Fashion powerhouse Balenciaga has officially severed ties with Kanye West after a series of anti-Semitic posts and other controversial comments from the rapper, according to a report by Women’s Wear Daily citing a statement from Balenciaga’s parent company.
“Balenciaga no longer has any relationships or plans for future projects related to this artist,” Kering, Balenciaga’s parent company, said in a statement to WWD. Kering did not respond to CNN Business’s requests for comment.
West, who legally changed his name to Ye, collaborated with Balenciaga for a very popular Yeezy Gap line earlier this year. The Gap first announced his 10-year contract with Ye for the Yeezy Gap brand in June 2020, but West said last month that he was ending his partnership with the Gap because of “substantial non-compliance.”
In an internal company email, Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of Gap Brand, said he decided to “end the partnership” because his “vision is not aligned.”
Adidas also said it is reviewing its partnership with West after an increasingly strained relationship between the two grew.
The New York Times reported that West and Balenciaga’s relationship has been close and that he and creative director Demna Gvasalia text each other “several times a day.” But Gvaslia and Balenciaga’s chief executive Cédric Charbit reportedly attended the ill-fated Paris fashion show, where West wore one of his controversial “White Lives Matter” shirts.
Ye’s Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted earlier this month for violating anti-Semitic post policies.
Recently, Ye announced plans to acquire Parler, a far-right social platform, to avoid “being afraid of being removed from social media again.”
Source: CNN Brasil
Joe Jameson, a technology journalist with over 2 years of experience, writes for top online news websites. Specializing in the field of technology, Joe provides insights into the latest advancements in the industry. Currently, he contributes to covering the world stock market.
