Sneakers that came from a collaboration with a German company adidas and American rapper Kanye West, have long since gone far beyond the sneakerhead subculture. Who wouldn't know the name today? Yeezy and groundbreaking sneakers that are inextricably linked to the Ye name. In 2015, adidas was at the top with them and adidas Yeezy Boost were the most sought-after sneaker in the world. One of the most iconic sneaker lines, which at one time even wanted to "skip the Jumpman", but ended after nine years after controversial statements by the famous rapper. What models came out of the collaboration and what finally ended it?
The beginnings of cooperation
First reports that the Chicago rapper is likely moving on from Nike to adidas , appeared at the end of 2013. With Nike, Kanye released several sneakers, the most famous of which are undoubtedly the Nike Air Yeezy 1 and 2, which were last released in 2014. Long-standing frustrations with little creative freedom and a dispute over royalties eventually led Kanye to adidas , with whom he signed a $10 million deal. The first big wave of success for the collaboration came in mid-2015, when West appeared at the Billboard Music Awards in a pair of all-white adidas Ultra Boosts.
Rocket launch
For the first year of Kanye and adidas However, 2015 can be considered the year in which the Yeezys first started to be released. During Yeezy Season 1, the first silhouette of the adidas Yeezy line was introduced – the grey adidas Yeezy Boost 750 , which were inspired by the shoes UGGs and in addition to the groundbreaking design, they were also improved with technology Boost . A military-looking model was also presented at the same fashion show Yeezy The 950 Duckboot, which with a price tag of $585, became the most expensive Yeezy model.
But the real turning point came with the release of adidas sneakers. Yeezy Boost 350 'Turtle Dove'. The premium sneakers combined Kanye's futuristic design with the best of adidas technology – Primeknit and BOOST . The sneakers literally took the entire sneaker world by storm, redefining the word hype. People craving sneakers Yeezy They spent entire days on the sidewalks with folding chairs and tents in front of stores to secure the hottest sneaker in the world. Perhaps the most essential model in the line to this day adidas Yeezy later released in ' Pirate Black ', 'Moonrock' and 'Oxford Tan' colorways. 
Models 350 V2, 700 and 500
Other models were not long in coming. In 2016, the most popular model from Kanye West's workshop, the adidas sneakers, was released. Yeezy 350 V2 . These supplemented the shortcomings of the previous model with a higher midsole and a new Primeknit upper design. The first colorway was a grey ' Beluga ' with a contrasting orange stripe on the side, which introduced us to the SPLY 350 inscription for the first time (the meaning of which was never explained). Without a doubt, one of the most popular sneakers in the world sold out at an astronomical rate and quickly became a hot commodity on the resell market.
Just a year later, during Yeezy Season 5, Kanye comes up with another hype bomb – adidas Yeezy Boost 700 'Wave Runner '. Although they were a departure from previous designs, which made them unpopular with many fans. But that didn't necessarily bother adidas, because the release of the sneakers hit the hot dad shoe trend.
Kanye has tapped into the dad shoe trend with another model. How else but groundbreaking and futuristic adidas sneakers Yeezy 500 were spotted on the rapper's feet several times during 2017, but fans only saw the release of this model (without Boost) in 2018. 
Yeezy for everyone
In 2018, a process was launched with one goal: Yeezy for everyone. By that time, adidas were already Yeezy completely worn out, but despite that they always sold out. Only the model 350 V2 It came out in just about every conceivable earthy color. Yeezy they were released more frequently and the hype, along with the price on the secondary market, died down.
Sneaker release Yeezy so at that time it took place almost every week and in addition to the above-mentioned sneakers, the adidas Yeezy Powerphase, Yeezy Boost 380 and in 2019 the now well-known adidas slippers were also released Yeezy Slide . They were followed a year later by the Yeezy QNTM sneakers, which were released during NBA All-Star Weekend in Kanye's hometown of Chicago, and the futuristic slippers that same year Yeezy Foam Runner. One of the last models in the entire adidas Yeezy line was the adidas Yeezy Knit Runner in 2021. 
End of cooperation
The ideal state of Kanye's collaboration with adidas began to fade in mid-2022. The first real problem came with the release of the new adidas Adilette 22 slippers, when Kanye accused the company of copying his Yeezy Slide silhouette. At that point, adidas made an offer that indicated they were still willing to work without Kanye. Adidas offered to sell the brand YEEZY almost 1.2 billion dollars.
Kanye's discontent was shaking up the sneaker internet at the time. Another climax was a message the rapper sent to media outlet Complex, in which he complained about the concept of so-called Yeezy Day, which adidas organized without his permission. The company reportedly did not request this even when re-releasing iconic Yeezy colorways.
West's contract with adidas was supposed to last until 2026, but it was terminated by the German company on October 25, 2022. In addition to his disagreements with adidas, Kanye began to express hatred towards Jews at that time and made the situation worse by commenting on the alleged cause of George Floyd's death. And to top it all off, he even managed to compare the company's vice president Torben Schumacher to a porn actor in a private meeting.
Kanye's fortune quickly dropped from $2 billion to "only" $400 million, and Kanye has since almost disappeared from the public eye. What happens next is almost certain. In mid-2023, in the midst of one of the very last adidas Yeezy releases, CEO Bjørn Gulden announced that adidas will release models Yeezy (whose patents they own the rights to) will no longer be returned.
One of the legendary sneaker collaborations ended in 2023.
