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Kanye West is parting ways with legendary sneaker designer Steven Smith as the right hand of Yeezy will no longer be with Ye’s Donda Design.
Smith and Kanye’s relationship turned sour, resulting in Smith’s firing, according to Fast Company.
“He’s lost his mind,” Smith told Fast Company. “The whole of Yeezy is circling the drain and this is just part of it. He has surrounded himself with toxic, C-grade losers.”
Steve Smith’s impact on sneaker culture runs deep, but his work on the Yeezy line pushed his legacy to new, modern heights. Known as the “godfather of dad shoes,” Smith’s eye for design played a pivotal role in shaping Yeezy’s distinct aesthetic and elevating it into a global phenomenon.
Before Yeezy, Smith had already made his mark on the sneaker world with iconic designs like the New Balance 574 and the Reebok Instapump Fury. His ability to fuse performance with style made him a sought-after designer. However, it was his collaboration with Kanye West on the adidas Yeezy Boost 700 that took his influence to the next level.
The adidas Yeezy Boost 700’s chunky silhouette helped ignite the dad shoe trend, turning Smith’s vision into a staple of modern fashion. The shoe’s bold design, featuring layers of premium materials and adidas’ Boost technology, pushed boundaries and became an instant classic. Smith’s work with Yeezy didn’t stop at the 700, as his design expertise influenced multiple releases within the line, solidifying Yeezy as one of the most influential sneaker brands of the past decade.
Since the Kanye West and adidas fallout, Ye ventured off on his own to create Donda Design and hired Smith as the company’s one and only employee in July of 2022. The post-Yeezy brand, however, only released one product: the polarizing Yeezy Pods.
The future of Kanye West in the footwear world continues to dwindle as the departure of Smith and the once-working relationship between the visionary and the designer comes to an unfortunate end.
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