They Look Pretty Cool but Why Are Yeezys So Expensive?

With celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Brooklyn Beckham, and even Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema promoting Yeezy sneakers, it’s no surprise that they have become one of the most sought-after items in the world, but why are Yeezys so expensive? Read on to find out…

What are Yeezys?

Yeezys are a brand of sneakers resulting from a collaboration between Kanye West and Adidas.

The first Yeezy line was the Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost, released in February 2015. The next shoe to hit the shelves was the Adidas Yeezy 350 Boost, and the latest model is the Adidas Yeezy 950 Boost. (If you are wondering what the “Boost” refers to, it’s simply the name of the material used by Adidas to make these sneakers).

Yeezys are favored by real “sneaker-heads” due to the exclusivity of these ultra-cool sports shoes. Four versions are available today: Yeezy Boost 350, Yeezy Boost 350 v2, Yeezy Boost 750, and Yeezy Boost 950.

If the price of Yeezys weren’t so darn steep, we’d all be thanking Mr. West for introducing us to a world where running shoes have become the pinnacle of fashion. The Yeezy Boost 350 and the Yeezy Boost 350 v2 models are fully-fledged running shoes and perfect as casual, everyday footwear.

What is the history of Yeezy shoes?

Before collaborating with Adidas, Kanye West worked with Nike to produce the first wave of Yeezy sneakers. He was with Nike for five years until just after the “Red Octobers” release in 2013, when he left Nike to work with Adidas.

The reason behind the switch was that Nike refused to pay Kanye royalties on the shoes, and after reaching out to Adidas, they agreed with his terms in a deal reported to be worth $10 million.

Are Yeezy shoes still popular?

Since its launch in 2015, the Adidas Yeezy Boost sneakers haven’t shown any decrease in demand! If you’ve tried to pick up a pair of these sneakers, you’ll know these kicks are so popular that new drops usually sell out within minutes!

Maybe Kanye West isn’t satisfied with his music career and harbors dreams of creating the sneakers of the future. He was recently heard referring to himself as “the most influential person in footwear.”

Despite being a total hype train, Yeezys are proving popular in all corners of the globe. Many reports of Yeezy fans staying up all night in front of their laptop screens and others sleeping in front of sports stores to grab a pair.

Why people are going so nuts for Yeezys is unclear, but a tweet from Kim Kardashian certainly didn’t hurt the brand! Whatever the reason, the craze is proving to be contagious.

Why are Yeezys so expensive?

Yeezy is a very influential sneaker brand. This year, Yeezy was ranked ninth in a list of the “hottest brands” on the search platform Lyst.

GQ magazine awarded the Boost 350 shoes (first released in 2015) “the most influential sneakers of 2016,” they also suggested that they have greatly influenced many other sneaker manufacturers.

Kanye West has proven to be a master of marketing. One of the biggest reasons for the success of his footwear is that he only releases the shoes in limited numbers. This creates a “scarcity syndrome,” and the hype builds until every pair is sold. When the Boost 350 sneakers went on sale at $200, they were sold out (everywhere) within one hour!

Because of Kanye’s savvy business sense, his sneakers have become a commodity. Resale values of specific models & colors have sky-rocketed over the last few years, with Kanye now producing some of the most valuable sneakers in the world.

Kanye understands the power of “celebrity” His wife, Kim Kardashian West, was a big part of the Yeezy Six campaign and was captured by the world’s press sporting Kanye’s latest collection.

If that wasn’t enough, Kanye West recruited other social media influencers (including Paris Hilton) to wear the same outfit as Kim in smaller media campaigns. These images were then shared on Paris’s social media accounts to increase Yeezys’ exposure even further.

According to Lyst, the result of this carefully orchestrated marketing campaign caused a 45% spike in search demand for Yeezy compared to the previous week!

How much do Yeezys cost?

Yeezys have a large price range, but they cost between $200 and $400 on average. Of course, you can pay thousands of dollars for rarer models. Yeezy shoe prices reflect the demand for these very fashionable shoes.

Yeezy’s marketing strategy has proved highly successful, which could be attributed to the perfect mix of exclusivity, music, celebrities, and Instagram. Other celebrities tapping into this massive demand for celebrity-endorsed gear are Rachel Zoe, Justin Timberlake, and Gwen Stefani.

What are the most expensive Yeezys on Amazon?

At the time of writing, the Yeezy Boost 350 is currently the highest-priced Yeezys available on Amazon. You can see them on this link.

Yeezy’s can go for ridiculous prices. The very rare Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Red October” are worth over $10K, but they will be worth over $40K in the future.

What is Adidas Boost?

Boost is Adidas’s top running shoe technology, but many people don’t realize that Adidas does not make it. It was invented by the German chemical company BASF and Adidas, which has the exclusive rights to use it on their sneakers.

BASF started developing the Boost technology in 2007; at that time, it was elementary. Fast forward to 2018, and Boost is one of the most innovative inventions in sneaker technology today!

The Boost system offers comfort and sponginess (officially called “energy return”) like no other brand today. When wearing Boost sneakers for the first time, most people notice a similar feel to the material used in memory foam mattresses.

Of all the Adidas Yeezys, we like the Adidas Men’s Yeezy Boost 700″ Wave Runner, available on Amazon.

Where are Yeezys manufactured?

Adidas makes Yeezy sneakers in factories in China. Kanye has openly discussed going to China to work on new models. You might not know that Adidas has taken severe criticism from the British media for the conditions of its workers.

It was reported that the Yeezy sneakers are produced by factory workers forced into working long hours and receive as little as $183 per month. According to The Mirror, the in-demand shoes are made by workers who work 10 hours a day, six days a week.

In defense of Adidas, after locating the footwear factory in Guangdong province, The Mirror found that the $183 monthly wage was above the legal minimum wage in that particular region.