DONDA, YEEZY & The Kanye West Effect: What Makes West’s Fashion So Successful?
Kanye West at the DONDA listening event, floating in the sky.
On 12th August 2021, it was revealed to the public via Billboard that Kanye West had broken the record for the highest-grossing U.S. tour, surpassing previous record holder (and West’s public nemesis) Taylor Swift, who grossed a little under 7 million USD per show for her 2018 Reputation tour. By contrast, on August 5th, West clocked in 7 million USD in merchandise alone for his second listening event for new album DONDA, demonstrating his talent and reigning triumph as music artist and streetwear icon. Demna Gvasalia, the current creative director of Balenciaga (who recently created a purely digital runway using CGI, see link here), designed the in-demand event merchandise for yet another collaboration with Kanye West, who has previously worked on projects with her during YEEZY’s season one debut back in 2015. The album is expected to be released over the next few days, but with such intense anticipation (DONDA is the most-watched Apple music livestream ever, garnering 5.4 million online viewers – a staggering number, considering most fans were at the event itself), we might ask the question of how Kanye West has come to be so successful in fashion in the first place. How does an artist who is so controversial manage to attract so many fans willing to spend money on his clothing? What makes West's designs so appealing?
According to Highsnobiety and Fortune, part of West’s appeal is precisely his overconfident arrogance: “overconfident individuals are perceived as more competent by others and they attain high status”, says Cameron Anderson, a professor at the Haas School of Business. “Too many of us are waiting for someone else to tell us that we’re good enough. To certify us. To give us a stamp of approval. But the only person who can give you a stamp of approval is you. Before the world sees your talent, you have to see it.” So West’s “seemingly overinflated ego” is often interpreted by brands and consumers as a form of confidence. From very early on, West achieved success in the hip-hop world, but his fashion style has changed considerably over the years, until the establishment of YEEZY and his integration of luxury fashion with streetwear. Self-confidence has always been predominant in his work - he previously presented himself as a Messiah figure, demonstrating a God complex that has certainly separated him from other artists and designers. His unapologetic voice has caused a number of controversies, especially with other artists; back in 2016, West and Wiz Khalifa got into a Twitter brawl over the terms ‘wave’ and ‘wavy’ in rap, and whether enough respect was being paid to Max B, who ‘popularised’ their usage. This led to West eventually claiming that he ‘owned’ Khalifa’s child (a delicate subject, as Khalifa has a son with West’s ex, Amber Rose). Furthermore, West has often disagreed with awards show results, notoriously interrupting on the main stage in defense of Beyoncé when Taylor Swift won Best Video by a Female Artist at the 2009 VMAs. In 2016, that feud continued when he called Taylor Swift a “bitch” in his song ‘Famous’. In subsequent years, he openly supported Donald Trump’s presidential campaign via a statement on Twitter, bashed Beyoncé and Jay-Z in a rant at one of his concerts, and decided to run for president himself in the 2020 US elections… you get it.
Even with all of these controversies, West’s fashion brand YEEZY has achieved unprecedented amounts of success. According to The Fashion Law, the YEEZY venture was, “according to Forbes’ calculations, expected to top $1.5 billion in 2019. That figure represents a 50% increase from 2018 and is ‘still growing.’” Even throughout the pandemic, sales for YEEZY’s Adidas sneakers remained strong, growing 31% to nearly $1.7 billion in annual revenue last year, earning West around $191 million in royalties. So, it’s clear that the brand isn’t one and the same with Kanye as an individual, right?
It’s important to recognise West’s importance in introducing greater integration between luxury fashion and streetwear, alongside fashion connoisseurs such as Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones. It was in this movement that he created YEEZY as the first ‘luxury’ streetwear brand, and established a stable fanbase of purchasers. At a time when streetwear was becoming more prominent in fashion, the influence that sneakers had on both celebrities and fashion designers cannot be exaggerated. Everyone was wearing sneakers over heels or smart shoes, including on the red carpet, and owning sneakers became less about athleticism and more about making a fashion statement. It was Kanye who led this movement within the music industry. YEEZY x Adidas sneakers completely changed the game, revolutionising both brands’ reputation and generating crazy amounts of profit. The prestige that came with owning such a pair of shoes meant that Gen-Z and millennials alike flocked to YEEZY as a status symbol, and sneakers became our long-term accessories of choice rather than luxury timepieces or designer handbags. This change in demographic demand coupled with the exclusivity of YEEZY products created a lot of hype for consumers and a lot of money for the businesses, which can be seen in the markup resale value of YEEZY sneakers ($349 - four times the average retail price of $2,000).
Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Spring 2020
So, why is everything that Kanye West does so trendy? It’s partly because of his products’ inherent exclusivity. West’s business model is built on the excitement that people feel for things they ‘can’t’ have. His projects are always limited edition and irreplaceable, encouraging people to purchase as quickly as possible as a one-time offer. And due to his success in music and celebrity fame, they seem tasteful - it is usually quite difficult to obtain West’s products in correlation with his current projects. This is partly why DONDA is currently such a success, as the listening events are exclusive to those who can fit inside the stadium in which it is being shown. DONDA merchandise will never leave the stadium walls without a name to claim it, and this riles the fan base up as they fight for dedication points towards the rapper.
You could compare this marketing approach to that of Telfar, whose very exclusive shopping bags have elevated their brand to international success. Due to their high demand and scarcity in restock, the brand has collected a very large fan base, and bags sell out within minutes of their restock/launch. Many companies use bots to snatch the bags and resell them for double the price, leaving Telfar with months of complaints and no choice but to limit the amount of bags that can be purchased at one time. With Kanye, his products are so exclusive that if you want to purchase a pair of shoes on the Adidas website (even at retail price), you have to participate in a ballot system that takes time. However, with all the bots buying the shoes, it’s difficult to even get a pair via the official system. If you fail in that regard, you can try in the retail stores, but that comes with its own set of problems. This kind of consumer frustration drives individuals to make sure that they manage to secure a purchase, even if costs a great deal of money. It is this business model that Kanye profits from, and which makes his products so appealing, as customers buy into the luxurious exclusivity of the item, rather than just the shoes or their material.
Kanye West x Gap collaboration, which made him 7 million USD, a similar profit margin to his DONDA merchandise sales
To put simply, Kanye West’s name has become a powerful selling point for many of his products. Building on the foundations of his music career, West has consolidated a loyal fan base that is able to look past his controversial behaviour. As an individual, he is the ideal image of a luxury fashion brand that centres itself around exclusivity, limited edition collections, and deeply individual design elements, integrating West’s personal journey with his artistic expression in order to create large amounts of profit. This is the Kanye Effect, one which excites, influences, and satisfies consumers when purchasing a product, and which has proven itself to be successful and stylistically chic. It only makes sense that DONDA is so successful, since the man that runs it is too.