Over the past couple of months, Ye has actually managed to stay out of the spotlight, but historically, he’s never really been one to shy away from social media – in fact, he’s well known for doing exactly the opposite. His Instagram and Twitter rants have landed him in hot water on many occasions, and he’s even found himself banned from both platforms before too. Yeezy, on the other hand, has never had its own brand account until now, and has always relied on fan accounts to break news and preview products. This has helped to maintain a certain level of mystique – it means that until a launch is officially confirmed by Ye’s partner adidas (or Balenciaga, in the case of Yeezy Gap) everything is only a rumour. It’s a move that gets people guessing, keeps them talking, and subsequently drives hype, all whilst relying on and increasing the strength of the community around the brand.
When Bottega Veneta deactivated its social accounts at the start of 2021, it seemed like a bold move. Quickly deemed to be a publicity stunt, Kering Group CEO François-Henri Pinault later told WWD that Bottega had decided to “lean much more on ambassadors and fans by giving them the material they need to talk about the brand through various social networks, by letting them speak for the brand rather than doing it itself.” In simple terms, the brand had chosen to rely solely on its influencer strategy and the community behind it – the latter being something that Yeezy was already way ahead with. Given everything we know about hype culture and the drop model, it comes as no surprise that opting for a more mysterious image can help a brand drum up more demand. A certain level of inaccessibility works to make products feel more scarce, in turn making them more desirable.
On the other hand, running a brand account can also have its own advantages when it comes to maintaining an elusive look and feel. Balenciaga is notorious for this, repeatedly deleting its entire feed and only posting collections at a time, and therefore only giving away exactly as much information as it wants the customer to know. For brands, this is a way to control the narrative, whilst managing to encourage just enough conversation and excitement each time they make a calculated move.
Given the friendship and creative similarities between Demna and Ye , we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yeezy account employ the same tactics. For a brand like Yeezy, where its entire existence revolves around Kanye, the decision to introduce a calculated brand account is pretty strategic. Firstly, amongst the rumours that Ye could be leaving adidas, the presence of the Yeezy brand allows it to have some control over the conversation, and, if the rumours are true, have an existing platform for the evolved brand. Secondly, while Ye’s followers will pretty much back him through any controversy (and there have been many) there are plenty of examples where having an outspoken CEO or brand face has had a negative effect on companies, from tanking stock prices to full-on boycotts. Therefore, a heavily, curated, professionally run account allows Ye to once again create a barrier between his personality and his art.