Kanye West and Joe Rogan linked up on Friday for a long three-hour conversation that covers a whole plethora of topics. Throughout the conversation, Kanye began by talking about his Presidential bid and why he felt like it was so necessary for him to run for President of the United States. From there, West spoke about his artistry and what he has been able to accomplish in both music and fashion. Of course, this led to a lengthy discussion about West’s sneaker design and some of the backlash that surrounds them.
Kanye was at his most excited while talking about the Yeezy Foam Runner which became infamous on the internet thanks to its peculiar croc-like design. At the 1 hour-22 minute mark in the interview clip below, Kanye speaks on the design for the Foam Runner and how it was fully realized by another talented designer, who was recently brought into the Yeezy brand.
“I designed this thing, we call it the Foam Runner, and we built a factory for it in Cody and you can make these in 25 minutes. And what I’m saying about design, I was talking to one of the awesome designers we just got over at Yeezy. We’ve got this amazing crew. We’ve got guys that Nike sued us for, and one of these guys, I was trying to hire him for two years, he had to go surf for a year, and now he’s in,” Kanye divulged. “When he does his cad drawings, it’s like one shot one kill. Sometimes you design stuff and you have to re-do it five to eight times. His first one is so close to being ready for market because he sketches in a certain type of way.
“I’ve been saying I want to get rid of laces and we still have shoes we sell with laces because it’s a popular shoe and people love this shoe. And it hurts me. I feel like Steve Jobs trying to remove buttons off the side of the next [iPhone,]” West continued before explaining what makes the Foam Runner unique. “If you guys look at most sneakers, you have a tongue and it goes this direction. This is the reason [the Foam Runner] is one of the most important sneaker designs because it’s ergonomic. I remember putting it on and being uncomfortable because I’m so used to how a Jordan fits with my jeans. I remember talking to Kobe about making sneakers that have to fit with jeans.
Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company
West went on to note that this shoe was a gut-feeling for him and that he truly feels like the sneaker can revolutionize the way we look at shoes in the future. Kanye has always been one for innovation, and it’s easy to see just how important it is for him to continue pushing boundaries with the Yeezy brand. After all, it’s this philosophy that has made him into a billionaire.
