By pretty much all accounts, the relationship between Kanye West and Adidas is still going strong. Not only is West on the verge of officially launching his newest model with the brand, the Yeezy Boost 380, but the Yeezy line itself is expected to top $1.5 billion in annual sales this year according to Forbes. So, even for a man as unpredictable as West, it's a bit surprising when you see him in public wearing sneakers that aren't his own—especially when they're made by the brand he famously left in 2013 and has feuded with since.
On Saturday, a photo that was reportedly taken on Thanksgiving surfaced that shows West with his nephew Mason Disick doing what appears to be some sneaker shopping in Tokyo. And while West is wearing a Yeezy on his right foot, one can't help but notice him trying on the wildy designed Nike ISPA Air Max 720 on his left. Priced at $210 at nike.com, the runner is part of Nike's 'Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt' design logic geared toward built environment.
So, does this mean there's trouble brewing between West and Adidas? Not likely. Over the years, West has often worn sneakers by other brands as research for developing his own models. For example, prior to releasing the Yeezy 750, he was heavy into Visvim FBT. The Roshe Run and other sock-like models helped give us the Yeezy 350. Last year, as he entered his running/dad shoe phase, he stepped out in the Reebok Daytona DMX and Under Armour's Forge 96. If the trend continues and he actually bought the shoe, perhaps we'll see something a little more technical and unorthodox in terms of design from West in the future.
