Balenciaga Cuts Ties with Kanye West
Amidst the rapper spreading hate speech online, one of the highest-end brands that he has had partnerships with no longer wishes to be associated with him.
The two have a close history together. Ye opened for their summer 2023 show, wearing an outfit that is somehow both extravagant and plain, as so many of his designs are. This photo of him is no longer on their website. Kanye West has garnered the brand a lot of attention and business, most recently a collaboration with GAP and his own company, Yeezy.
His ex-wife Kim Kardashian has been seen sporting and modeling for the brand as well, likely thanks to Ye. According to the parent company of Balenciaga, Kering, “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects with this artist.”
They did not go into detail about severing their relationship with Ye, but it is safe to assume that it’s due to his spreading of anti-semitism and white supremacy. Turns out “no press is bad press” does not ring true. Mr. West has only dug himself into a deeper whole throughout this debacle. He’s made a few appearances, one of which was on the Piers Morgan show. He was asked if he thought his own comments towards Jewish people were racist, to which Kanye replied that they indeed were. We have seen nothing close to an apology from the rapper.
The rapper has also blamed Jewish people with high status in the entertainment industry for his own mess, and says that they screw over Black artists. This seems to be because JP Morgan cut ties with West as well, after his ‘White Lives Matter’ fashion show, despite Ye having invested millions of dollars into the company.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the phrase “White Lives Matter” is a “white supremacist phrase that originated in early 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which arose to protest against police brutality against African Americans.” The website also states that several white supremacist groups have used the phrase.
Last month, West said himself that he will no longer be working with other brands on his projects. Which is good news for him, as it seems that not many brands have the desire to work with him anymore. In addition to Balenciaga and the banking company, Adidas says that their relationship to Kanye West is “under review.”
In the past, Ye’s behavior has been chalked up to his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. But, as his words and actions become increasingly more unacceptable, he isn’t being let off the hook so easily. In addition to Balenciaga and the banking company, Adidas says that their relationship to Kanye West is “under review.”
