Before Yeezy, Ye Inspired an Iconic Giuseppe Zanotti Footwear That Still Resonates With Fans

Published 12/22/2024, 12:28 AM EST

Ye, aka Kanye West, is a visionary fashion enthusiast. And especially when it comes to footwear, the rapper is widely regarded as a trailblazer. At one point, he had become the backbone of the one-of-a-kind sneaker community and introduced several cutting-edge luxury sneakers that were previously discarded. In fact, it was his baby, Yeezy, that became a key to Ye’s billionaire claim a few years back. However, even before his successful partnerships with footwear giants, Ye inspired an iconic collection that is still trending among fans and celebrities alike. 

This collection was put together by Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti and Ye, who had just stepped his foot into the shoe-business.

Ye’s decade-old collection that is still relevant

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Ye has always admired Giuseppe Zanotti and his designs. In fact, the rapper was a regular visitor to Zanotti’s factory and loved learning about the creation of shoes. This led to some rumors in 2011 about a possible collaboration between Ye and Zanotti for a collection. And just two years after that speculation hit fans, in spring 2013, Zanotti introduced one of his most–recognizable shoes to date, The Cruel, which was influenced by none other than the ‘Donda’ rapper and his album, ‘Cruel Summer’. 

The Cruel was a stiletto collection that had a unique Medusa and leaf motif. This design was so eye-catching that it was recreated and relaunched several times in new colors and materials after its initial release. Even Ye’s ex flames, Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox have been seen rocking these stilettos, who have accused the rapper of overhauling their entire wardrobe. But it is not just Ye’s shoe designing caliber that is being talked about. Recently, a fashion enthusiast also praised Ye’s choice of grills. 

Ye, Adidas, Billions of Dollars and How It Ended: Here is The Entire Story

Grill expert Paul Wall hailed Ye’s fashion flair as “visionary” while appreciating his choice of titanium grills. 

Ye praised for his contributions to the evolution of grill culture

Ye’s titanium grills, much like most of his unique style additions, turned a lot of heads on its debut. While some found it cool, others could not make sense of it, including his wife Bianca Censori, allegedly. Nonetheless, to Paul Wall, Ye’s grills were “revolutionary”. He recently told Billboard Hip-Hop that the ‘Vultures’ artist is “one of the biggest trendsetters with grills, no question about it"

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Ye had reportedly spent more than $850,000 on those metal teeth, inspired by the classic James Bond villain Jaws. But that is nothing compared to his investment in building a footwear empire that is still contending with major players like Adidas and Nike. 

“Disgusted”- Bianca Censori Allegedly Finds the New Ye Grills Hard To Tolerate

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What do you think about Ye’s popular Giuseppe Zanotti stiletto collection? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hriddhi Maitra

2050 articles

Hriddhi Maitra is a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. An enthusiastic movie buff, Hriddhi found her true calling when she worked as a Cinema Content Writer at My Cinema Story while analyzing movies objectively, and offering constructive feedback. Coming from a background where she worked in different niches like finance, food, travel, medicines, automobile, and entertainment, we can safely say she is a jack of all trades.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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