Kanye West's First adidas Sneaker Collaboration Was Almost a Tennis Shoe

Things would've been A LOT different...

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Kanye West'sYeezy Boost collaborations with adidas are all the rage these days, but what some people might not realize is that 'Ye's work with the Three Stripes actually started a decade ago. Months before the Nike Air Yeezy 1 was conceptualized, Kanye had meetings with adidas in 2006 that could've resulted in a sneaker collaboration a lot different from what we're used to seeing from him today.

In an excerpt from the second issue of Crepe City magazine shared by Hypebeast, adidas consultant and former Entertainment Division lead Gary Aspden says that Kanye's first collaboration could've actually been on the Rod Laver Vintage tennis shoe. 

"The discussion revolved around working with adidas on versions of the Rod Laver Vintage which was his favorite shoe at that time," Aspden said. "After much to-ing and fro-ing between Kanye's team and the then head of adidas Originals, the project didn’t end up coming to fruition."

Although the initial project didn't materialize, Aspden says that's probably a good thing, as the collaboration between adidas Originals and Kanye has now reached heights that simply wouldn't have been possible a decade ago. "The result of that I believe has been something far more substantial than anything that was potentially on the table back in 2006—a completely new shoe silhouette utilizing a groundbreaking technology."

As surprising as this might sound, it's not the first time we've heard about Kanye and adidas working together in 2006. In 2014, Ibn Jasper shared a look at an adidas sneaker that was purportedly the outcome of a design Kanye had made for Reebok before the brand was acquired by the Three Stripes. 

To read Aspden's thoughts in full, head over to Hypebeast now.