It’s not often that rap royalty and cultural icon Kanye West throws his support behind things. Back when he actually had Twitter and Instagram (he deleted both accounts back in 2016, because of course he did) he followed only one person, and it was his wife, Kim Kardashian-West. So, when Yeezy does give something his tick of approval, it’s kind of a really big deal.
So, it’s safe to say that Jamie Hunt, co-founder of Australian start-up 2XU would be on top of the world right now. The ironman and entrepreneur is now one of the few people in the world who has Kanye himself on speed-dial, thanks to an ongoing collab between 2XU and YEEZY.
The unlikely collaboration between the two brands started in early 2017, when the YEEZY design team reached out to 2XU to provide fabric expertise in the lead-up to its SEASON 5 launch at New York Fashion Week. The creative forces behind YEEZY owned a 2XU wetsuit, and wanted to transition 2XU’s neoprene fabric and design aesthetic from high-performance sport into the world of fashion.
A close bond has since formed between the two brands, with 2XU lending fabric engineering and construction insights to the YEEZY design team for its SEASON 6 and SEASON 7 collections. Since the original SEASON 5 collection, which featured ‘scuba’ tights, vests and wetsuits designed to be worn from beach to bar, the collaboration has extended to compression tights, tops and socks, jackets and shoes.
