Yeezys became a cult item based on how they were sold

Kanye West wouldn’t hesitate to tell anyone that he’s one of the most influential recording artists of our time. But the popularity of Yeezys isn’t tied to his celebrity and influence alone. The genius marketing of the shoe — and its popularity with celebrities like Jay-Z and Macklemore — has made Yeezys a must-have item since the Nike Air Yeezys debuted in 2009.get Off White AJ1,more order with big discount

Six years later, when Adidas released its first pair, the Yeezy Boost 750 in light brown, after West left Nike over a royalties dispute, just 9,000 pairs of the shoes were available, and customers could only buy them by making a reservation through the brand’s mobile app. They sold out in 10 minutes.

By late February, more Yeezys were released through select retailers. But the buzz Adidas created by first releasing the sneakers in an extremely limited number made customers line up for them, despite their $350 price tag.
Adidas has also boosted demand by releasing the shoes in unique colorways. In June 2016, a new version of the Yeezy Boost 750 debuted in gray with a glow-in-the-dark gum outsole. It marked the first glow-in-the-dark Yeezy since West’s collaboration with Nike, which ended in 2014.

Since West’s Adidas collaboration, more than a half-dozen kinds of Yeezys have been released, including the Yeezy Boost 350, the Yeezy 950, and the Yeezy 350 Cleat, designed for football players. The brand has also played on the public’s love for nostalgia, releasing the Yeezy Powerphase in 2017. Those sneakers are throwbacks to a style of Adidas shoes from the 1980s.

The same year they came out, the Yeezy Boost 700 running shoe premiered during the Yeezy Season 5 fashion show. With this shoe, Adidas once again turned to product scarcity to garner buzz, initially only making it available at the Yeezy Supply online store. And a blush version of the Yeezy 500, which West showed off during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles this February, was at first only available via online raffle on select websites.