Can Drake Reach the Level of Influence That Kanye West has on Fashion?
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By now the fashion world knows Kanye West's name whether they like it or not and his influence on it particularly street/casual wear is immense.
Drake is the first musical artist to be signed to the Air Jordan company but can he make the Jumpman jump back over the Yeezy's?
Kanye West was once one of Nike's major ambassadors and had his own line called the Nike Air Yeezy and Air Yeezy two later on. After having fallouts in terms of having his creativity stifled, West signed a multi-million dollar deal with Adidas and unveiled a new clothing-line and of course, new sneakers called the Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 and 350.
He's had more of a creative influence on the development and seems to be happier with what he's been producing with Adidas.
Drake announced that he was signed to Team Jordan and was the first artist to have done so.
He also has 2015's first platinum selling album with "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" and Kanye West happens to be one of his influences in music.
Drake has been teasing a line of OVO inspired "Player Exclusive," (though he's not a professional athlete) Air Jordans one of which is set to hit retailers on September 12, and others that he's begun teasing on Instagram.
West's Yeezy's are always a hot seller and whether it's the Nike pair or the recent release of the Adidas Yeezy Boosts, the sneakers always seem to sell out within hours of it's launch. Air Jordan's have been following the same pattern as it's retros never stay on shelves too long so it's almost certain that an Air Jordan with OVO inspiration won't last long at all. That being said the resale value of sneakers has been insane over the years and it will be interesting to see how Drake's OVO 10's stack up against Kanye West's Yeezy Boost 750 and 350 models.
From a fashion standpoint, Drake was spotted sporting an air Jordan jumpsuit at the 2015 OVO fest which has always been a staple of the company.
However, one question remains. Will Drake be given creative control over his own Jordan brand line when it comes to apparel?
It might not even be in the forefront of Drake's mind because through his October's Very Own site, Drizzy has released a series of apparel pieces and hats that normally don't stay in stock too long. It limits the amount of money he has to handout to a big name company like Jordan brand. So while apparel doesn't seem to be a market that Drake would venture into, he still has the ability to take the top spot when it comes to influence on the sneaker culture.
His global popularity is without a doubt one of the largest when it comes to artists to date and if there is anyone who can make the Jumpman take a flying leap from the free-throw line and over the Yeezy's, it's Drake.
We'll just have to wait and see.