Following a surge of controversies this past month, Kanye West is receiving new backlash, this time for selling a piece of clothing which is seemingly a cross between a pair of shoes and socks for a couple of hundred dollars.
The sock shoe in question has been titled the YZY POD and looks like a pair of big tube socks, yet features a certain robustness that enables people to wear it outdoors.
The shoes have been characterized as being “foldable” and “travel-friendly” and are available in a black colorway.
Kanye West is set to release a pair of black sock shoes for a whopping $200, a price tag that many people considered outrageous
Image credits: MEGA/Getty Images
Kenneth Anand, who works for Kanye’s brand, Yeezy, defended the high price tag, saying that Ye "could have raised his price"
Image credits: MEGA/Getty Images
According to Hypebae, the funny-looking footwear can be purchased in three sizes: “1” for sizes under a US 6 or EU 39, followed by “2” which is between US 7 and 9.5 and finally a size “3”, for US 10-13s.
The product was reportedly crafted from a stretchy knit material, the shoes appear to reach the wearer’s mid-shin and boast a thin, rubber sole for a tiny ounce of protection.
An official statement announced: “YEEZY debuts the foldable future of footwear, YZY POD.” They can be pre-ordered for a whopping $200.
The sock sneakers are Ye's first fashion release since Adidas dropped him in October of last year following a string of antisemitic comments
Image credits: sply.yeezy
Many people were stunned to learn about the odd-looking shoe’s price, as a person wrote on social media: “Who is paying [$200] for a pair of socks lol."
Another individual commented: “Is it $200 per sock, or do you get a pair?”
A separate person chimed in: “YE $200 for a sock is crazy."
Hypebae also exposed Guram Gvasalia and VETEMENTS taking to Instagram to share their version of the design, alongside a caption that read “The original flat sock sneaker since 2019 engineered by VETEMENTS. Accept no imitations #NothingBeatsTheOriginal.”
The post seemingly took a jab at Ye, as Guram reportedly believes his design has been copied.
Luxury brand Vetements indirectly accused the rapper and Balenciaga of copying its sock shoes
Image credits: Balenciaga
As per Unilad, Kenneth Anand, who works for Kanye’s brand, Yeezy, defended the high price tag as, according to him, it is reflective of the high quality of the materials used in manufacturing the garments.
Kenneth explained: “People who are criticizing the price of the Yeezy sock shoes may not understand the high cost of making quality products, especially for independent brands."
He further stated: “By comparison, luxury brands Vetements and Balenciaga are both selling extremely similar, if not identical, sock shoes; the Yeezy models are cheaper by about $400 or more, so arguably Kanye could have raised his price.”
"The original flat sock sneaker since 2019 engineered by VETEMENTS. Accept no imitations," the brand wrote on Instagram
Image credits: Balenciaga
The release is the first set of shoes to be announced by Kanye, AKA Ye, since he was dropped by Adidas in October 2022 following a string of antisemitic comments.
A statement from Adidas published on October 24, 2022, read: “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
The end of their nearly decade-long partnership was said to be worth close to $100 million annually to Ye, the New York Times reported.
The termination came after the 46-year-old rapper showed up at his YZYSZN9 Paris Fashion Week show, wearing a shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter,” which the Anti-Defamation League identified at the time as hate speech and which has been adopted by the white supremacist movement.
Balenciaga released a similar model as part of the brand's Fall 2024 collection
Image credits: Balenciaga
Ye further made antisemitic remarks on social media and in interviews shortly after, including a post on Twitter (now X) that said he would go “death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Last month, the designer ignited antisemitism accusations after dropping a new lyric featured on his track Vultures about “f***ing” a Jewish woman.
Videos shared online captured the Grammy-award-winning artist rapping out the lyrics: “How can I be antisemitic? I just f***ed a Jewish b****.”
People had mixed reactions regarding the pricey sock shoes
