Adidas employees quickly realized that Mr. West was full of ideas. They also learned that he operated differently than anyone else they had encountered.
He could be so enthusiastic that he caused chaos. Early on, he unexpectedly showed up at the Adidas office in New York with wife Kardashian and tens of thousands of dollars worth of sewing machines. It was so disruptive that he was sent to a studio across town. After immersing himself in design work, he became so obsessed with every detail that it was difficult to complete anything.
And when he got frustrated, he got angry easily. Shortly before the deadline for the first Yeezy fashion show in February 2015, he attacked Rachel Muscat – the rare female manager in a male-dominated industry – and other Adidas employees with sexually explicit language. According to several team members, some complained about the verbal abuse to Adidas executives. (Like several other current and former Adidas employees and Mr. West interviewed for this article, they spoke only on condition of anonymity because they are bound by confidentiality agreements.)
However, attention quickly shifted to the show, where the shoes were raved about. At their performance that evening, Mr. West, Travis Scott and other rappers wore the new Yeezys, a preview of the promotion the artist and the high-profile people around him were able to generate for Adidas.
The shoes were released in limited editions over the next few months and sold out within hours, causing server crashes and a spike in prices on resale sites. They thrilled sneakerheads, fashionistas and even athletes who had signed advertising contracts with Adidas competitors.
First came a suede high-top, followed by the Yeezy Boost 350 – a sleek sneaker inspired by Nike’s Roshe Run and nicknamed the “Roshe Killer” by Adidas. It had a flat front and not the usual roll cap that Mr. West despised. It gave a Yeezy twist to Adidas innovations: Boost foam, a new cushioning technology in the sole and a patterned knit fabric on the upper. The shoe was not suitable for running or sports, but rather complemented the emerging athleisure clothing.
“He questions everything, but puts all his energy into the challenge, and you see the results,” said Nic Galway, a top Adidas designer, in an interview in 2015.
The 350 won top honors this year at the industry’s annual awards ceremony, known as the “shoe Oscars.”
On stage with Mr. Wexler, Ms. Muscat and Arthur Hoeld, a top Adidas executive, Mr. West admitted he could be a difficult partner. “It’s cool to be up here with the three people I’ve yelled at the most in the last year,” he said, beaming.
With a different tone, he later added: “Jon basically saved my life.”