Yeezy: Brands to Watch in 2021

Yeezy (the brand) has constantly found itself in the center of the pop culture spotlight since it officially launched its relationship with adidas. That attention has primarily been given to Kanye West’s work on his eponymous sneaker line but as far as apparel is concerned, the artist hasn’t managed to create and deliver clothing on a consistent basis. StockX added just five Kanye West Merch pieces and nothing from the official Yeezy line to our catalog in 2020. But that doesn’t mean big things didn’t happen last year. 2020 was still a great year for adidas and Yeezys as three different 350s finished the year as top 10 best-selling sneakers. Despite the fact that adidas and Yeezy haven’t released new track pants since May of 2019, the Calabasas Pants were still resold on StockX more than 10,000 times last year. Even though he’s released little clothing over the last few years, it would seem that Kanye West still has the streetwear world in a trance and in 2021 the artist may finally capitalize on that. 

Yeezy GAP

The biggest Yeezy apparel news of 2020 came in June with the announcement that West and GAP had signed a 10 year apparel deal. Shortly after the announcement, Kanye West redesigned a GAP store in Chicago and since then, it’s been widely believed that the first fruits of the collaboration should be rolling out this year. West and GAP have since come to some reported disagreements as the artist and designer demanded a board seat at the company shortly after the deal was agreed upon. This may have slowed down the process between the two brands but the prospect of a Yeezy GAP release or multiple releases in 2021 still has fans foaming at the mouth. Since the beginning of the adidas and Yeezy partnership, West’s fans have eagerly waited for a more accessible apparel line and with Yeezy Gap, that apparel line may be coming in the near future. Both West and GAP have been quiet about what’s going on: no drop dates have been announced and no official product shots have been released. What we do know via Twitter posts and Instagram stories is that this deal is real and that Kanye has been working on clothing with the brand. Needless to say, if Yeezy and GAP do end up releasing apparel this year, we may see Yeezy become one of the biggest brands on StockX in more than just the sneaker world.

More To Come With adidas

The Yeezy story is a whole lot different when it comes to sneakers. Kanye West’s work with adidas has become a standard of consistency and the two brands continuously drop new colorways and silhouettes like clockwork. More than five Yeezys have already dropped in 2021 and looking forward, there’s even more in store. It’s been rumored that the Yeezy 450 will drop in March and the expectation is that West’s adidas sneakers will continue to release regularly throughout the year. Three colorways of the Yeezy 350 Boost were among the top ten most resold sneakers on StockX last year proving West hasn’t lost his touch. This year, fans are expecting more new silhouettes and colorways as the adidas-Yeezy relationship continues its smooth sailing.

New Yeezy Artist Merch

Despite rumors that he’s been frequenting the studio, Kanye West hasn’t released an official album since Jesus Is King in 2019. That means it’s not entirely unrealistic to expect West to drop a new full-length project in the near future. Kanye West has done an excellent job building hype around the releases of his artist merch in the past and with the potential of a new album in 2021, we could see more than just Yeezy GAP apparel releasing this year. No stranger to the world of artist merch, Kanye West was one of the pioneering forces of the market that now exists. The artist’s Life Of Pablo merch release from 2016 became a national event, creating lines at pop-up shops in major cities around the world. In 2018, Kanye West and Kid Cudi worked together with Cactus Plant Flea Market to create a merch capsule for their collaborative album, Kids See Ghosts. Now in 2021, hoodies from that collection are resold for over $1,000 USD. The only merchandise added to StockX from the artist last year was his presidential campaign merch but fans will be hoping to get more out of 2021 than 2020.

A Year Shrouded In Mystery

With his sneaker partnership claiming victories at every turn, Kanye West could easily make 2021 the year that he steps into consistency in the apparel industry as well. With a signed and sealed partnership already inked with GAP, the clothing is all that needs to be delivered. West’s fans, who’ve been waiting on their shot at some Yeezy-designed apparel, may be able to take a deep breath this year when the collaboration produces fruit. If Yeezy x GAP releases in 2021, you can bet that it’ll sell out quickly but don’t worry if drop day comes and you missed out, it’ll definitely be available on StockX. As far as an album goes, there’s no news to be had but it’s been a while and rumors state that Kanye is working on new music. As it stands right now, Yeezy has its feet planted securely in the footwear industry and 2021 could very likely be the year that Kanye takes over the apparel industry as well.