As the launch of Kanye West’s Yeezy’s shook the world and renounced the the future of fashion, they do not yet stand up to the successes of Nike’s Air Jordan's. Although these shoes continue to sell out at every launch, assumptions cannot be made just yet.
Kanye West’s career in sneaker design began after the launch of his first shoe by Louis Vuitton in 2009. After a couple of launches, the success didn’t measure up to the hype. Kanye soon ended his relationship with Louis Vuitton, joining Nike not too long after.
Later in 2009, the first pair of Air Yeezy’s were born under the Nike brand and did pretty well in sales. With the release of the Air Yeezy’s 2, the re-sell of this sneaker soared to a price between $3200 and $5500!
In December 2013, Kanye again left another shoe company and joined another directly after. The Yeezy’s were now under Adidas and began a re-branding that was much different than before.
Adidas launched the first Yeezy sneaker line in 2015, and releases have continued periodically since. In February 2016, Adidas released only 9,000 sneakers (a number West hopes to increase on the next launch) making the shoes super exclusive and very hard to get.
The re-sell value of the shoe skyrocketed from $200 (the retail price) to prices over $1000. But compared the initial release of the Air Yeezy’s by Nike, the re-sell value of West’s shoes has drastically decreased.
Even though West’s sneaker brand history has only been written for the last seven years, they do not quite match up to the successes that Jordan’s had in their first few years. Air Jordan's were released consistently every year since 1987. The Yeezy’s longevity is still in question.
With the inconsistency of shoe companies and designs, the Yeezy’s are a less stable brand than the Air Jordan’s has remained under the same company since day one. The culture and history behind the Jordan’s are also much deeper than those of the high-priced sneakers by West.
But Kanye West showed that he could dominate the year of 2015 in fashion and culture just as Michael Jordan did in 1984, the year of the the first Jordan’s release. Both men proved that they could do something totally different from the norm and find success in it.
Can Kanye West’s sneaker really stand up to the longevity of the Jumpman? Sales show that Kanye West’s established himself and his brand in the fashion industry in 2015, and has only begun to make his mark on 2016. Right now, Yeezy’s are no match to Jordan’s, but there may be more to come of this sneaker brand in the near future.
