Predicting what Kanye West is going to do next has never been easy.
In 2020, an odd year for all, Kanye campaigned for the presidency, went to war with the recording industry, and continued to pump out Yeezy sneakers at a furious rate. While political controversy and combating corporate execs have long been pages in the Kanye playbook, the growth of his footwear empire has been both awe-inspiring and hard to follow.
Over the course of recent years, the Yeezy brand has been valued at anywhere from estimates of $1 Billion to just over $3 Billion. For the man that said he wanted to be the 2Pac of fashion and compete with Wal-Mart, his ability to tie feeling to footwear and continually grow the base of who wears his shoes is second to only Nike and Mike. Despite a year defined by quarantine, in 2020 you’re just as likely to see someone wearing Yeezys while soaking up the sun on South Beach as you are to see someone wearing Yeezys while working at Target. I know, I’ve seen both.
However, what you’re not likely to see is someone wearing a Yeezy that’s not a 350 V2. In recent years, the second volume of Kanye’s runway Roshe has become the most accessible status symbol this side of the iPhone. A variety of walks of life from all over the globe go after the slip-on sneakers that retail for $220 and are sold everywhere from Mr. Porter to Dick’s Sporting Goods. With the advent of the aftermarket, 350 V2s of every hue are always readily available and with their construction of Boost and Primeknit proving always wearable whether at the gym or at the club.
Truth be told, if the Yeezy line stopped today or only continued making 350 V2s it would still be considered a massive success. Not only did Kanye prove to the powers that be at Nike that a non-athlete could move the market more than LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined, but he also paved the way for all his proteges to get signed by the Swoosh just the same. In effect, Kanye rewrote the rules and both he and his disciples are reaping the benefits.
The question moving into 2021 is exactly what Yeezy will put out besides the 350, who will actually be wearing Yeezys and why Yeezys will remain relevant. These all seem like very surface-level questions, but in truth, they have more depth.
The “What”:
Over the course of 2020, the Yeezy line finally released its long-awaited QNTMN/BSKTBL shoe. While the number of teases and false starts surrounding the shoe could’ve created enough rust to ruin the moment, Kanye handing out basketball shoes at All-Star Weekend in his hometown of Chicago proved powerful. Adding to the theatrics, doing so in a Sherp ATV was a real-life highlight from a year that’s mostly been lived online.
Despite the disruptive release, questions still arise as to if the shoes are actually good to play basketball in – an important asterisk given the amount of buzz and forecasted function of the shoe. Zach Lavine wore the Yeezy BSKTBL in the All-Star Three-Point Contest and Brandon Ingram wore his autographed pair for a portion of the All-Star Game. In the time since, no NBA player hooped in them in the Bubble. Is this because the shoe is not that good to actually play in or is there that much division between adidas Basketball and that of the YEEZY brand?
Aside from the debut in hoops, Yeezy continued to roll out the Boost 380 and Boost-less Yeezy V3 that both debuted at the tail-end of 2019. The initial response to both silhouettes was big upon arrival but both failed to crossover the same way the 350 did. The Yeezy 500 returned to the market with some heat, but the model’s high top counterpart felt too weird and without function for much of the masses.
Despite slow starts to some of the new Yeezy footwear entries – hey, not everybody liked 808s or Yeezus at first – the Foam Runner released in June showed signs of a triumph or potential tipping point for footwear.
Rethinking the way the market looks at Crocs or even determines what is or isn’t a sneaker, the Foam Runner retailed at $75 and sold out instantly. Future claims for the Foam Runner range in everything from algae composition to a $20 price point. At this moment in time, the shoe remains only available for resale.
Currently, 2021 calendars see the QNTMN/BSKTBL, Boost 380, 700 V3, and both high and low 500s returning to the market. As expected, 350 V2s will remain active and old favorites in the 700 V1 and V2 will be rehashed. Will the Foam Runner be ready for market in wide release or will a new model make its mark?
These questions remain unanswered but may have to skew towards ‘yes’ for the line to continue to thrive.
The “Who”:
The who surrounding Yeezy is perhaps the biggest mystery. Internally, the billion-dollar brand has brought on some of the most brilliant minds in footwear: Steven Smith, Mark Miner and Christian Tesser, all of whom possess the disruptive spirit and proven pedigree Kanye loves. With this team, we can trust weird designs like the 700 series, Foam Runner and QNTMN that might not move the masses but certainly can move the needle.
On the public-facing edges of Yeezy, the who is slightly more unclear. The brand’s most famous figure, Kanye West, was very visible in an odd 2020 but not in a way that necessarily sells shoes like iconic outfits or unforgettable performances. His second in command, Jon Wexler, left the brand he helped build this year for a new start with Shopify. Both these people matter mountains as Kanye was often the first to wear his new designs on stage or in paparazzi pics, offering ideas on how to wear them. Wex was often the first to show the shoes on social in detail as the brand does not allow boutiques to post their own images.
Moving from the top of the brand totem pole down to pop culture and mass consumption, the Yeezy brand still sees endorsement from the Kardashian/Jenner clan and wear from Kanye’s colleagues. However, with heavy hitters like Travis Scott and Drake at Nike and needle-movers like A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, and Lil Uzi Vert donning designer, one could argue that the clout coming from Yeezys is much more about cash and much less about culture if the Instagram influencer and StockX sales algorithm offers a lifeless heartbeat.
Perhaps Kanye will be more on the scene in a new year that should see the world reopen? Perhaps Yeezy will invest in musical ties like Kid Cudi or Sheck Wes to offer new traction when touring? Maybe, just maybe, Yeezy will sign a young hooper like Josh Christopher to lead the brand on the basketball court? All these remain uncertain now, but it does seem clear that the brand will have to be both active, younger and engaged from an icon standpoint to keep its footing.
The “Why”:
Knowing your why is often considered the most important question in any pursuit or purpose. Looking ahead, why will people buy/wear Yeezys in 2021?
Coming into 2021, the year is already filled with uncertainty far outside of sneakers. As alluded to in the who, a lot of why people like Yeezys all comes back to Kanye. If Kanye puts out a Life of Pablo level album and touring is once again on, the memories made with the music will give Yeezys juice for years to come just like the memories MJ made while playing in Air Jordans. If Kanye continues to take a break from music from an album standpoint, he’ll need young talent to tour and perform in Yeezys just like Jordan Brand had its team of talent pushing the new signature or rocking retros.
For Yeezys to matter to the masses for more than just a Saturday or more than just on StockX, both the inspirers and the inspired need to make memories in them. 2020 didn’t set the stage for a lot of good memorable moments in regard to live sports, live music, or even live interaction. Truth be told, these moments mean much more than color palettes or even innovative tech.
While the idea of storytelling can be oversold in a market where colorways celebrate a moment that hasn’t even happened yet, every product has to have meaning, and to be bought it has to have at least a little bit of connection or meaning pre-purchase. Without music or an explanation of who actually designed them or why they were made, Yeezys run the risk of becoming meaningless. Example and explanation are the truest forms of relevance and it doesn’t mean the product or the producers have to totally chase trends.
As an artist, Kanye doesn’t have to get on Tik-Tok to keep his brand relevant and his disciples in design are proving this. Jerry Lorenzo is showing us how to style his Air Raids in every Instagram post and Virgil Abloh is telling the story of his Jordan 5s to an array of outlets. Because of this, their shoes matter more than just for the amount they resale for and create a connection that’s appreciated and understood whether or not one has a pair. Telling these stories and creating these connections will be key if Kanye’s musical output and public outings remain limited because right now the brand is only allowing server images to be shown by boutiques and often Yeezy designers are not able to divulge details due to NDAs.
For Yeezys to remain relevant in 2021, the customer has to connect with a why that’s deeper than resale rates.
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Heading into 2021, the when and the where for Yeezys are already assumed to be answered: often and everywhere. The burning questions regarding Who, What, and Why remain in question as does the state of the world at large which isn’t entirely fair to Kanye or his company.
Nevertheless, Yeezys are crushing it commercially but run the risk of being a product with no story and thus no meaning. Even the hits of 2020 – new “Carbon” and “Zyon” releases and the “Bred” restock – are coveted by many but claim no moments in culture. Even worse, the products that missed aren’t getting a fair shot due to overprotective clout preservation. Simply put, if a boundary-pushing product like the 380 is only allowed to be posted in server shots and gets pulled off of shelves by the brand three days after its released (barring it doesn’t actually sell out), how does the public have the time to decide if they actually like it?
Just like his music, Kanye’s sneakers mattered because they were a meticulous mix of decided detail and endearing emotion. For Yeezys to win in the long run, the same amount of soul and performance will have to be poured into each pair and explained as such. If not, we might still like Yeezys but we won’t love them. Just like Jordan, the Yeezy brand will have to get younger, invest in storytelling, and be active on the frontlines of culture. Otherwise, the futurist who rewrote the rules will be defined by old work.
Image via StockX
Image via Chicago Sun Times
Images via Kim Kardashian & Layne Murdoch Jr / NBAE via Getty Image
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Image via Yeezy Mafia
Image by Oishi/Splash News / SplashNews.com
