Earlier this week, Kanye West took to Twitter to seemingly backpedal on his controversial pro-Trump stance, announcing that he felt he was "used to spread messages" he didn't believe in, and that he would be moving away from politics to focus his energy on creativity. The timing of the tweet caused some to speculate that it was an attempt at damage control after his "Mauve" Yeezy Boost 700 failed to sell out over the weekend—we even pegged his politics as a possible reason for the decline in resell value.
However, sources close to 'Ye reportedly tell TMZ that talks of a politics-related backlash are exaggerated. The source states that "product volume was up nearly 10-fold compared to releases in the past," although it isn't specified exactly which drops the "Mauve" 700 outnumbered. The increase in units was another reason speculated by Complex, as it's been widely reported that production has been steadily ramping up since the line's debut. TMZ goes on to say that more pairs of the "Mauve" were sold than previous releases but again, it's hard to tell exactly which styles the outlet is referring to.
Matt Powell, senior industry advisor for the NPD Group, was not able to verify exact numbers but tells Complex he thinks the main reason for high interest in the Yeezy line was its scarcity. "I’m hearing that Adidas is putting many more pairs in the market," he explained. "Now resale prices are very close to MSRP, which argues that there is too much supply. That said, the political stuff could not have been helpful. The tenor of commentary from my Twitter followers has turned negative."
Adidas declined to comment on volume and production numbers.
As of publishing, the "Mauve" Yeezy Boost 700 is still available from select retailers for $300.
