Kanye West once rapped “I could be by myself and enjoy the company,” so the idea of a store full of his clothes could well be a dream he’s had for years. Today, Adidas announced that dream is a reality with a new partnership — Adidas + Kanye West — including an expansion of his apparel line as well as retail stores for Yeezy clothing only.
Adidas deems the move “the most significant partnership ever created between a non-athlete and an athletic brand,” according to the press release, and the details of the partnership do not make that a far-fetched claim. Kanye will get his own team dedicated to doing nothing but developing and creating new products under his Yeezy brand. The expansion of Adidas’ original partnership with Kanye from 2014 will also include retail stores selling nothing but Yeezy clothes.
“These past two years Adidas and Yeezy have given a glimpse into our future,” Kanye West said in the press release “This partnership illustrates that anyone with a dream can dream without limitations.” One of those limitless dreams Adidas is helping him realize is Kanye’s own sportswear line, expanding from the lifestyle brand of clothing offered in the Yeezy season 1 and season 2 collections debuted in 2015. “With Adidas + Kanye West we are exploring new territories by opening up the sports world to Kanye’s creativity,” said Eric Liedtke, Adidas’ chief marketing officer.
In 2015, Kanye released his first collection for Adidas — Yeezy season 1 — including the popular Yeezy Boost 350 and 750. Adidas saw $18.8 billion in global revenue in 2015, the most it has accumulated this decade and a 16-percent increase over 2014’s $16.15 billion in revenue. While Adidas does not provide specific sales data, the company attests the Yeezy Boost 350 garnered “unprecedented sales” after selling out in 12 minutes last year.
