BAPE to adidas: The History of Yeezy Sneakers

Kanye West x Bapesta FS-001 Low 'College Dropout' (2007)

Kanye West’s star and circle grew to international heights after the release of his first album, The College Dropout. In the years that followed, West befriended A Bathing Ape’s Nigo and his rap boy-band, the Teriyaki Boyz.

While West modeled for Nigo and appeared on Teriyaki tracks through the ’00s, Yeezy and The General officially collaborated in 2007 with the release of a Bapesta sneaker celebrating Kanye’s breakthrough album from 2004. Sporting Dropout Bear branding and amplifying Nigo’s hip-hop flip on a Bruce Kilgore classic, West’s introduction to retail footwear was a fitting merger of worlds and eras.

Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Jasper 'Patchwork' (2009)

The backpack rapper who dubbed himself the Louis Vuitton Don continued to will his story into existence with an official LV partnership. Launched in 2009 with pals Paul Helbers and Marc Jacobs at the helm, Kanye’s high-fashion foray at Vuitton was friends-and-family in spirit, with styles ranging from a multi-panel low top inspired by his road manager, Don C, to a boat shoe named after vocalist Mr. Hudson.

The high-top Jasper, named after Yeezy’s personal barber, Ibn Jasper, ranked highest in retro sneaker style thanks to its swooping straps that are equal parts Bo Jackson and George Jetson. Of all the Kanye x LV drops, the 'Patchwork' pair of Jaspers proved the priciest of the bunch when released in 2009, once they were worn by the likes of JAY-Z and J Balvin.

Air Yeezy (2009)

In 1991, Mark Smith joined Tinker Hatfield on a mission to make a shoe built for balling on the blacktop. The result? The Nike Air Raid. Roughly a decade and a half later, Mark Smith sat down with Kanye West to create a shoe meant for “walking on a space planet.” That result? The first Nike Air Yeezy. (fixed the spacing issue)

Worn by West during his futuristic 'Glow in the Dark' tour, the Nike Air Yeezy released in limited quantities in three different variations. The final Black/Pink—or 'Blink'—colorway debuted on the feet of Kanye in a close-up shot in the video for Keri Hilson’s charting-topping single, “Knock You Down.”

Air Yeezy 2 (2012)

Nike’s Nathan VanHook came together with Kanye West for a technical sequel to the space-age Air Yeezy. Molded from the clay courts Andre Agassi set ablaze with his rock-and-roll style, the Air Yeezy 2 stole the sole of the tennis star’s Tech Challenge 2 and added even more edge with reptilian scales and Egyptian influence.

Months after his departure, the Red Octobers released randomly through a @nikestore tweet in February 2014, writing the last chapter of the infamous Air Yeezy saga.

Yeezy Boost 350 (2015)

After a year of buildup, the adidas Yeezy Boost 350 debuted at New York Fashion Week in the Yeezy Season 1 show. Adding even more menswear mystique to the lifestyle running trend, Kanye’s slip-on style backed by Boost was an absolute game-changer, sought after by consumers worldwide.

The 'Turtle Dove' drop defined a new era for adidas and Kanye alike. Retailing for $200 and eventually released in sizes that fit infants, Instagram models and NBA athletes alike, the Boosts birthed by Kanye West and Nic Galway blurred genres and spoke to the masses as only great design can.

Yeezy Boost 750 (2015)

Blending sport, streetwear and high fashion, the adidas Yeezy Boost 750 picked up where the Air Yeezy line left off. The first collaboration between Kanye West and the Three Stripes set the tone for what’s now a billion-dollar brand. Working with NMD designer Nic Galway and Fear of God founder Jerry Lorenzo, the high-top 750 blurred boot and Boost in the edgiest of menswear means.

The 750 'Triple Black' launched in December 2015, capping off a banner first year for Kanye West and adidas. In that time, Kanye turned heads by cutting the strap off his own pair while protégés Travis Scott and Young Thug raged in the 750s during their pivotal 'Rodeo' tour.

Yeezy Powerphase (2017)

The same star that started off sampling soul records from the ‘70s returned to his roots in hip-hop by remixing an ‘80s trainer out of the adidas archive. Digging up and dusting off the 1986 Workout II, aka Powerphase, Kanye’s golden touch for rebranding was both unexpected and on the nose.

Playing off the ethos of Run-DMC and Jane Fonda alike, the Powerphase Calabasas came off as the perfect everyday shoe for those looking to channel both throwback flavor and a luxury lifestyle.

Yeezy Boost 700 (2017)

Disrupting the dad-shoe craze in the wildest of ways, Kanye West brought in Steven Smith for the creation of the adidas Yeezy Boost 700. Mixing mesh, suede, 3M and EQT DNA, the 700s brought a new level of aggression to the chunky, normcore trend.

Of all the iterations, the 'Waverunner' debut made by far the biggest splash. Set off by lime laces, a teal toe box and orange accents, the powerful palette was much louder than the two-tone schemes seen from the Monarch to the Triple S. Leading up to the launch, the proud father was seen in paparazzi pics going in and out of his Calabasas quarters in his own take on paternal footwear.

Yeezy Boost 500 (2017)

Kanye West took a page out of the adidas archive by bringing back the sole seen on the original KB8 3. The EQT basketball shoe designed by James Carnes in the late ‘90s proved the perfect foundation for Kanye’s first Three Stripes sneaker devoid of Boost cushioning.

Officially titled the adidas Yeezy 500, this chunky runner riffing off KB8 appeal reinvented the ideals of the 'ugly sneaker' trend, modeled by West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian.

Yeezy Boost 380 (2019)

When tasked with topping a classic, Kanye West always goes big and isn’t afraid to throw his audience a curveball. Such was the case with the Yeezy Boost 380—the outer space sequel to the celebrated 350 series.

Baring the same Boost and Primeknit ethos as its predecessors but doing so in striking, sloping fashion, this futuristic oddity of a Yeezy appropriately debuted in an 'Alien' colorway first seen on the feet of West.

Yeezy Slide (2019)

Kanye’s love for comfort, simplicity and cost-effective construction came together on the Yeezy Slide. Since figuring out footwear by way of the sneaker, sandals have been a point of focus and function for the Yeezy line over the course of many seasons.

Using EVA foam injection and a sleek silhouette, Kanye created a slide that’s both a statement and a look ahead at the Yeezy design language. A go-to model for West himself, Kanye wore the Yeezy Slide everywhere, from appearing in his Nebuchadnezzar opera to styling himself in GQ photo shoots.

Yeezy Quantum (2020)

Showing out for his hometown of Chicago, Kanye West stormed the streets of his youth with the release of the Yeezy Quantum. Kanye’s camp made plenty of noise at 2020 All-Star Weekend by bringing his first basketball-meets-lifestyle launch straight to the people by way of Sherp ATVs.

Worn on court by Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine at the NBA spectacle, Kanye’s crossover to performance hoops was thoughtful in city sentiment and utterly disruptive all at once.

Yeezy Foam Runner (2020)

Released in limited quantities in 2020, the Yeezy Foam Runner revealed the next chapter of the Kanye West footwear story. Aimed towards lower price points, modernized made-in-America construction, eco-friendly materials and socially conscious stories, the Foam Runner is a collision of worlds likened to Kanye's world view.

The introductory 'Ararat' installment offered a nod to his then-wife’s Armenian roots and the mythical resting place of Noah’s Ark. Sculpted with a design language first seen in the 700s, the foam-molded model is partially plant-based thanks to its implementation of algae.

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