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Demand for Kanye West Sneakers Rising Despite Anti-Semitic Scandals

© AFP 2023 / JEWEL SAMADKanye West performs on stage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York
Kanye West performs on stage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.02.2023
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The Yeezy sneakers were sold under the label of the German sports brand Adidas, which cut ties with Ye in October 2022 after the rapper made an array of confusing comments, sparking allegations of anti-Semitism.
Demand for sport shoes designed by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has soared in the months since the US rapper tarnished his reputation with a series of weird interviews, in which the music star claimed he felt "sympathetic" toward Adolph Hitler and urged Jews to pardon him.
John Mocadlo, chief executive of Impossible Kicks, a California-based online reseller of high-end sport shoes and clothing, told a US media outlet that the demand for the Yeezy sneakers, which were sold under the Adidas label, “has surged 30% since last October-November.”
According to Mocadlo, the sneakers are now among the top three sellers on Impossible Kicks, after Jordans and other Nike footwear, including Dunk and Air Max shoes.
“We sell about 30,000 sneakers in total every month. Probably 6,000 to 7,000 of those right now are Yeezys,” the Impossible Kicks CEO said.
The remarks come as a US newspaper reported that the German sports brand Adidas is sitting on up to $500 million worth of unsold Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with West last year.
“A final decision on what the company will do with the shoes is still months away, but options range from selling them without the Yeezy branding to literally burning,” according to the outlet.
Kanye West arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif in 2020. On Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, a Los Angeles judge approved the request of the rapper, producer and fashion designer to legally change his name to just Ye, spelled Y-E, with no middle or last name. - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.11.2022
Adidas to Investigate Claims it Turned Blind Eye to Kanye West Shenanigans
Adidas ended its partnership with Kanye West in October 2022, after the rapper was suspended from Instagram and Twitter over his anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi stance.
The company said it "does not tolerate anti-Semitism," adding that Ye's comments were "unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."
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