VIDEO: Kanye West Talks His Design Philosophy Behind Creating Yeezys for Forbes
By Ryan Carroll
Though Kanye West is regarded as an international icon for his music and for his public relationship with the Kardashian family, the majority of his wealth actually stems from a source that some wouldn’t expect--his Yeezy shoe line. In a video interview with Forbes this week, West gave insight into his robust aesthetic philosophy and design process, sharing influences including sports cars, anime films, and the Bible.
These influences, West says in the video, inform both the look of his products and their spiritual composition. “A lot of my creative friends, I tell them, the Bible is better than Pinterest. You can bring something into the space and time we exist in while reflecting thousands of years of truth,” he says. After quoting Leviticus 19:19, a verse that speaks about not mixing different fabrics and substances, West explains that the passage inspires him to ensure his shoes are made of a singular fabric.
In a later section of the video, West strolls around a massive circle of Yeezy shoes and explains that the 1988 anime film Akira and the white Lamborghini Countach, both of which he saw as a child, are both influences in the physical and conceptual design of the line, which is expected to top $1.5 billion in sales this year. When asked if there was a specific shoe or feature that reflected these inspirations, he did not give a specific, saying, “There’s a little bit of Lamborghini in everything I do.”
West also adds that his approach to design is a holistic one, striving to capture the “incalculable” feeling of loving a work of art. “It’s a painting, it’s a spirit that’s inside of it that’s now translated into these miniature vehicles...all of these shoes are inside of every single shoe. It all flows through,” he explains.
While we can’t say whether all of West’s shoes are to our liking or not, we’re impressed by his design philosophy--it’s got a level of robustness that, we suppose, should be expected from someone like Kanye West.