Rapper Kanye West signed with Adidas in 2013, creating one of the most sought out clothing lines in the world, Yeezy. Although each shoe sells out, many have started to question the brand and its stance in the streetwear game. As the years have gone by an increasing amount of slander has surrounded the famous Yeezy brand.
Although some think the brand has fallen off or will, such as Ian Servantes from input magazine. There is a great explanation of why Yeezy shoes aren't as sought out as they once were a couple of years ago.
31 different sneakers re-released in total that day, an unprecedented move for not only Yeezy, but any highly sought after line of sneakers …” Servantes wrote in his article called “How Kanye’s lusted-after Yeezy 350v2 lost its hype”. “... It spelled desperation: Why would Yeezy, which was once the most sought-after name in sneakers, need to re-release so many models at once? Why would Yeezy need to embark on a paid promotional campaign … These Yeezy 350V2s should have sold themselves.”
From the very beginning Kanye West stated a promise, he wanted every kid who wanted a Yeezy shoe to be able to get one. So he chose one shoe, in this case, the 350V2 to be the silhouette that constantly gets re-released in many colors. Also, a campaign is a good way for many kids to find out about the shoes and have more opportunities of getting a pair by having more raffles to sign up to.
Of course, even though the shoes are selling out, they aren't selling out fast enough for Servantes.
“... Enthusiasm for the 350 V2 has plummeted amongst enthusiasts as the market has become oversaturated,” Servantes said. “The sneaker no longer sells out as quickly, and the resale market is grim. While the original quartet of 350s still resell for no lower than $800 on resale sites like StockX, some 350 V2 models can be found for as little as $239, just $19 over their retail price.”
Simply because resellers aren't making enough money selling shoes they bought by using bots does not mean the enthusiasm for the shoe has gone. The reason this is happening is simple, people are finally being able to buy the shoes online on the release date, therefore avoiding having to pay a ridiculous amount of resell for the already expensive $220 shoe. That is also the reason why shoes aren't selling out in seconds, but at the end of the day the shoe is still selling out, therefore the demand is there and luckily so is the supply.
Although still selling out, a problem for Servantes seems to be that the shoes aren't being bought by the right demographic.
“The idea of “too much of a good thing” is paramount to sneakerheads, the more attainable a sneaker becomes, the less desirable,” Servantes said. “Adidas famously released millions of pairs of the 350 V2 “Triple White” in 2018 … The shoe has become mainstream enough to be found on Wall Street types and other guys far from the zeitgeist. Even if it’s selling well, is this really the crowd Adidas and Kanye want?”
Yes, Adidas and Kanye want their shoes on anyone who wants them, regardless of who's the person wearing them. If anything this helps the brand, grabbing more eyes and attention, therefore introducing the shoes to those who aren't even involved in the sneaker community. It being mainstream just means many people wanted them, meaning they still hold their popularity.
At the end of the day, little kids and grandparents wear Nikes and Jordans, but that does not mean the brand isn't big in the streetwear community. Also, all brands have obtainable shoes and limited shoes, no brand would be able to become big and successful only selling a small number of limited shoes. Now if the argument is that brand is still big but the actual 350v2 silhouette is not, that's also wrong.
Anyone can walk into a sneaker store and buy a famous Nike Air Force 1, one of the most legendary shoes in the streetwear and sneaker community. Regardless of it being accessible to the masses, the shoe is hype, being an everyday beater for the common sneakerhead. The 350v2 can be exactly that, being the one easy to find shoe out of the many limited hard to buy Yeezy shoes that still sell out every time they drop.
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