Kanye West’s school, Donda Academy, is now a part of his latest revolt against the sports apparel system.
After firing shots at Adidas and accusing them of appropriating his Yeezy brand, West aims to rewrite his narrative on his sports apparel vision. His Donda Doves high school basketball team might provide a clue to the new direction.
The Christian prep school, based in Simi Valley, California, is named after West’s late mother, who was also his business and creative muse. The school furthers the mission of West’s mother, Professor Donda West, and its website is to “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders,” according to the school’s website.
The private school, which opened in 2021 and cost $15,000 yearly for its 100 students, boasts the Donda Doves basketball team, backed by Adidas. However, now that he is not feeling his corporate partners in Adidas, he is ready to expand his Donda Sports brand and the Donda Doves and has started making the moves that signal that.
Donda Doves are pretty good https://t.co/xohwJINo8i pic.twitter.com/ttMGxxtygG
— Alex Landin (@AlexLandinTV) December 23, 2021
His company, Mascotte Holdings, reportedly filed for new trademarks, which appears he is looking to take the Donda Academy into retail with Donda Sports apparel trademark applications for shirts, jackets, hats, shoes, and other clothing. For the Donda Doves name, West’s trademark requests are for apparel and accessories, including bags, fanny packs, luggage, wallets, umbrellas, blankets, and more.
West raised the profile of the Donda Doves by getting a placement for the new basketball team on the cover of SLAM Magazine back in January. “Dove Sports” is yet another trademark for which Kanye is looking to have exclusive rights for usage for athletic services like training sessions, competitions, tournaments, camps, seminars, field trips, and traditional educational frameworks classes, workshops, and conferences.
Kanye West on The GAP:
“Im not going to argue with people who are broker than me about money”pic.twitter.com/cbyAbw81Lw
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) September 15, 2022
Some of the top high-school basketball players in the U.S. were recruited by Donda Academy, including Robert Dillingham, ESPN’s No. 8-ranked high school player, and the No. 25 on the list, A.J. Johnson. West has high hopes for the school and its branding and also revealed his frustrations that his children with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian attend Sierra Canyon instead of Donda Academy.
West creates successful brands and has always wanted to create a ubiquitous integration between his creative universe. His Yeezy brand is a lifestyle behemoth that is now on par with the Jordan brand. Although West never played a sport, he represents the energy of today’s generation uniquely as a raw creative spirit who has erased the limits on artistry. Now that he is at odds with his corporate partners, the energy is being reverberated by his industry peers like Swizz Beatz and Diddy.
Image Credit: Diddy Instagram screen shot
“Since the era of Run-DMC, @Adidas has always used Hip Hop to build its brand and make billions off of our culture,” posted Diddy. “BUT WE ARE MORE THAN JUST CONSUMERS NOW, WE’RE THE OWNERS. @KanyeWest and YEEZY are the reason Adidas is relevant to culture. WE KNOW OUR VALUE! I’m done wearing Adidas products until they make this right!! We have to support each other!! Everybody repost this please!!”
With West constantly pushing the narrative for the artist as CEO of their creativity, West’s foray into sports is a feather-ruffling journey seeking more independence.
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