Kanye West has accused sportswear brand Adidas of producing a shoe design similar to one he made for his own line, Yeezy.
The rapper, who was married to Kim Kardashian, took to Instagram to share a now-deleted post complaining about the alleged copycat design.
The 45-year-old accused Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted of “copying” the style: “To Kasper, I’m not standing for this blatant copying any more […] this is for everyone who wants to express themselves but feels they can’t because they’ll lose their contract or be called crazy.”
The musician, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, said that bravery is “not being afraid,” but “overcoming your fear for your truth”.
He then went on to refer directly to the shoe design in question, Adidas’ new Adilette 22 slides, of which he included a picture.
The sliders feature a foam-like chunky platform sole, with a thick band that arches over the foot to keep it in place.
The simple, sleek design has a cut-out section for the toes and has the brand’s tagline, “the brand with the three stripes,” running along the side of the sole in black text.
They come in a beige-sand colour and feature textured ridges all over, similar to a rocky landscape.
The brand has said that the shoes are inspired by “3D topography and human expeditions to Mars,” but Kanye thinks the inspiration actually came from his own line of footwear.
He continued: “These shoes represent the disrespect that people in power have to the talent. This shoe is a fake Yeezy made by Adidas themselves.”
He then urged the CEO to “come and talk to him”.
(Image: Getty Images)
Kanye has been in a similar situation before back in June 2021, when he sued Walmart over the same problem.
He accused them of trading off the “popularity” of the Yeezy designs after a $35 dupe for his Yeezy Foam Runner shoe was sold on the Walmart website.
The rapper’s attorneys said that Walmart issued an “unauthorised exact copy” of the Foam Runner shoe.
Lawyers also told Walmart that Kanye, whose Yeezy brand is “worth billions,” “sets trends for everything he touches”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
