Kanye West has submitted a trademark registration for “Yzy sock shoes” which could indicate that a new product is on the way.
The trademark application was filed shortly before Adidas announced its decision not to dispose of its unsold Yeezy merchandise from its past collaboration with the artist formerly known as Kanye West, now going by “Ye.” Instead, the company has opted to sell the remaining inventory and allocate the proceeds to charitable causes.
Mascotte Holdings, his holding business, filed the application with the US Patent and Trademark Office on May 4. TMZ broke the story first.
The trademark includes clothes, footwear, headgear, and “socks with leather soles,” according to the application. Games, toys, and sporting products are also included. Along with the file, a drawing with the caption “Yzy sock shoes” was submitted.
Ye was observed wearing sock-like shoes as early as 2019, and the filing hints he may be preparing to introduce a new product under the Yeezy brand.
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It’s unclear whether Ye’s sock shoe trademark will result in a product launch, as corporations frequently seek patents for businesses and items that never make it to market. Last year, the rapper filed 64 distinct trademark applications in a single day, all permutations on the word “Yeezyverse,” none of which were granted. The applications said that the phrase will be used for a variety of purposes, including “advertising and business” as well as “medical, beauty, and agricultural.”
Ye’s holding business also registered a patent for Yeezy-branded cosmetics, makeup, and beauty products in 2020.
Adidas ended their Yeezy collaboration in October as a result of West’s anti-Semitic tweets, leaving the firm with 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in unsold inventory.
More than six months later, Adidas said that it will sell the sneakers and donate the earnings to charity that help people “hurt by Kanye’s statements”, a move praised by Yeezy’s former COO, Udi Avshalom.