Balenciaga has severed its ties with Kanye West. The French fashion house and parent company to Balenciaga, Kering, will no longer be working on projects with the rapper, also known as Ye, who has made an increasing number of controversial public comments in recent weeks, including threats against Jews. The decision was announced following the release of its third-quarter results on Thursday, October 20. Balenciaga Adidas Kanye West
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” Kering said in a response to the press.
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In a mud pit during Paris Fashion Week, the “Bound 2” singer opened Balenciaga’s summer 2023 show while sporting what appeared to be combat gear, including a branded mouthguard that protected his teeth. The picture has been taken off the Balenciaga website. It was his latest collaboration with the French Maison’s artistic director Demna, following the launch earlier this year of their Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga line.
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, attended the Balenciaga show.
Ye ended his agreement with Gap Inc. last month, signaling an attitude of hostility that has also put his ten-year partnership with Adidas in jeopardy. On October 6, the German sportswear company said that it was “reviewing” its relationship with the Yeezy brand. Balenciaga Adidas Kanye West
Balenciaga isn’t the only corporation to cut ties with the billionaire musician. Sportswear brand Adidas ended its partnership with Ye as well. Adidas said in a statement: “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness. After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”
Adidas has cut ties with Kanye West
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) October 25, 2022
“The company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.” pic.twitter.com/4sLtc7bEwO
It said this would have a short-term negative impact of up to 250 million euros ($246 million) on net income in 2022 due to high seasonality in the fourth quarter. The German sportswear giant had faced pressure from the public and its own employees to cut ties with Ye, who said on a podcast on October 16: “I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
Calls on Adidas had also come from at least three legal organizations, as well as anti-racism groups. A Change.org petition set up by the Campaign Against Antisemitism urging Adidas to sever ties with Ye had gathered 169,100 signatures by Tuesday morning. Talent agency CAA confirmed it had dropped Ye as a client Monday. Adidas and Balenciaga join a list of other brands that have also cut ties with the rapper, including JP Morgan Chase and Studio MRC.
Since organizing a surprise YZY show 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 appeared to be spiraling out of control.
Ye aggressively criticized everyone from fashion editors to former friends to luxury magnate Bernard Arnault in response to the show’s harsh public criticism. He claimed that he had agreed to purchase the social networking site Parler after being banned from Instagram and Twitter for violating the networks’ hate speech restrictions. George Floyd’s estate was said to be suing Ye for $250M for false claims of his death. Balenciaga Adidas Kanye West
Numerous celebrities have also spoken out about Ye’s actions, including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Jaden Smith.
Featured image: @kanyethegoatwest/Instagram
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