Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Street
The Street
Tony Owusu

Yeezy Is Still Making Big Bucks for Adidas

The first drop went so well that Adidas had to run it back. 

After months of hand-wringing about what to do with billions of dollars in inventory of what were once some of the most popular leisure shoes in the world -- before the brand's namesake went off the deep end -- Adidas had the bright idea to just sell the product. 

DON'T MISS: Adidas Gets a Much-Needed save After Toxic Misstep Nearly Cost It $440 Million

On Friday, the company announced the second batch of Yeezy shoes would drop in phases throughout the month of August following the runaway success of the release of the first batch.

Sneaker culture is driven by scarcity and now that the sneakers designed by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, are not being produced anymore, demand for the shoe has reached fever pitch levels. 

Adidas (ADDDF) -) received orders from the first release in May worth more than 508 million euros ($565 million) for 4 million pairs of Yeezy shoes it had previously mothballed. The haul has been better than Adidas' "most optimistic forecast," the Financial Times reported.

This after Adidas previously said that the loss of the brand contributed to a $655 million decline in sales during the fourth quarter of 2022 after it cut off ties with the rapper over antisemitic remarks he made.  

Adidas has switched tactics in dealing with its former star designer after a nearly decade-long partnership. 

After initially suing Ye over $75 million in what the company says were misappropriated marketing funds, Adidas dropped the lawsuit and instead is choosing to go into private arbitration with Ye over the matter. 

During a 2020 podcast interview, Ye stated that he spent $50 million in Yeezy marketing funds on his gospel choir tour, Sunday Service.

"The Yeezys, they were selling themselves," he said. "So instead of paying for ads, I invested it in the church," Kanye said in the interview.

Adidas says Ye "mishandled virtually all of the marketing funds," Bloomberg reported, claiming he diverted $75 million of the $100 million in marketing dollars to other things. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.