PARIS (AP) — Fashion house Balenciaga has cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, according to a news report.
The move came after several offensive comments by Ye, including anti-Semitic posts that earned him suspensions from Twitter and Instagram.
“Balenciaga no longer has any relationship or plans for future projects related to this artist,” parent company Kering told Women’s Wear Daily in response to a query on Friday without elaborating.
The company did not respond to multiple emails and calls from The Associated Press requesting comment. A representative for Ye also did not respond to a request for comment.
Ye had collaborated in various fields with Balenciaga and its artistic director, Demna Gvasalia. The label has also had an active relationship with Kim Kardashian, Ye’s ex-wife, who has appeared in her ad campaigns and credits her ex-husband for introducing her to the brand.
Ye was recently blocked from posting on Twitter and Instagram for anti-Semitic posts that social media said violated their policies. He also suggested that slavery was an option and called the COVID-19 vaccine the “mark of the beast.”
After getting banned from social media platforms, he was offered to buy Parler, the right-wing favorable social network.
During Paris Fashion Week, the rapper walked as a model in Balenciaga’s ready-to-wear show, which designer Gvasalia called at the time an “iconic moment.” He was later seen at the Givenchy collection wearing a black Balenciaga-branded brace.
Ye was also criticized that week for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to his Yeezy collection show in Paris and the T-shirt appeared on the catwalk. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, White Lives Matter is a neo-Nazi group.
In recent weeks, Ye has ended Yeezy’s association with Gap, telling Bloomberg that he plans to cut ties with his corporate suppliers. Adidas has put its sneaker deal with Ye under review, and JPMorganChase and Ye have ended their business relationship, although the bank breakup was in the works even before Ye’s anti-Semitic comments.
Source: news.google.com