You’ve probably already heard the rumors from sneakerheads and ‘Ye stans alike. Kanye West is going to leave Adidas and sign with Vans. The sneaker world as we know it is coming to an end. Judgement day is upon us. Only those with the most fire jawnz will be saved.
Hypebeast posted an article earlier this week in which they stated sources close to ‘Ye said he’d be ending his contract with Adidas so he could “sign with his favorite skate brand”. However, the site that originally reported this news is something called “Sneakers Addict”. Have you ever read “Sneakers Addict” before? Do you know anyone that has? Didn’t think so. There’s a damn good chance they’re not the most reliable source of information.
Sure, he’s been showing love to Vans recently. He shouts them out in “No More Parties in LA” (“some days I’m in my Yeezys, some days I’m in my Vans”) and he’s been photographed rocking both the Full Cab and the Half Cab within the past few days, but there’s no need to put any real weight on that. Kanye is a style icon. He likes to switch things up every so often. He goes through phrases where he’s obsessed with various shoes. Remember when he was frequently spotted rocking Flyknits back in 2012-2013?
Plus, Adidas gave him the level of creative control that he always wanted when he was with Nike, and helped with the manufacturing of Yeezy Season 1. When you’ve got exactly what you need with a company, there’s absolutely no reason to leave them.
This story is nothing more than shameless clickbait. Everything Kanye does makes headlines, so it’s really nothing more than an attempt to capitalize on his name for a few extra clicks. He could scuff a pair of his shoes by accident and the next day there would be stories like “Does Kanye only like worn-in kicks now?” It’s really just the power of ‘Ye.
One thing you can say for sure though is that the man’s got some serious sway. Who would have though we’d be discussing the Full Cab or the Half Cab at all in 2016. That’s impressive in and of itself. You know that Vans is loving all the free publicity they’re getting too.
What do you think of the whole Kanye/Vans “story”? Do you feel that it’s shameless clickbait or that there might actually be some truth to it? Do you have a favorite Vans sneaker (mine’s the SK8-Hi)? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, and, as always, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire sneaker pictures you can handle.
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