Balenciaga has reportedly ended their long-time relationship with Kanye “Ye” West.
According to an exclusive report by WWD, Balenciaga’s parent company Kering said that the French fashion house would no longer be working on projects with the rapper. “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” Kering said in a statement to the publication on Thursday (Oct. 21). It did not elaborate any further.
This news comes after West consistently made controversial public comments, including anti-Semitic threats on Twitter and false claims about the death of George Floyd during his interview on “Drink Champs.”
The luxury brand and its creative director Demna Gvasalia have a long history with the rapper turned entrepreneur. They collaborated on a sold out collection with Gap and West recently opened up for Balenciaga’s summer 2023 show, held in a mud pit during Paris Fashion Week. His image has been removed from the brand’s website.
The Donda hitmaker, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, caused outrage when he unveiled a “White Lives Matter” shirt in his surprise Yeezy Season 9 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. “White Lives Matter” is a slogan that is often linked with white supremacists. West defended his designs by publicly attacking everyone from fashion editors to former friends. In one of his social media rants, he accused Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, one of the largest conglomerate of luxury brands, “killed” his “best friend” Virgil Abloh.
“SPANK MY HAND WITH THE RULER(S) I’LL GO SIT IN THE ‘PRINCIPAL(S)’ OFFICE. CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS? LIKE HOW LATE THE SHOW WAS, OR HOW BERNARD ARNAULT KILLED MY BEST FRIEND,” he wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Adidas has placed its multi-billion-dollar deal with Yezzy “under review.” The 10-year partnership was affected after West cut ties with Gap last month.