The French fashion house will no longer be working on projects with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has made an increasing number of controversial public comments in recent weeks, including threats against Jews, according to parent company Kering, which announced the decision following the release of its third-quarter results on Thursday.
In response to a WWD inquiry, Kering stated that Balenciaga “no longer has any affiliation with this artist nor any intentions for future initiatives relating to this artist.” It didn’t go into much detail.
In a mud pit during Paris Fashion Week, the “Stronger” singer started Balenciaga’s summer 2023 show while sporting what appeared to be combat gear, including a branded mouthguard that protected his teeth. The picture was taken off from the Balenciaga website.
It was his most recent project with Demna, the artistic director of Balenciaga, following the introduction of their Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga line earlier this year. That collection debuted in February, in time for Ye’s “Donda 2” experiential performance in Miami. Earlier listening events for the CD last year were creatively directed by Demna.
Ye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who features in Balenciaga commercials, and her extended family are also close friends of the designer. On October 2, Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian, sisters, went to the Balenciaga presentation.
Ye ended his agreement with Gap Inc. last month, suggesting an attitude of hostility that has also put his ten-year alliance with Adidas in jeopardy. On October 6, the German sportswear company said that it was “reviewing” its relationship with the Yeezy brand.
Since organizing a surprise YZY gig in Paris with T-shirts with the phrase “White Lives Matter” and opening with a speech in which he boasted of being “unmanageable,” the rapper, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, has looked to be spiraling out of control.
The slogan “White Lives Matter” was coined in early 2015 as a racist reaction to the Black Lives Matter campaign, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Ye aggressively criticized everyone from fashion journalists to former pals to luxury magnate Bernard Arnault in response to the show’s harsh public criticism. Ye claimed that he had agreed to purchase the right-wing social networking site Parler after being banned from Instagram and Twitter for breaching the networks’ hate speech restrictions.
Some industry analysts have questioned Balenciaga’s position and the longevity of the collaboration because the fashion house has made no public statements regarding its relationships with Ye.
Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, according to PageSix is also severing ties with the rappper.
After West allegedly made derogatory remarks against Jews in a tweet on October 9, a spokesman for the publication reportedly stated that Wintour and the magazine had no intention of working with the rapper again. The social media site took down the post for breaking its rules, and Twitter subsequently told Buzzfeed News that the user had been banned.
Additionally, Insider previously revealed that he had previously made derogatory comments in both a now-deleted Instagram post and a Fox News interview with Tucker Carlson.
Ye may be personally hurt by Wintour’s choice to break off their friendship because they have been close for more than ten years. PageSix claims that they started dating after Ye accepted the Vogue editor’s invitation to his first Met Gala in 2009. Since then, they have been seen dining together and encouraging one another’s professional aspirations.
Adidas also said earlier this month that it was reevaluating its partnership with Ye.
“We have chosen to put the collaboration under review after making several attempts to informally settle the issue. Throughout this time, we will continue to jointly manage the present product “CNBC quoted the business as saying in a statement.
