What Kanye Needs to Do to Rejuvenate Yeezy Hype

Just like most brands, Kanye West's signature Yeezy line has seen its fair share of ups and downs since its 2015 debut. Judging by GoogleTrends' search volume, the worldwide Yeezy hype peaked during February of 2016 and has since seen somewhat of a fluctuating success rate ever since. If we were to go off the stats alone it would point towards the brand dropping off in recent times, which kind of prompts the question - Why?

Well, the truth is a large portion of Yeezy's initial hype came from the limited product gimmick. The unavailability of the earlier models fulled the cycle and in turn, it had consumers chomping at the bit in an attempt to buy these restricted and sought after sneakers. But as time progressed, Yeezy shifted its strategy and instead of making its shoes unavailable, it opened the floodgates.

Before we knew it, we were saturated with a million different colourways and variations of the original product, all of which became available in higher quantities. What were once considered grails in the sneaker community became somewhat commonplace among collectors wardrobes and as a result, you could argue that Yeezy lost its way a little bit.

Sure, all Yeezy drops will consistently sell out, and with the brand valued at $1.7 billion (2020) we're sure Kanye and adidas aren't exactly strapped for cash, but for the brand to reinstate itself to the levels of hype it once had somethings have got to change.

The most obvious solution to the situation would be fewer releases. Maybe rewinding the clock to the times of frustratingly limited drops isn't the answer, but instead, if Yeezy were to find a balance between the number of drops and products available it could both generate massive hype and keep the consumer happy (well some anyway).

From a business perspective this likely sounds like a stupid idea, however, some may argue that it might lead to further longevity for the brand. For instance, this September alone we are set to see a total of nine possible Yeezy releases within the space of one month, and from a personal consumer perspective, it's hard not to feel as if the magic of exclusivity has seemingly disappeared from the brand.

If Yeezy were to reduce its calendar output by a significant margin, chances are we would likely see a massive spike in hype once again, take a look at all the Travis Scott collabs for example. Not only are the releases extremely limited but they also happen to be some with the most hyped and anticipated on a worldwide scale. Sound familiar?

Kanye West once referred to Yeezy as the "Lamborghini of shoes" and often cites the first time he saw a Lamborghini Countach in real life as a source of inspiration growing up. Alongside this, he talks about how the 1988 anime Akira inspired his mood, shapes and colour palettes in the Yeezy initial production period. It comes as no surprise someone as creative as Mr West will draw inspiration from a number of sources and effectively work without boundaries.

While Yeezy is progressive in design, technology is somewhat lacking and at the same time, we could potentially see so much more than what the brand is already doing. After hiring former Innovation Director of outdoor brand Keen and famed New Balance & Puma alumni, Steven Smith, Yeezy seemingly pushed the boundaries of design with both the popular Yeezy 700 and the unreleased Yeezy 451. Since that point, it has only really been the Yeezy Foam RNNR "Cream Clay", a not so fan favourite, that has really pushed the boat out in terms of innovation. Could it be time for some fresh inspiration in camp Yeezy?

As we all know fashion and taste is subjective, but that doesn't mean group shared opinions can't exist. In recent years we've seen somewhat of a spate of questionable Yeezy colourways, with last month's undefined seemingly receiving the worst criticism for some time after people said it looked like someone had stepped in dog poo while wearing them.

But regardless of one model, Yeezy seems to be aiming for a quantity over quality approach meaning a lot of their colourways are a tad hit or miss. The days of iconic colourways such as the Nike Moon Rock and Pirate Black appear to be over and instead, we're seeing less iconic silhouettes as time goes on. Could rereleasing some of the originals help? Or instead, is it time to aim for the next iconic colourway?

It might come as no surprise to some but Kanye's relationship with adidas hasn't been smooth sailing throughout. In 2018 after Kanye made some distasteful comments about slavery, the pressure was on for adidas to drop their leading man. The relationship ended up prevailing due to Kanye being an important part from a revenue standpoint, but in the end, it likely did some serious damage to the pair's association.

In 2020 Kanye even threw shade at adidas in an interview with Nick Cannon over the no Jordan clause in his contract. “In my Adidas contract, I definitely should be able to wear Jordans. Jordans need to be part of reparations. You can’t tell a Black man not to wear Jordans. It should be in any deal" Kanye echoed.

Regardless of the contract, it still hasn't seemed to stop the rapper as just in June earlier this year he was spotted by paparazzi rocking a pair of undefined Vandals out and about on the streets of Los Angeles. As many fans will know, Kanye previously had an illustrious partnership with the Michigan born brand, but things came to an end in 2013 when he claims he wasn't given enough creative freedom to do things his own way. Whether or not the two forces have patched things up since then remains to be seen, but we can only just about fathom the amount of hype and excitement a possible Yeezy x Nike collaboration would generate in 2021.