History of the Nike Yeezy & Adidas Yeezy
Fresh off the heels of Adidas dropping Kanye West and effectively ending the Yeezy line as we know it, I wanted to take a second to not only remember, but compare some of the best Yeezy shoes out there.
If you're new to the sneaker game, you may not be aware that before Kanye signed with Adidas, he made Yeezy sneakers with Nike.
I'd say a comparison is in order! Before you read on, take a second and consider what your favorite Nike Yeezy is. Then, think about what Adidas Yeezy you consider to be your choice.
Both the Nike Yeezy and Adidas Yeezy line of sneakers are pretty different, as to be expected when two completely different brands are involved. Nonetheless, it's hard to say which is more successful, or popular.
Let's dive a little bit deeper into what made the Yeezy shoes from both brands successful, and where they may have come up a little short.
Nike Air Yeezy 1
The first ever Yeezy shoe, the Nike Air Yeezy 1 officially made its debut in April of 2009. The shoe was first released in the Zen colorway. Later than year the Blink and Net Nike Air Yeezy 1 also came to retail.
Nike Air Yeezy 2
Piggybacking off of the great success of the Nike Air Yeezy 1, the Nike Air Yeezy 2 made its retail debut in 2012, starting with the Platinum colorway. In the following years Nike also released the Solar Red and Red October Yeezy 2.
The Reign of the Adidas Yeezy
After 2014, Nike and Kayne West parted ways, opening the door for a new suitor to take on the Yeezy brand. Adidas and Kayne West launched the first Adidas Yeezy shoes in 2015, starting with the Yeezy Boost 750.
In that same year, Adidas also introduced what's considered the most popular of the Adidas Yeezy shoes, the Yeezy Boost 350. This shoe was originally released in 4 sought-after colorways: Turtledove, Pirate Black, Moonrock, and Oxford Tan.
2016
In 2016 Adidas revamped the wildly successful Yeezy Boost 350 and created the Yeezy Boost 350V2. This included a complete overhaul of the colorways and materials used, while keeping the footprint relatively the same. The year 2016 also gave us the Yeezy 700, including the ever-popular Yeezy Boost 700 Waverunner.
2020-Present Day
In the past few years Adidas and Yeezy have churned out a lot of shoes...some good, some bad, and some downright ugly. The year 2020 saw the introduction of the first Yeezy basketball shoe, and the polarizing Yeezy Foam Runner. in 2021 Yeezy put out the first Yeezy Slide along with the puzzling Yeezy Knit Runner.
Now what?
Now that Kanye and Adidas have officially parted ways, is this the end of the Yeezy brand as we know it? Right now it's hard to say. In the immediate aftermath of the less-than amicable split, it was reported that Adidas still owned the trademark and copyright information surrounding a few of the popular Yeezy models, but that hasn't bee corroborated.
Sneaker resale marketplaces such as StockX, GOAT, and eBay Sneakers are surely being pressed to get rid of their stock. The future of Yeezy resale looks rather bleak...or adventurous, depending on your level of optimism.
As of right now, the only thing we know is that we don't know a whole lot about the future of Yeezy. All we can do is sit back and reminisce on the good ol' days of the Nike Yeezys and the Adidas Yeezys of the past. There's no telling if we'll ever see another Yeezy sneaker.
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