Typically, having Kanye West's name associated with your product was a sure-fire way to guarantee that it would sell out within minutes. Kanye's clothing line with Adidas, "Yeezy", has been nearly impossible to find at retail prices since it began in 2013. However, for one Australian sportswear company, Kanye's name didn't help them one bit.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a planned Saturday morning event for the launch of a collaborative line between YEEZY and Australian sportswear brand 2XU, was cancelled after just 45 minutes when customers failed to show up.
The collab between YEEZY and 2XU, which contained $550 neoprene leggings and $500 bike shorts, was frequently promoted by Kim Kardashian on Instagram, as she posted several pictures of herself wearing the leggings on Instagram, and even appeared on a magazine cover wearing the collection.
Still, that wasn't enough to draw anyone to the event. The store promoted the event by saying that supply was extremely limited both in-store and online, and had planned a ballot just to win the right to purchase the gear.
Back in 2016, Australian teens lined up around the block for the chance to buy some of Kanye's "Saint Pablo tour merchandise, so perhaps the fashionistas of Sydney are just less interested in designer sportswear. However, a source says that the likely reason for the line doing so badly is Kanye's unpopular statements regarding Donald Trump and slavery.
Down the street from the empty 2XU store, teens were, in fact, lining up; for a chance to buy a pair of $200 Ksubi jeans.