Ever since Ye first dabbled in the fashion industry, he’s been pushing the envelope. However, his numerous controversies over the years have overshadowed his creative vision and led to losses in popularity and partners. The termination of his Yeezy partnership with Adidas in 2022 is what revoked his billionaire status. However, Ye claims his net worth is “Stronger” than ever and has the alleged receipts to prove it.
Ye rejoins the Billionaire’s club
On January 23, Ye posted an Instagram statement from Eton Ventures. This business valuation company claimed the rapper’s net worth stands at a whopping $2.77 billion, thanks to his music portfolio and sole ownership of Yeezy.
Fobes has not commented on the news and still lists his “real-time net worth” at $400 million. In 2022, when his billionaire status was downgraded, Forbes estimated that the Yeezy x Adidas partnership was worth around $1.5 billion of his then-$2 billion net worth.
If the Eton Ventures statement is true, Ye has surpassed the net worth of Jay-Z (listed at $2.5 billion on Forbes) and his ex-wife Kim Kardashian (listed at $1.7 billion on Forbes).
Who wants smoke with Ye?
The billionaire news arrives on the heels of another rant from Ye about Yeezy domination this year, telling his competitors to be on high alert. In a since-deleted Instagram post, the Chicago native revealed that he was preparing to launch a Yeezy women’s clothing line. Under a picture of a black bodysuit, Ye went on a typical rant against “the corporations.”
“For anyone in clothing that doesn’t work at Yeezy be afraid. Be very afraid. No corporations leveraging my platform using me to get to us. Overcharging our community while ignoring my vision and direction…” the caption read.
Making sure to throw Adidas under the bus, Ye continued, “…People tried to tell me to go back to adidas. Of course they were people close enough to ask for money from me. They didn’t care about my freedom or vision … Now my vision is coming to life and I have a John Wick vendetta against every fashion company as my fellow Gemini Tupac said Die motherfucker Die. Now play off the grid.”
On January 8, the rapper started the year by going after Adidas (again) and their new partner, Jerry Lorenzo (who owns the brand Fear of God), reemphasizing how Yeezy changed fashion.
The incredible past impact of Yeezy
Yeezy Season One dropped in 2015 and shook up the fashion world.
“A few things that stood out were the color palette, fit in terms of proportions and overall styling. The Yeezy ‘look’ was something completely new…What was trending wasn’t exactly what he was showing, which was both refreshing and exciting,” Kevin Chao, a retail planner at The Whitaker Group, which owns A Ma Maniére and Social Status, said to Complex.
However, it also provided new style options for those who felt excluded from representation in the field.
“I didn’t feel comfortable in the way I looked until I saw Kanye’s first Yeezy Season 1 fashion show…“That is where I fell in love with his oversized, minimal style that was incredibly comfortable. Now my style is all about comfort, baggy and chill,” Jordan Clayton, a 26-year-old from Banbury, England, said.
As the artist continued to evolve in his music, his ideas for fashion and reaching out to the public also changed.
The New York Times reported that “The Life of Pablo pop-ups were the ‘largest retail program’ the music merchandising company Bravado ever undertook—they reportedly pulled in as much as $1 million in sales in just two days.”
He took standard comfy items like sweatshirts and teamed up with major clothing brands like Gap to make them accessible and highly sought after.
With the Yeezy Gap line, the brand “revealed in a quarterly earnings report that Ye’s Yeezy Gap hoodie delivered the most sales in a single day and that 70 percent of the customers who purchased it were new to the brand.” At the time, Ye’s deal with Gap was reportedly valued at $1 billion, although it ultimately ended prematurely.
Despite the dramatics on social media, Ye wants to repeat his past success on a bigger independent level with no major brand partnerships. Looking back at the impact of Yeezy, it’s quite possible he could stage a coup in the fashion industry.