Adidas Just Made Kanye West Their Michael Jordan

Apparel, stores, and even athletic gear for the new brand-in-brand.

Adidas's partnership with Kanye West is an unquestionable success story. Since teaming up with the brand in 2014, Kanye has helped revitalize Adidas's image-creating what are probably the most hyped-up sneakers the company has ever seen, the Yeezy Boost 750 and 350-and thus its bottom line. In 2015, the two parties created Yeezy Season 1, Kanye West's first-ever apparel collection that was sold in high-end retailers across the globe.

There's no question that these limited-run Adidas releases under the Yeezy name have created enormous amounts of buzz, but it's hardly a mass-market effort. And when Adidas announced it would no longer be producing the apparel for Kanye's semi-self-titled line, the future of their partnership became a big question mark. West's proclamations of world-changing design and high taste level for all seemed less likely without the backing of a clothing juggernaut-the very reason he teamed up with Adidas in the first place. Today that question mark got a resounding answer, as Adidas put forth of plan to not just continue its deal with West, but double down on brand Yeezy. Going forward, the Adidas x Kanye West collaboration will include its own stores, apparel, and even gym-ready athletic gear.

"With Adidas + Kanye West, we are exploring new territories by opening up the sports world to Kanye's creativity. This is what Adidas has always been about, empowering creators to create the new," said Eric Liedtke, Adidas CMO, in a press release. According to Market Watch, West said he plans to soon see Yeezy sneakers on both NBA and NFL players. (Good news for Adidas athletes like Swaggy P, who have rocked 750s on the hardwood.)

This marks the next chapter in Adidas and West's relationship, but it also marks the next step in the evolution of the celebrity collaboration for sportswear brands. For decades, athletic labels were timid about working with non-athletes, and even more apprehensive about giving non-athletes their own signatures. But these days, even a behemoth like Nike is down to work with someone like, say, Kevin Hart or a designer like Riccardo Tisci. So, though West felt Nike didn't value his influence, his deal with Adidas has already shaken up the industry.

Kanye West once compared being able to design products to oxygen. Looks like he's about to get a lot more breathing room-and we're looking forward to seeing what he does with it.