Kanye West, now known as Ye, took to Instagram on Tuesday night to voice his frustrations with Adidas, designer Jerry Lorenzo, and what he referred to as “fake friends.” In a sharp message, Ye accused Adidas of prioritizing its own website over Yeezy.com in search engine results and freezing his accounts during their collaboration. He claimed that when searching for Yeezy.com, the Adidas site appeared first, alleging the brand tried to “hold me back” and intimidate him.
The issues between Ye and Adidas stem from years of creative disputes, including accusations of design theft and oppressive business practices. Their partnership officially ended in 2022 following Ye’s controversial remarks, leading to a legal battle. In 2024, both parties reached an out-of-court settlement, resolving the dispute without any payments exchanged. Despite these challenges, Ye proudly highlighted Yeezy’s independent success, noting that the brand generated $100 million in revenue during just six months of operation in 2023, despite logistical hurdles.
In his post, Ye also took aim at Jerry Lorenzo, the creative director of Adidas Basketball and the founder of Fear of God. Ye labeled Lorenzo as “corny and disloyal” for continuing his collaboration with Adidas after Ye’s fallout with the company. Lorenzo and Adidas began their partnership in 2020, launching their first full collection in late 2023. Although Ye had attended Lorenzo’s 2023 Fear of God show, he later regretted the gesture, claiming he was trying to be the “bigger man.”
Turning to celebrate Yeezy’s success, Ye emphasized the brand’s position in the luxury fashion market, particularly its accessible $20 price point. He shared that over a million pairs of Yeezy pods had been sold and teased ten new styles in development. Ye also made it clear that he remains dedicated to Yeezy, declaring, “It’s Yeezy over everything,” while criticizing others who have used their association with him to promote lesser-quality lines.
Ye’s latest comments reflect his ongoing conflicts with former collaborators while reinforcing his role as a disruptor in the fashion industry.
