After Eight Years Ye Has Fired Yeezy Designer Steven Smith

Steven Smith is responsible for some of the most iconic sneakers of all time such as the Reebok Instapump Fury and New Balance 997 among others. Following his work at New Balance, adidas and Nike he’s recently played a key role in Kanye West’s Yeezy line. Some of his designs include the Yeezy Powerphase, Yeezy BOOST 700 and Yeezy Foam Runner!

A close confidant of Kanye West, Smith previously held the title of Executive Designer at Yeezy but news has emerged that he’s accepted a new role as the Head of Industrial Design at West’s creative company, Donda. Smith’s new position will be a move away from footwear, he’ll be working closely on other parts of Ye’s empire such as furniture and vehicles.

Interestingly, a teaser has also been posted of a ‘Donda Foam Vehicle’ which is conceptualised, designed and manufactured in the United States.

This news comes after Kanye West took aim at adidas over the brand stealing Yeezy designs for their own inline products. Could Smith’s new appointment signify Ye moving away from his largest brand partner?

An adidas spokesperson issued a statement to Complex about the move: ‘Adidas works with different creative minds based on what is best for our business and partners. As part of our collaborative relationship with Ye, Steven Smith worked on the Adidas Yeezy line at Ye’s request. As the business has evolved, Steven has accepted a full-time role as head of Donda industrial design, where we look forward to continuing to work together.’

Let's see what Smith and Ye have in store for Donda!

We sat down with Steven Smith to chat about the his history designing New Balance 550! Read our in-depth historical feature here.