Adidas Has Sold Off All of Its Yeezy Stock. What’s Next for the Sneaker Game?

In March 2025, Adidas sold its final pair of Yeezys. It also deleted everything related to the brand from its website, following a complaint by their co-creator on this line, the rapper Kanye West (who now goes by Ye). This is the end of a sneaker era that reshaped the streetwear. If you’re into sneaker culture, you will remember that Adidas cut ties with Ye in 2022 after he made controversial social media posts. It kept Yeezy stock that was said to be worth over a billion dollars in warehouses for a while, finally deciding to sell it in 2024. With this stock now completely gone, we look back at how this billion dollar partnership started and how it got to where it’s at now.

Back in 2013, Adidas and Kanye teamed up to create one of the most hyped sneaker lines ever. With drops such as the Yeezy Boost 350s or Foam Runners, the brand became huge and every new shoe release sparked massive demand, with prices hitting record numbers in resale value.

But things changed in October 2022 when Ye made antisemitic remarks on social media, forcing Adidas to end the partnership. Instead of taking a massive financial hit, the company decided to sell off the remaining inventory, pledging to donate some of the proceeds to organizations fighting antisemitism. By the time the company had officially cleared out all Yeezy stock, it had made millions despite the controversy.

Yet, the Yeezy breakup did hurt Adidas’ business. In 2023, they made their first loss in 30 years, and in 2024 their North American revenue dropped by 2%. This separation is now complete. Adidas deleted all traces of Yeezy from its website after Kanye went on an Instagram rant, accusing them of holding him back and hinted at legal action. Today, Adidas' success seems to come from classic lines such as the Adidas Samba, Gazelle, and Spezial. The brand is collaborating with design houses like Dime MTL and Sporty & Rich to launch new models. We’re sure they’re also looking at other major celebrity collabs to help them recover.

What about Ye? Well, he's trying to go it solo. After launching his first independent footwear release, the Yeezy Pods sock shoe, in December 2023, Ye followed up with a new foam slipper silhouette, the SL-01, in January 2025. The initial black colorway racked up over $3 million in sales within the first 24 hours and went live on his Yeezy website. Now, new Grey and White colorways of the Yeezy SL-01 Slipper are available, after being teased on Ye’s Instagram story alongside the upcoming BL-01 Bully shoes, which he has linked with his new album, titled "Bully", due for release in June of this year. Ye has also pulled some (in)famous stunts at major events, like his appearance with his wife on the Grammys red carpet and ran a Yeezy ad during the Grammys.

Where fans are concerned, the demand is still very high. A lot of people separate the product from the person and are excited about what may come next. So far, most releases have featured minimal branding and monochromatic colorways. Post-Adidas, one of the first releases was the Yeezy Pod Sock Shoe which we mentioned earlier in this article. It offered a "sock" fit meant to increase comfort and give more mobility. Another element has been around cushioning, using the EVA foam - a staple in Yeezy footwear - and gives these sneakers a bouncy yet soft feel. Yeezy makes up for the lack of obvious branding with quirky details, like shoe sizing on the outsole and oversized proportions.

Having said that, the outlook for Yeezy is still in doubt. There have been many ups and downs, mostly linked to Kanye’s public behavior rather than the product itself. For a short period of time, everyone thought the brand would be redefined as YZY because this name appeared in a lot of their communications, then a website called Yeezy SPLY appeared and disappeared. As we said above, the Yeezy.com website is currently unavailable, having been taken down by Shopify because “the merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them”. A message has appeared on social media saying “Yeezy stores coming soon”.

This uncertainty hasn’t stopped demand, many stores still offer Adidas Yeezy sneakers or the newer models. We at Notorious Lifestyle have a great line of their sneakers and slides. Visit our clothing shop at the Town Center in Aurora or grab your pick online while stocks last. With many fakes in the market, our products are checked for authenticity and our team can help you pick which one to get.

And if you’re no longer into Yeezys, you’ll find the latest and greatest sneakers from Nike, New Balance, Jordan, Asics, Bape and Saucony. There’s no excuse not to get your athletic vibe on this spring at Notorious.