releases
[1]Additional releases of existing Yeezy inventory took place during late May and the first half of June, according to the referenced account.
- 2023
Existing inventory sale announced
[3]Adidas announced controlled sales of already-produced Yeezy footwear and charitable donations from part of the proceeds.
- 2022
Adidas places partnership under review
[1]Adidas reviewed its relationship with West after a series of antisemitic statements and other controversies.
- 2022
Collaboration terminated
[2]Adidas ended the partnership immediately, stopping production and payments associated with Adidas Yeezy.
- 2019
Expansion into new footwear forms
[1]The Yeezy Boost 380, Yeezy Slide, and later the 700 V3 expanded the line beyond its earlier Boost-based sneaker designs.
- 2017
Yeezy 700 debuts
[1]The Yeezy Boost 700 debuted through the Wave Runner colorway, establishing a major chunky retro-running footwear family.
- 2016
Partnership expanded
[1]Adidas and West announced an extension and a broader Yeezy category.
- 2015
Adidas Yeezy launches
[1]The collaboration debuted with the Yeezy Boost 750 and the Yeezy Season 1 fashion presentation.
- 2015
Yeezy Boost 350 released
[1]The Boost 350 introduced a knitted upper and became one of the collaboration’s most widely distributed and recognized models.
- 2013
West leaves Nike and moves toward Adidas
[1]After leaving Nike, West pursued a partnership with Adidas, which agreed to a structure providing royalties and substantial creative control.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
Premium designer-led sportswear and streetwear centered on collectible footwear, limited or staged releases, distinctive silhouettes, and restrained color palettes.
Sneaker · 2015
Yeezy Boost 750
The collaboration’s first Adidas footwear model, released in February 2015. It used a high-top, boot-influenced silhouette and Boost cushioning, and its restricted first release established the premium, scarcity-oriented launch model associated with Adidas Yeezy.
Sneaker · 2015
Yeezy Boost 350
A low-top sneaker family built around a knitted upper and Adidas Boost cushioning. The 350 helped broaden Yeezy’s audience and became one of its most recognizable products through repeated colorway releases and global distribution.
Sneaker · 2016
Yeezy Boost 350 V2
The second major version of the 350, introduced in 2016 with the Beluga colorway. It refined the knitted construction and became a central platform for the collaboration’s recurring releases and color variations.
Sneaker · 2017
Yeezy Boost 700
A chunky, layered retro-running sneaker first shown in the Wave Runner colorway. Its proportions, reflective details, mesh, suede, and Boost midsole helped make bulky athletic footwear a defining Yeezy design direction.
Sneaker · 2017
Yeezy 500
A sculpted, chunky sneaker family with a layered upper and a design language distinct from the Boost models. The Desert Rat colorway introduced the line, followed by high-top and additional color variations.
Sneaker · 2019
Yeezy Boost 380
A sock-like lifestyle sneaker first released in the Alien colorway. It extended Yeezy’s use of knitted uppers and streamlined, futuristic forms while maintaining the collaboration’s limited and surprise-release approach.
Slide · 2019
Yeezy Slide
A lightweight EVA slide with a simple molded form and substantial sole. The product expanded the collaboration into casual warm-weather footwear and became a prominent non-sneaker offering.
Molded casual footwear · 2020
Yeezy Foam Runner
A lightweight molded-style shoe with ventilation openings and a highly simplified silhouette. It represented Yeezy’s exploration of footwear forms outside conventional athletic sneakers.
Basketball-inspired sneaker · 2020
Yeezy QNTM
A basketball-oriented footwear family with high-top styling and a futuristic profile. It extended the collaboration’s design language into a performance-influenced category without becoming a conventional team-sport product line.
Apparel · 2015
Yeezy apparel
Clothing associated with Yeezy Season collections included jackets, bomber jackets, sweatpants, cargo garments, shirts, socks, and other ready-to-wear pieces. The range emphasized military references, oversized or relaxed shapes, neutral colors, and minimalist presentation; much of the later clothing activity was independent of Adidas footwear operations.
Controversies
2023
Lawsuit over alleged limited-edition marketing
Consumers filed a proposed class action alleging that Adidas and West misrepresented the limited availability of the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Mono Cinder, causing buyers to pay inflated prices before later wider availability reduced market values.
2022
Controversial statements and partnership termination
West made a series of antisemitic and otherwise controversial public statements, including remarks asserting that Adidas could not remove him. Adidas first reviewed the relationship and then ended it immediately, citing the incompatibility of his conduct with the company’s values.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Existing Yeezy inventory charitable sales
Selected international markets
Adidas sold selected existing Yeezy products after the partnership ended and said that a significant portion of proceeds would go to charitable organizations, including the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change.
Outcome. The initiative addressed remaining inventory while directing part of proceeds to charity; it did not restart the collaboration.
- 2019Yeezy 700 V2 Geode charity campaign
United States
The release of the Yeezy 700 V2 Geode was accompanied by a nationwide lemonade-stand initiative intended to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Outcome. A branded product release was linked to a public fundraising activation.
Brand decisions
2023
Sell existing inventory without new Yeezy designsStrategyBackground
The termination left Adidas with already-produced Yeezy footwear and created inventory, financial, and reputational-management challenges.
Action taken
Adidas arranged controlled sales of existing footwear only. The arrangement excluded new designs and did not revive the former apparel collaboration.
Aftermath
Remaining products entered selected markets in multiple release periods, while Adidas directed part of proceeds to charitable organizations.
2022
Terminate the Adidas Yeezy partnershipStrategyBackground
West’s public disputes with Adidas escalated alongside antisemitic statements and other conduct that generated reputational and brand-safety concerns.
Action taken
Adidas ended the collaboration immediately, stopped production of Yeezy-branded products, and ended payments to West connected with the partnership.
Aftermath
The collaboration became a discontinued brand. Adidas retained existing inventory and later developed a controlled-sale approach rather than producing new designs.
Adidas-reported potential short-term negative impact and estimated 2023 revenue risk. Up to €250 million short-term negative impact; up to €1.3 billion of potential 2023 revenue risk (2022 announcement and 2023 outlook)
Sources3 sources
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