Kanye West Partners Up With Major Fashion Brand

Kanye West: outstanding, outspoken, outrivaling, and outrageous. He’s done it all, from producing music to outshining others on stage (See: Kanye x Taylor feud ) to becoming a designer. Now Kanye’s gone and secured himself a long-term partnership with major German sportswear brand Adidas and has been described as the most significant partnership between a non-athlete and a sports brand ever in history. Working closely with West’s brand, YEEZY, the partnership will bring forth a brand new entity consisting of footwear, apparel, and accessories for all genders.

After falling behind rival brand Nike in profits in the United States, Adidas has been working closely with influential celebrities like Pharrell Williams to promote their footwear – with the ever so famous Adidas Superstar boosting their profits by a 31 percent jump in the first quarter sales of 2016 in North America.

It’s no surprise that Adidas has decided to team up with West again, as they had already worked together once in 2014 for Adidas Original, which began to revive the brand in the U.S market when he saw him as a major influence on culture and the fashion industry. Adidas hopes that this partnership will redefine the meaning of sportswear from the tracks to the streets as not only a sports brand, but a part of street wear culture. Titled adidas + KANYE WEST, the partnership is already garnering lots of attention from both devoted followers and critics, and is expected to open special flagship stores especially for the new line.

West’s impact on his fans and consumers have already shown great success, with his first collaboration in 2015 with Adidas for his footwear, YEEZY BOOST 750 and YEEZY BOOST 350, sending self-proclaimed fashionistas into a frenzy and being one of the most sought-after and fastest-selling models ever in history. The YEEZY BOOST 750 is so sought after that while it originally retailed in stores for $350, can now be found on eBay for well over $1000.

In the official press release by Adidas, West has stated that ‘over the past two years, Adidas and YEEZY have given a glimpse into our future. This partnership illustrates that anyone with a dream can dream without limitations’. Following that statement, in interview with New York’s Hot 97 radio station, West stated that he took the deal because he needed to provide for his family and claims, in a very Kanye West manner that “I’m gonna be the Tupac of product”.

It’s expected that this new partnership will bring Adidas to more success, expansion, and profit than ever.

What are your thoughts on the partnership? Or even better, what are your thoughts on Kanye? Yay? Nay?