American rapper, Kanye West and his Sneakers brand Yeezy has had a tumultuous experience through the years, partly because of Kanye’s outspoken attitude regarding music, art, and unapologetic criticism of celebrities. For example, he once claimed that Jay Z was trying to take him down or that Beyoncé is more deserving an artist than Taylor Swift. These actions resulted in canceling of tours with Lady Gaga.
Additionally, his support for Donald trump’s presidential campaign earned him numerous backlashes, causing rejection of Yeezy products. Buyers started burning their Yeezy sneakers, and celebrities like Rihanna also shunned the products. Kanye West himself expressed the desire to run for president and received mixed feedback from all over the USA.
These hurdles did not stop him from achieving his goal; Kanye West kept building his brand Yeezy vigorously to be grand and legendary. The following are a few of how he made Yeezy an empire of Sneakers and garments.
4 Kanye West’s Discovery of Skills at a Young Age
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Today, Kanye Omari West has a career as a rapper, record executive, politician, influencer, and fashion designer. Kanye West was born in Atlanta and brought up in Chicago. His parents got divorced when he was three years old, and by five years of age, he began showing talent in arts. It all started with writing poetry and drawing on shoes.
Kanye West treats making shoes as his first love because he used to get into trouble in school for obsessively sketching shoe designs. When his mother took him to see the Japanese manga Akira, he discovered his love for different color palettes at a tender age.
3 The Smart and Timely Move from Nike to Adidas
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Currently, Yezzy is a brand of sneakers and clothing, a collaboration between Kanye West and the German fashion brand Adidas. Kanye moved to Adidas in 2013, but he had started the journey with Nike in 2009. Nike had never offered royalties to the celebrities who collaborated with them, and Kanye was not happy with this arrangement. He wanted considerable ownership of his brand.
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When Adidas got an air of his disappointment with Nike, they knew they had to take the chance. Kanye, too, saw this as a golden opportunity. He diligently drew his shoe designs on a notepad when he met with Adidas CEO and executives on a plane. Now he gets about 15 percent royalties over Yeezy products which is way higher than what Michael Jordan gets.
2 Ingenious Marketing Strategies
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Kanye West is aware of the several excellent sneakers, clothing, and sports brands in the market. To make Yeezy exclusive amongst other celebrity brands, he knew that it should offer something extraordinary. Music producers and singers often advertise their brands in their music albums and videos, and Kanye knew it was not enough.
So, he asked Kim Kardashian to be the model to advertise his brand goods. Kim might be Kanye West’s wife, but the Kardashian’s have a legacy of their own. Kanye West also asked Hilary Clinton to do the same. So far, this kind of celebrity support and marketing strategy has been highly beneficial for Yeezy.
1 The Insane Hype Creating Tricks
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When Kanye West admitted that he is bipolar, he did not want the world to treat him as “crazy”. He thinks that as the world grows and human minds evolve, “crazy” will cease to be a negative attribute. Instead, this trait will become necessary for artists and creators. It is his craziness that helps him create so passionately.
Kanye has successfully created a mystic aura around him. He got the name for his brand Yeezy ever since Jay-Z used to refer to him as ‘Kanyeezy’. He calls himself ‘Yeezus’ and practically claims that he is a God because of his music and fashion’s unique creations. The kind of religious ambiance around Kanye and his brand plays a role in getting him loyal customers who feel linked to his products.
Another insane and risky move that he has adopted is holding sales and letting the product be available on the market in lesser stocks. Customers start wondering if Yeezy resale is finished. The aim is to increase the hype as people flock to stores so that they can be the ones to get the product before somebody else does. Retail shops have been selling each pair for around $200, and the sellers have been reselling for about $1,000.
Adidas Yeezy is not simply a Sneaker brand. It also markets track pants, jackets, women’s slippers, and shirts. Yeezy has an impressive brand value in the range of $3.2 billion to $4.7 billion, and it is planning to defeat Michael Jordan in the competition.
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Source: CNBC Make it, BusinessInsider, Forbes
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