Kanye West Starting Sneaker Company
Posted by Matt Halfhill | May 4, 2009
Two Fridays ago Kanye West and GLC appeared on BET’s 106 and Park to discuss music, upcoming projects, and the Nike Air Yeezy. While we reported on Friday that he proclaimed that Kanye had the hood in mind when designing the $215 Nike Air Yeezys and the $800+ Louis Vuitton sneakers, he did drop a little hint of an upcoming sneaker line that wasn’t previously discussed. Speaking about his interview in Complex Magazine about the Nike Air Yeezy, Kanye stated the following: “I wish Nike would give me a deal, I wish Louis would give me a deal. Since that hasn’t happened yet, I am in the process of making my own company from scratch to put out to my people.” At this point we will have to wait to see what will come of this, but this sounds like an interesting move for Kanye. |
May 9, 2009 at 11:39 pm
People here make it sound as if he’s an upcoming fashion designer with little capital (money) to build a brand. Agreed, he’s relatively new to the sneaker game being that the Yeezy’s were the first sneaker to carry his name or AKA name–but it shouldn’t hurt his pockets in the long run. Stick with Nike? For what? He has the cash–start off slow, design a couple of pairs, some at lower prices, and wait for the end result. If the idea goes south, he’s Kanye West–it’s a tax writeoff. He’s a great artist(drawing) and visionary. Depending on Kanye’s hunger to create the kicks, he could turn this sneaker venture into something interesting and different (in terms of fanbase and knowing what the consumers in the hood want). And his kicks look like old Jordans? True indeed, but Isn’t that why we cherish kicks like the Yeezy’s? Because they bring us back to what kicks use to be? Tell me you don’t own any pairs of Jordans 1 through 7. The main key here maybe the pricing of the snekaers. Creating a plethora of affortable shoes could put him in the right direction to shoe game stardom.
May 7, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Why yall keep hatin on West. If he can design dem Yeezy’s n dem Louies i know his own shoe gone b hella hard.
May 7, 2009 at 9:42 am
you are a cool dude kanye but you fronting when u say i made a sneaker for the hood my people bull Sh”t… off the back stores was selling the yourkicks for like $450 to $500 then they charge tax damm 500 bucks wasn’t enough if u really wanted your kicks to stick to the hood u would have atleast keep it at retail well i guess its not your fault its all the hybeast store owners lol.. and on the other hand hope your company does good cant wait to see what you come up with
May 5, 2009 at 5:15 pm
…. or if you gonna make your own brand and charge people A LOT (maybe like $300+) you’re making recession worse!!
May 5, 2009 at 5:13 pm
you need nike on your side
May 5, 2009 at 3:55 pm
kanye talking bout a shoe for da hood….but yet you charging almost 300 for 1 pair of shoes… r u serious…jordan brand aint even doing that..you get 2 pair for 310. come kanye u can do better than that for the people who made u rich
May 5, 2009 at 2:28 pm
im really upset that mostly everybody in these comments is trying to play kanye that gots beasty style. i bet none of you can compare. he gonna make it big with his sneaker line & i bet some of you who think he doesnt have potential is gonna be rockkin them. i know ill rock them. & most of my friends will too. i mean kanye & 50 went at it. kanye wins & if g-unit sneakers got sold i bet kanyes will be unstoppabble. & i didnt ever like none of that g-unit stuff. yuckk especially 50 stank ass. kanye gonna do it big fah the kids. =] goodluck kanye.
May 5, 2009 at 2:13 pm
dont do it!!!
May 5, 2009 at 12:00 pm
naa he should stick with nike. if the yeezy’s were kanye brand and not nike i wouldnt cop them
May 5, 2009 at 11:35 am
maybe his first pair will have a fish stick colour scheme.
May 5, 2009 at 8:56 am
there is possibly NO WAY that will work. His name has pull but not enough for him to start a sneaker brand. He should focus on “Pastelle”
May 5, 2009 at 8:55 am
Is he kidding!? Kanye Stick with Nike and you’ll be the king of “I make all the kids campout for my sneakers”
May 5, 2009 at 6:32 am
38th! Lol. Why must all yall hate so badd??? I swear nicekicks should be called “The playerHATERS Ball!” hahahahaha 4real
May 5, 2009 at 5:16 am
37th! PLEASE STOP PUTTING 1ST CAUSE NO ONE CARES.
May 5, 2009 at 2:58 am
Hey Matt,
Good catch! However, I do not believe he was referring to his own sneaker company. In that same Complex magazine interview, he wanted Nike (and/or LV) to allow him to design a lifestyle line, as opposed to just designing a sneaker. Kanye stated, “Doing a licensing deal or something like that, that’s not real. What if Nike would’ve really given me a deal and allowed me to do lifestyle?” But since Nike (and/or LV) did not give him that ability, he is “starting his own company” via Pastelle. I don’t think he was referring to a sneaker company. That’s just my two cents though.
John
dresslikekanyewest.com
May 5, 2009 at 1:30 am
brand name = fishsticks
May 4, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Especially since the yeezys borrow so much from other Nikes… They’re like a modified fusion, almost. I mean Kanye definatley did design alot of parts of it, but certain parts obviously came from other shoes. If he didn’t have access to Nike’s vault… All his shoes would probably look like those fugly LV shoes he did. Though I guess he could always do like Bape or Greedy Genius and borrow design elements anyway. His shoes would still most likley be like the Yeezys though, mediocre at best.
May 4, 2009 at 9:47 pm
He really can’t design though… This company will be succesful because of his name (probably), but Kanye is not a good designer, at least of shoes. Idk how he’ll do with other things.
May 4, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Pastelle is his new line, you guys better recognize and from the looks of it, its one clean clothing line. Ye knows fashion.
May 4, 2009 at 7:03 pm
He’s talking about Pastelle. It’s not a sneaker line, its a clothing line that he has been working on for a while. You guys should really delete this post or edit it since you completely misinterpreted it.
May 4, 2009 at 7:03 pm
waiting for more news about this
May 4, 2009 at 6:56 pm
i’m mad nice kicks is spinning this as him coming out with his own sneaker, when they have shown Ye talk about the Yeezy 2, and that the fact that he is definitely referring to Pastelle his brand that he has kept underwraps for quite some time
May 4, 2009 at 6:24 pm
why does everyone hate kanye? he’s good at what he does… who’s better?
BTrueIVs… kanye is an excellent artist… if he wasnt a rapper/producer he would probably be an artist, he got mad skills. I’m not saying he’s the greatest or my favorite but i have to give credit where credit is due, you might not like his personallity or his attitude but he’s good at what he does.. I hate Kobe’s attitude but i cant deny his skills on the hardwood…
grow up… help lift up the people who are bringing new things to the table, dont hate because you cant do the same things… shut up or put up, if you dont like it then do something better.
peace.
Free Assata Shakur
May 4, 2009 at 4:47 pm
quit hating on kanye, that dude is an all around talented guy from music to fashion design, this guy does it all and does a good job doing it, all you haters move to the back of the bus!
May 4, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I KNOW they goin sale..just think about it..Kanye has ALL THE publicty in the WORLD right now..you put his name on a blog and you will get more hits than anything else..and yea NIKE is a reason the Yeezy’s sale but if NIKE wouldve put that shoe out WITHOUT KANYE’s Name or Ideas would anybody drop 215.00 for them????? DOUBT IT cuz the FOAMDOMES are still in stores right now and they around the same price..the FOAMPOSITES are still in stores right now and they around the same price!!!!
May 4, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Am I the only one who realizes the Yeezy’s are just the Spi’zikes with a strap and a higher ankle support?!?! Come on ye!! I could understand if his kicks had some originality/creativity but his sneaker co gonna be just like his beats and the Yeezy’s… a remake of other peoples joints!!!
May 4, 2009 at 1:04 pm
lets see how he gets on when he can’t use the nike parts catalogue to design his kicks!
May 4, 2009 at 12:58 pm
The way Kanyes sketches looked in the last Complex, he better hire a good interpreter designer to make him look good. And it would be wise to lower your price points if he wants more than himself to wear them.
May 4, 2009 at 12:42 pm
D33mV33
May 4, 2009 at 9:55 am
wack he thinks his name can carry a sneaker please I baught the yeezys cuz they where a hot nike not cuz of him he better recognize this would be a total flop
Your grammar is a flop….Read a book and go back to school.
May 4, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Man this dude is not making shoes for the hood my sis works at nike corp in portland and they said kanye makes %55 of every kick sold jordan his only got %45 till he branched off..he is a clown lower the price they are not J’S OR PHOAMS other then the glow in the dark soul the shoe is whack…..
May 4, 2009 at 11:55 am
yea like they said, stick with nike, the only real reason i got a pair of the kanye nikes (i refuse to call ‘em the air YEEZY)
May 4, 2009 at 11:49 am
why do people still have a boner for this loser. all these sheep keep feeding his ego. he is a great producer. not a singer, rapper and god knows not a fashion/sneaker designer. south park was so dead on. maybe he should start his own fish sticks company.
May 4, 2009 at 11:32 am
He’s not talking about his own sneaker company.
May 4, 2009 at 11:31 am
hmmm iono im up for people tryin to come with new heat and new ideas so props to kanye thinking of coming out with his own line now lets just see what he does (people dont knock someone who thinks out the box pshh lifes a full circle dont make yourself sound like square )
May 4, 2009 at 11:19 am
Makes sense why knock him for being a foward thinker? First off he can do whatever if that’s what Kanye to brand his own shoe line, think of it as if you are in the foot steps of Kanye wouldn’t you want your own shh too? Think about it nike aint going nowhere which is true (smh) Yeezy yeah they a start!
May 4, 2009 at 11:18 am
Stick with music, stick with Nike, and you can’t go wrong!
May 4, 2009 at 11:15 am
All I’m going to say is; make them more affordable. That’s it. The yeezys look straight. One problem though; stop coming out with these crazy colors. Black and pink. Come on Kanye, thats still a girl color. WOULDNT CATCH ME WEARIN PINK!!!
May 4, 2009 at 10:35 am
Wow Kanye. Good luck!
David, this quote is far from being taken out of context. He is talking about the Yeezys and the LV shoes, the lineups of people waiting for his shoes and then he talks about starting his own company. Go take a few journalism classes and get back at me. This quote is more solid than granite.
May 4, 2009 at 10:33 am
that would be great
May 4, 2009 at 10:27 am
I watched that interview and he said that they created the Yeezy from scratch…
Sure don’t look like it…same bottom has the Jordans
May 4, 2009 at 10:26 am
This quote is taken out of context, he’s talking about his clothing line (Pastelle) and how he wants to build that out, not that he’s starting his own line of sneakers. Way to hop on an old interview to try to make some made up news.
May 4, 2009 at 10:22 am
nah… maybe yeezys… i aint copping your line
May 4, 2009 at 10:20 am
this is actually the perfect timing to start a new company, since nobody got money, the ones that still do have all that much power. plus everything’s cheaper, like if u wanna buy a house, now’s the time
May 4, 2009 at 10:14 am
I’m so excited I could throw up. Could there be a worse time to start up a freaking sneaker company? But hey, spread that wealth thin, ‘Ye, maybe you can get a bailout, too. Can’t wait until he finds out that the Nike and LV names were a big reason why his shoes sold.
May 4, 2009 at 10:13 am
I can’t do anymore campouts after the tans.. sheesh
May 4, 2009 at 9:59 am
I’m not sure about this but hey why not strike while the iron’s hot? There’s someone somewhere who’s gonna spend the cheese on some K.West’s
May 4, 2009 at 9:55 am
wack he thinks his name can carry a sneaker please I baught the yeezys cuz they where a hot nike not cuz of him he better recognize this would be a total flop
May 4, 2009 at 9:48 am
this ought to be a true measure of how far the Kanye West brand can go. long as he works with the right designers and puts out quality kicks, i think he’ll be fine without the Swoosh or LV… and he might wanna think about making a couple general releases that are more affordable. Ye’s already got plenty of limited release shoes outta the price range of most of “[his] people”…
May 4, 2009 at 9:41 am
Good luck with that.
May 4, 2009 at 9:40 am
Whack, stick with Nike
1st