And a sock it is. Well, partly

Kanye West has been productive. Just a couple of days ago, he announced the installation of Gosha Rubchinskiy as head of design of his beloved, yet-to-be-major Yeezy clothing line. A few hours ago, he revealed his first footwear for Yeezy created without a sports brand behind it, the YZY Pods. These have nothing to do with beans or capsule hotels in Japan. Rather, the YZY Pods—as we saw—are mid-shin-high socks on thin mid-soles. On the (newish) Yeezy e-commerce site, a 360° view of the footgear shows a single side of the boots, so devoid of details that it borders on the unremarkable. A bodysuit for the foot? Or just a foolish piece of footwear, inexplicably priced at UA$270 a pair?

Sock-like footwear is, of course, not new. Balenciaga’s curiously-named Speed Trainer possibly started it all in 2016 and might have, for some, culminated in the iteration for the brand’s collaboration with Adidas this past summer season. There were others too, such as those by Japanese footwear brand Buddy available in 2017. It is not clear if such footwear is still trending, but these predecessors certainly establish Yeezy as a regrettable latecomer. It is hard to know what went through Mr West’s mind when he came up with the YZY Pods (or if he merely approved the design), but his new “sock shoes”, as his supporters call them with fervent enthusiasm, are not exactly new-to-market. Perhaps that does not matter as long as he has something out there. Shoes are, after all, the core of the Yeezy line.

The YZY Pods appear not long after the first few pieces of garments that do not seem to part of his last meaning-unclear show were made available on the Yeezy website. The strangely-proportioned pieces are, in fact, part of the merchandise offerings to coincide with the release of his album with Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures, which as we post this isn’t out yet. They are not your typical products that go with launches of non-garment sales; they looks suspiciously like inner wear, and of not particularly pristine condition. Sure, such clothing are not contrary to the Yeezy aesthetic either. Think Bianca Censori, whom, it is believed, Kanye West dresses. And the odd YZY Pods fit right in. If underclothes can take the place of regular clothes, why not socks for regular shoes? Expect more.

Screen shot: sply.yeezy.com