Pharrell Is Boosting adidas' Sales More Than Kanye West

With Pharrell's help, the adidas Superstar proved to be the brand's best-selling sneaker last year.

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Last year proved to be a big year for adidas. With the Ultra Boost being named Sneaker of the Year and insanely popular footwear and apparel releases from Kanye West, it has been nothing but success for the German sportswear brand. While Kanye West receives headline after headline surrounding his work with the brand, it was Pharrell who really brought home the bacon for adidas.

In 2015, adidas sold more than 15 million pairs of Superstars and Pharrell is much to thank for that. The rapper/producer/designer created 50 color-saturated Superstars and the "Supershell" Collection. Adidas didn't stop there. In addition to the original colorways and its collaborations with Pharrell, adidas introduced more new products like the Primeknit Superstar, the Superstar Xeno, and the "City" Series.

According to Business of Fashion, adidas turned the 1970s basketball sneaker into a billion-dollar business itself. The Superstar accounted for $1 every $10 adidas took in last year.

Without a doubt, Kanye West has been beneficial to the adidas, making the brand bigger in the U.S., but most of his releases are in more limited quantities, leaving most of the profit to be made in the secondary market by resellers.

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