Kanye West Slams Designer Who Allegedly Mocked Yeezy Sock Shoes; Rants About Adidas Suing Him
Kanye West has gone on another social media rant, this time accusing a designer of mocking his new sock shoes and taking money from Adidas.
On Thursday, the rapper, 46, took to his Instagram Stories to post a screenshot of a DM he sent Brittany Pierone, who he claimed ridiculed his first independent fashion release since the collapse of his Adidas deal.
In the screenshot, obtained by the Daily Mail, West blasted Pierone, founder of design studio Proof Of Concept and a former Nike designer, for sharing a photo of herself wearing a Yeezy Pod sock shoe that appeared too big for her foot.
In his message to Pierone, he expressed his displeasure, asking if Adidas paid her to post the photo and emphasizing the effort he put into each product he puts out.
"What the f***k is wrong with you[?] Don't play with me like that. What [A]didas paid you to post that photo," West wrote. "I've put so much work into every product, and when I'm independent, this is what you wanna post."
He advised Pierone to get a different size, adding: "Don't play with me like that. It ain't funny. I worked for a year on these and put them out myself."
West also took the opportunity to make unfounded claims about Adidas, alleging that the company copied his designs and was suing him for "$4 billion."
"Adidas copied all my s**t and treated me like s**t. [A]didas is suing me for 4 billion dollars and selling my shoes without paying me, and they said I misused the marketing fund when I am the marketing. That's why they sent me the money in the first place," West claimed.
Responding to West, Pierone explained that her post had been reshared with a different caption and praised the Yeezy Pod shoes as "beautiful," according to the screenshot.
West thanked her for her support, highlighting the risks he took and the efforts invested in "building everything from scratch" following the termination of his partnership with Adidas in October 2022 over his antisemitic comments.
West's collaboration with Adidas had recorded substantial sales, reaching $1.7 billion in 2021, and was anticipated to surpass $2 billion in 2022.
Following the collapse of their partnership, it was reported that Adidas was suing the rapper, demanding that he return $75 million he allegedly diverted from a $100 million-a-year marketing fund.
The company later dropped the court case aimed at freezing funds held by Yeezy and announced that it would pursue the money through private arbitration, Billboard reported.
Meanwhile, although Pierone did not diss the shoes, West faced online backlash over the Yeezy Pod shoes' $200 price tag when he first introduced them in December 2023.
"YE $200 for a sock is crazy," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Who is paying [$200] for a pair of socks lol," another commented.
Adidas announced Wednesday that it will sell all its remaining Yeezy sneakers.
Initially intending to dispose of $324 million worth of Yeezy inventory, the company now plans to sell the remaining stock "at cost."
