In this Monday, May 7, 2012 photo, Kanye West arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala benefit, celebrating Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, in New York
Sneakerheads hoping to rock pairs of Air Yeezy shoes far into the future will have to settle for Adidas styled by Kanye West instead. Kanye West announced that he has partnered with Adidas on the Angie Martinez radio show Tuesday. He called the deal “official, non-official, official.”
The deal comes shortly after ‘Ye denounced Nike’s business practices over the weekend while wrapping up his Yeezus tour in New York City. Kanye designed the wildly successful Air Yeezy series of sneakers and said as a designer he needs royalties for his work in the same way Michael Jordan gets royalties for the Air Jordans. But Nike has refused West the royalties because he isn’t an athlete.
West told Angie Martinez on her show, “The old me, without a daughter, would have taken the Nike deal because I just love Nikes so much. But the new me, with a daughter, takes the Adidas deal because I have royalties and I have to provide for my family.” The Air Yeezy IIs — called “Red Octobers” — do not yet have an official release date and will likely be in even higher demand than the first version now that Kanye is leaving Nike.
Throughout his Yeezus tour, Kanye has lambasted many fashion industry heavyweights who he says don’t take him seriously as a designer.
[GQ]