Fashion & shop

Selected career milestones

1. 2005–2009

   Pastelle: an unrealized beginning

   Before the muted Yeezy wardrobe, Pastelle explored a more colorful clothing identity. Dazed’s retrospective dates its announcement to 2005 and cancellation reports to 2009. Public attention and samples should not be mistaken for a conventional retail launch.

   The original project’s cancellation is documented in retrospective reporting; its precise cause is not established here.

   Sources & scope: Pastelle: an unrealized beginning

   • Pastelle in West’s design timeline ↗

     Dazed · 11/20/2015

     Retrospective account of the 2005 announcement and 2009 cancellation reports; not proof of a retail launch or a definitive reason for cancellation.

2. Announced for 1/2/2007

   Bape Sta: a collaboration before Yeezy

   Hypebeast’s December 2006 report announced a Kanye West Bape Sta release for January 2, 2007 at Bapexclusive, Bape and Apee stores. The record places an early footwear collaboration before the Nike and adidas projects.

   This source is an advance availability announcement, not independent proof of delivery or of West inventing the underlying shoe model.

   Sources & scope: Bape Sta: a collaboration before Yeezy

   • A Bathing Ape x Kanye West Bape Sta ↗

     Hypebeast · December 2006 announcement

     Announces January 2, 2007 availability at named Bape retail channels; does not verify fulfillment, current stock or a new silhouette.

3. 2009

   Two different footwear collaborations

   Nike Air Yeezy and the Louis Vuitton shoe capsule put West inside two distinct design systems. Contemporary Air Yeezy development coverage names Nike designer Mark Smith, while SPIN’s Vuitton report describes work with Marc Jacobs and Paul Helbers.

   These were collaborative products. Celebrity visibility is not evidence of sole design authorship, and the Vuitton capsule did not make West the house’s creative director.

   This entry does not assign a precise retail date, SKU, present value or current ownership to an individual pair.

   Sources & scope: Two different footwear collaborations

   • The development of the Nike Air Yeezy ↗

     Sneaker News · 2009; page later updated

     Development reporting names Mark Smith. The page’s update date is not a product-release date.

   • Kanye West’s Louis Vuitton shoe collaboration ↗

     SPIN · 2/2/2009

     Contemporary reporting names Marc Jacobs and Paul Helbers; a shoe capsule is not an appointment as the house’s creative director.

4. 10/1/2011

   The Paris womenswear experiment

   West presented his Spring 2012 collection in Paris on October 1, 2011. The season label and the show date refer to different things. The collection pursued luxury ready-to-wear, rather than simply extending a sneaker collaboration.

   Vogue critic Tim Blanks questioned the collection’s weight and familiar luxury references. That criticism is an attributed contemporary response, not a factual verdict on every garment or on West’s entire fashion career.

   The event date comes from AFP’s contemporary report, not Vogue’s migrated page metadata.

   Sources & scope: The Paris womenswear experiment

   • Kanye West makes fashion debut in Paris ↗

     AFP / Business Recorder · 10/1/2011

     Contemporary event report establishes the October 1 show, separately from the Spring 2012 collection season.

   • Kanye West Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear ↗

     Vogue Runway · Spring 2012 collection review

     Tim Blanks’s critical assessment is opinion. The migrated page date is not used to date the show.

5. 2013–2014

   A.P.C. capsules and the move to adidas

   The first A.P.C. collaboration was announced in July 2013 around jeans, a hoodie and a T-shirt. Jean Touitou discussed a second and final collection in July 2014, with military references and a more complete wardrobe.

   Meanwhile, adidas publicly confirmed its agreement with West in December 2013. The restrained A.P.C. capsules and the new footwear partnership were separate projects, not one continuous label.

   The A.P.C. sources announce on-sale plans. This guide does not adopt reported contract values or unverified royalty terms.

   Sources & scope: A.P.C. capsules and the move to adidas

   • Kanye West to launch men’s collection with A.P.C. ↗

     The FADER · 7/8/2013

     Announces the July 14 capsule. Announcement and planned on-sale date are kept distinct.

   • A.P.C. and Kanye West’s second collection ↗

     Vogue · 7/1/2014

     Interview with Jean Touitou describes the second and final capsule, with a July 17 on-sale plan.

   • adidas confirms its agreement with Kanye West ↗

     The FADER · 12/3/2013

     Reproduces adidas’s confirmation. Reported contract value and royalty terms are not adopted here.

6. 2/12/2015

   Season 1 builds a recognizable world

   Yeezy Season 1 paired muted, layered clothing with an adidas collaboration. Vanessa Beecroft’s staging made the arrangement of bodies part of the presentation, alongside the clothes themselves.

   The Fall 2015 season was shown in February. It is also distinct from the independently presented collection named Season 01 in November 2026.

   A runway presentation is not proof that every look entered production or reached retail.

   Sources & scope: Season 1 builds a recognizable world

   • Yeezy Season 1: Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear ↗

     Vogue Runway · 2/12/2015

     Contemporary review supports the presentation date, adidas collaboration and Vanessa Beecroft’s staging.

7. September 2015

   Season 2 separates apparel from footwear

   After Season 2, West told Vanity Fair that his team had made the apparel independently while continuing to work with adidas on shoes. The distinction matters: Yeezy clothing and adidas Yeezy footwear were not interchangeable businesses.

   This is West’s September 2015 account, not a blanket statement about every subsequent season.

   Sources & scope: Season 2 separates apparel from footwear

   • Kanye West on Yeezy Season 2 ↗

     Vanity Fair · 9/24/2015

     West distinguishes independent Season 2 apparel from the adidas footwear collaboration. This is his attributed account.

8. 2/11/2016

   Season 3 meets The Life of Pablo

   At Madison Square Garden, Season 3 combined a fashion presentation with a listening event for The Life of Pablo. Music, clothing and large-scale performance occupied the same space, making the presentation a fan event as well as a runway show.

   A publication’s inherited adidas URL does not establish the manufacturer or commercial partner for every later Yeezy collection.

   Sources & scope: Season 3 meets The Life of Pablo

   • Yeezy Season 3 at Madison Square Garden ↗

     Vogue Runway · 2/11/2016

     Contemporary report of the show and The Life of Pablo listening event. The inherited URL is not proof that adidas made every season’s apparel.

9. The Life of Pablo period

   Merchandise becomes an event

   The Design Museum documents a Pablo merchandise pop-up project across 21 international cities. It credits West and Mat Vlasic for Bravado and identifies Cali Thornhill DeWitt’s graphic contribution.

   The project shows another channel for fashion: music-associated clothing sold through temporary, place-specific events. Its lettering belongs to an established visual tradition, not a claim that the collaborators invented Gothic type.

   The museum entry documents the project and contributors. It is not an audited sales report, a complete product list or permission to reproduce the graphics.

   Sources & scope: Merchandise becomes an event

   • Life of Pablo merchandise and pop-up stores ↗

     Design Museum · Undated exhibition record

     Museum record describes the 21-city project, credits West and Mat Vlasic for Bravado, and identifies Cali Thornhill DeWitt’s graphic contribution. It does not establish sales totals.

10. 2015–2016

    From the 750 and 350 to a larger alliance

    adidas’s June 2016 announcement identified the 750 as the collaboration’s first product drop in February 2015, followed by the 350. The company then announced a broader alliance spanning footwear, apparel and accessories.

    That record makes the distinction between a product history and a business plan important. The announcement supports the scale of the parties’ ambition, but it does not prove that every proposed performance product or retail format materialized.

    These are model-level and partnership milestones, not a complete colorway or dated-drop catalog.

    Sources & scope: From the 750 and 350 to a larger alliance

    • adidas + Kanye West partnership expansion ↗

      adidas · 6/29/2016

      Issuer announcement identifies the first 750 drop in February 2015 and the subsequent 350. The proposed expansion is not evidence that every planned product or store launched.

11. 2020–2022

    Yeezy Gap and the Balenciaga project

    Gap announced a Yeezy apparel partnership under West’s creative direction, with a debut expected in 2021. Its statement said West retained sole ownership of Yeezy.

    The announcement placed a distinct clothing line inside Gap’s distribution ambitions. It should not be conflated with adidas Yeezy or read as evidence that Gap acquired the Yeezy brand.

    In February 2022, Vogue presented Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga, a collaboration with Demna. Its report described an initial order opening, with more of the collection planned for later. A collection reveal is not proof that every look shipped.

    June 26 is the announcement date. It is not the line’s retail launch date, and the historical agreement does not establish a current partnership.

    Sources & scope: Yeezy Gap and the Balenciaga project

    • Kanye West teams with Gap ↗

      Gap Inc. · 6/26/2020

      Official announcement describes a distinct apparel partnership and a planned 2021 debut. Announcement is not retail release.

    • Ye and Demna reveal Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga ↗

      Vogue · 2/23/2022 collection reveal

      Reports the collaborative collection and initial order availability. A lookbook, order opening and completed shipment are different events.

12. 2022–2024

    Termination, then remaining inventory

    On October 25, 2022, adidas ended its partnership with Ye immediately, citing antisemitic remarks and other unacceptable conduct. It announced an end to Yeezy production and payments to Ye and his companies.

    Later sales were a separate inventory process. adidas’s 2024 annual report says sales of the remaining Yeezy inventory concluded in the fourth quarter of that year.

    Inventory sales after termination are not evidence of a renewed collaboration or of Ye’s personal income.

    Sources & scope: Termination, then remaining inventory

    • adidas terminates partnership with Ye immediately ↗

      adidas · 10/25/2022

      Official statement gives the effective termination and the company’s stated reasons.

    • Income statement: the remaining Yeezy inventory ↗

      adidas · 2024 annual report

      Reports that sales of the remaining inventory concluded in the fourth quarter of 2024. This does not establish a renewed partnership.

13. 2/11/2025

    A distribution channel closes

    The Verge reported that Shopify removed the Yeezy store after swastika shirts appeared on the site. Shopify said the merchant’s commerce practices violated its terms.

    The episode belongs in the distribution history of the independent business. The archive does not reproduce the merchandise imagery or link to a seller.

    The reporting establishes the sequence and Shopify’s explanation, not an independently determined breach of a particular contractual clause.

    Sources & scope: A distribution channel closes

    • Shopify removes the Yeezy store ↗

      The Verge · 2/11/2025

      Reports the removal and Shopify’s terms-of-service explanation. The sequence of events is distinguished from an inference about a specific policy clause.

14. 8/13/2026

    Independent Yeezy reaches JD

    JD Sports announced a Yeezy launch online and in selected stores for August 13, 2026. Its release named several models, including YS-01, YS-02 and BL-01.

    This is evidence of a new retail channel in the independent period. It is not evidence that adidas resumed the earlier partnership.

    A retailer’s availability announcement does not establish stock today, fulfilled orders or audited sales.

    Sources & scope: Independent Yeezy reaches JD

    • Yeezy at JD Sports ↗

      JD Sports · Launch announced for 8/13/2026

      Retailer announcement names the launch date and selected stores. It is not an audited sales result or evidence of adidas involvement.

15. 11/4/2026

    Season 01 and Droam 1

    CR Fashion Book’s backstage report places Yeezy Season 01 in Los Angeles on November 4, 2026, alongside the opening of the Droam 1 flagship. Its account describes oversized forms and neutral colors.

    This is a new presentation named Season 01, not the 2015 Season 1 collection. The event demonstrates continued fashion activity without settling questions about complete credits, manufacturing or commercial performance.

    The report was published November 5. Presentation, publication and retail shipment are separate dates.

    Sources & scope: Season 01 and Droam 1

    • Backstage at Yeezy Season 01 in Los Angeles ↗

      CR Fashion Book · 11/5/2026

      Backstage report dates the show and Droam 1 opening to November 4. It does not establish shipment of every look or complete creative credits.