Kanye West’s New Yeezy Sneakers Are Vegan and Made From Algae

The newest style of Yeezy shoes—made by musician Kanye West—will be free from animal-derived materials and made with a blend of petroleum-based ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and foam made from algae. West is creating the new shoe in a bid to push the sneaker industry into a more environmentally friendly direction. The company aims to harvest plant-based materials, including cotton, hemp, and algae, from the 4,000 acres of land surrounding its new headquarters in Cody, WY. West—who calls the new Yeezy “the Apple of apparel”—and designer Steven Smith presented a beige-hued prototype of the new Yeezy style during the recent Innovation Festival hosted by Fast Company. “[We’re] getting into how we can have less impact with the dyes, because our color is a big signature of the brand, but also dyeing is one of the main things that’s impacting the planet in the fashion industry,” West said. “So just being responsible from A to Z in what happens.” The new Yeezy style will be produced entirely in the United States and is expected to be available for purchase in 2020.