By Robert Osborne ’20
On Dec. 3, 2013, Kanye West and Adidas released a sneaker called “Yeezy.” It was named after one of West’s albums “Yeezus,” which came out months before the shoe release. He has come out with four models of the shoe and will soon expand into the sports arena with a football and basketball sneaker. These shoes have taken off in popularity and have become a figurehead for the Adidas brand. However, most editions have a hefty price tag and are not easy to come by. On the first day of sale for the “Yeezy 350,” the first Yeezy shoe, it sold out within 10 minutes. The shoes retailed for $350, but considering the limited supply (9,000), they were resold for a much higher price (around $1,000 – $2,000 depending on the model). As a result, fake Yeezys were made and were sold for only a fraction of the cost and are almost a direct replica of the real shoe. Also, even though the shoe is made by Adidas, it is rare that they are sold in an Adidas store. Therefore, most people end up buying them online and are sometimes sold fake Yeezys without knowing. Thanks to the collaboration with Adidas, the shoe has Adidas’s signature sole material: Adidas boost. West originally collaborated with Nike to make the “Air Yeezy” in 2009 and the “Air Yeezy II” in 2012, but he decided to work with Adidas due to creative differences and Nike’s refusal to share royalties on his shoes.
Some students like Yeezys while others are not fond of the shoe.
“Yeezys are not worth the hype because they cost too much for what you’re getting… I can buy fake Yeezys for half the price. They look ok but I would not wear them,” Viswa Douglass ‘21 said.
Others think that the shoe is outdated.
“I personally do not really like Yeezys. They are too expensive for what you are getting out of them. They do not seem very comfortable and do not seem that interesting. They used to be really cool, but now they are just normal,” Langston Holly ‘20 said
Other students offered a word of advice for potential buyers.
“I love Yeezys; in fact, I have the original model on right now and they are so comfortable and I love them. The technology that Adidas uses is absolutely insane. Overall, retail is $200 and they run out quickly. I would suggest waiting for new releases. I would recommend the shoe to a friend because it is so comfortable, and it is so cushiony; the materials and quality of the shoe is great. It is for people who have a lot of money and people who are willing to spend it on shoes,” Fedor Kirilenko ‘20 said.
In an online survey sent to the Middle School, 42 percent of 331 respondents said that they would give Yeezys a thumbs up and 58 percent said they would give them a thumbs down. Even though Yeezys are comfortable and attention grabbing, I would give them a thumbs down because of the expensive price for an average shoe.
