It’s been three weeks since Kanye West returned to Instagram to tease a McDonald’s business venture, but on Monday (June 13), he took aim at Adidas for allegedly copying his Yeezy designs.
He shared a photo of the sportswear company’s $55 Adilette 22 sandals that sold out instantly upon release in May, which bear a resemblance in colorway and general feel to Ye’s $70 Yeezy Slides, which are also produced by Adidas.
In his lengthy caption, Ye calls out Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted. “To Kasper I’m not standing for this blatant copying no more,” he wrote. “To all sneaker culture To every ball player rapper or even if you work at the store This is for everyone who wants to express themselves but feel they can’t cause they’ll loose their contract or be called crazy.”
“These shoes represent the disrespect that people in power have to the talent,” he concluded. “This shoe is a fake Yeezy made by adidas themselves I’m not talking to DC about this either Kasper come talk to me Happy Monday.”
Ye launched his first Yeezy collection with Adidas in 2015. Under the partnership with Adidas, West retains 100% ownership of his brand while having full creative control over the products released.
The Yeezy Slide was launched in 2019, and the lightweight slip-on style footwear skyrocketed in popularity because of its easy, non-sweaty wear, especially in the summer, due to the Eva Foam rubber. In 2020, sales for Yeezy sneakers reached nearly $1.7 billion in annual revenue, netting Yeezy $191 million in royalties, according to Bloomberg.
