Kanye West Chastises Adidas For ‘Ripping Off’ YEEZY Slides, Threatens Own Line
To say Kanye West’s partnership with Adidas in 2013 set off a fashion revolution wouldn’t be an exaggeration, given how popular YEEZY has gotten over the years, with the latter brand going so far as to launch its own glow-in-the-dark sneakers several years ago.
It appears, however, that there may be trouble in paradise, as the rapper took to Instagram to call out the sportswear giant for allegedly “copying” his designs for the new Adilette 22 Slides.
While the kicks, which are described as inspired by “3D topography and human expeditions to Mars,” do look similar to the YEEZY Slides, it may not have been the best move to directly challenge Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted on public record.
“To Kasper, I’m not standing for this blatant copying no more,” West wrote in the now-deleted post.
“To all sneaker culture… This is for everyone who wants to express themselves but feel they can’t cause they’ll lose their contract or be called crazy… These shoes represent the disrespect that people in power have to talent,” he continued.
It didn’t stop there. West then made another post, this time sharing a screenshot of a text message that outlined his existing contract with Adidas, highlighting a clause that read: “There is a limited exception where he can do YEEZY branded casual and lifestyle appear on his own but not with a competitor.”
Could this have been a not-so-subtle signal that West is looking to split from Adidas and create YEEZY all on his own? It’s still unclear, but with all the posts already purged from his Instagram account, it may possibly mean the two have come to some sort of compromise.
Kanye shared details on his contract with adidas pic.twitter.com/amyF39fglB
— SoleSavy (@SoleSavy) June 14, 2022
