Kanye West has said that Adidas created Yeezy Day–the annual day that the sportswear brand launches Yeezy trainers–without his approval. He also accused the sportswear brand of slowing down production of the casual sneakers he created in collaboration with Balenciaga for Gap, as well as making their own version of the Yeezy slides.
The rapper hit out at Adidas in a private message to Complex magazine ahead of this year’s Yeezy Day, which is taking place in the UK on August 3. But what is Yeezy Day and what has Kanye West said about it?
What is Yeezy Day?
Yeezy Day is an annual day created by Adidas to launch highly-anticipated Yeezy trainers. Since 2019, it has been observed annually in the US on August 2, while new shoes will be released in Europe on August 3. On Yeezy Day, Adidas will release new and restocked styles, giving sneakerheads a chance to get their hands on Yeezy trainers at retail price.
The shoes go on sale on the Adidas Confirmed app and the Yeezy supply website. But fashionistas need to pay attention–the shoes will typically launch with little to no warning, and demand will be high. Those hoping to snag a pair of Yeezy trainers this Yeezy day will need to move quickly. However, it appears that the annual day has little to do with the brand’s namesake.
What did Kanye West say about Yeezy Day?
Kayne West told Complex magazine via an Instagram message that Adidas created Yeezy day without his approval and accused the sportswear brand of a number of wrongdoings. West said Adidas also brought back older styles, picked colours, named shoes, hired people, stole colourways, styles and material approaches, among other things, all without his approval.
The rapper also said: “Even though they did a Balenciaga collaboration they completely slowed down production on the shoes me and Demna developed for Gap by trying to bully Gap even though my contract states I can do casual shoes which I was doing when I did fashion shows.
“When I originally ordered Adidas to make more Yeezy slides the [general manager] lied to my face and said they didn’t have the capacity. Meanwhile Adidas was copying my slides and making their own version of the Yeezy slide.” West also claimed that: “Yeezy is 68% of Adidas online sales.”
