Rise and Fall of the Brand: Is Yeezy Season out of Season? Part II

Kanye West has been one of the most successful and controversial artists of the 21st century. He has influenced the fashion world in many ways, however he seems to do better with the fashion statements he doesn't plan rather than the ones he does. On october 29 2014, Kanye released his first solo clothing line Yeezy Season 1 through his brand partnership with Adidas. The anticipation for the clothing was higher than the revenue Kanye received from his new line. The poor sales of Yeezy Season 1 did not discourage Kanye, rather it gave him ammunition to fire back with Yeezy Season 2 in May of 2015. Yeezy season 2 was very similar to that of Yeezy season 1. For season 2 Kanye sent forth an army of his Yeezy Season models decked out in layered looks heavy in distressed fabrics. Kanye used the same minimal tones used in season 1. Nude Khaki and dark green made for a palette so mute it was hard to distinguish one outfit from the next. Many critics called season 2 “lazy” and “thrown together”. Kanye later stated that his inspiration for season 2 was from the middle east. Kanye went on to tell reporters “ My style has many origins. My clothing line is different from everything else out there. I don't make clothes for America but i make clothes for the world.” In fact, Kanye sold more clothes of Yeezy season 2 in Dubai. Due to the weather in the Middle East, the light and distressed clothing style is good for the intense high climate. The many layers also come in handy for the windy Middle Eastern nights. Unfortunately, Kanye’s gains most of his revenue for his clothing line in America, Canada and the UK, so if they are not impressed with what he puts out, his sales decline.

In the previous article it was evident that 2015 was the year kanye focused most of his time on his adidas yeezy sneakers. He took some time before releasing the date for Yeezy Season 3 to the public. In February 2016, Yeezy Season was released at a fashion show in Madison Square Garden. The show was good with appearances by spike lee and all of the Kardashian sisters. However the clothes were a fail. This was the First time in Kanye’s History in the Fashion world that he did not sell out. Corey Dweller, a famous social media hypebeast, purchased clothing from Yeezy season 3 and stated that “the clothing is just like 1 and 2 (in reference to Yeezy season 1 and 2) but Kanye is going to hit it off with his tour Merch he included in season 3.” In March kanye added his Yeezus tour Merch to the Yeezy season 3 collection and struck gold. The Merchandise sold out within 15 minutes on the supreme website and on the Adidas confirmed app.

On September 8, 2016 ,Yeezy season 4 was showcased in New York at an outdoor show. The show was a bit of a disaster with multiple wardrobes malfunctions which included one of the Yeezy Models tumbling down the runway due to a broken heel. However, the release of the Fade video featuring Teyana Taylor promoted Yeezy season 4 more than kanye Expected. In a tweet Kanye stated “I am thankful for Teyana. Yeezy season 4 belongs to you” Kanye meant this literally considering that the female workout gear had the high sales of all the Season 4 clothing. Everything worn in the video by Teyana sold out extremely fast in stores. Unfortunately for Kanye, other than the female workout gear and the pablo tour Merch, Yeezy season 4 was not a success even with the lowered prices.

After the disastrous saint pablo tour show in Sacramento on November 19, many Kanye fans were seen burning his sneakers and Yeezy 4 clothing. Even with this backlash Kanye said in an interview “My mind is in a better place. I don’t hate those people who did those things but they won’t hinder me. I am timeless and undefeated so look for season 5” Yeezy season 5 was released February 15 of this year. The clothes are very different than all previous seasons. However, the fashion show was a flop considering the fact that many invited artists did not attend and that the show itself was not sold out. The sales of the sweatshirts and Mink jackets are prospering but as a season kanye has been on a constant decline in overall sales. Which leads one to think… Is Yeezy season officially out of season?