Kanye West”s First-Ever Sneaker Collaboration
Kanye West's Yeezy Boost collaborations with adidas are all the rage these days, but what some people might not realise is that 'Yeezy's work with the Three Stripes actually started a decade ago. Way before the Nike Air Yeezy 1 was thought about, Kanye had meetings with adidas back in 2006 that could've resulted in a sneaker collaboration that looks a whole lot more different from what we're used to seeing from him today.
The details for this collaboration came to light when adidas’ Gary Aspden gave an exclusive to CREPE CITY for its second issue. Kanye West was set to collaborate on a pair of Rod Laver tennis shoes. Constructed from a creamy brown suede upper, the sample features the face of his old mascot, Dropout Bear, inscribed on a dark brown leather heel tab.
According to Gary, the Rod Laver was chosen because it “was his favourite shoe at that time.” He also shared how committed Kanye was to the creation process:
“He pays attention to every detail of the product, even down to the string used for the swing tags. I have huge respect for the fact that he personally made trips to the factories with Nic Galway and was hands on with the entire process. Given how busy Kanye’s schedule must be, its hats off to him for taking the time to pay that level of attention and showing that level of commitment to getting things exactly the way he wants them to be. No half measures.”
To read Aspden's thoughts in full, head over to Hypebeast now.