The luxury fashion brand cuts ties with the rapper after his controversial comments spark backlash.
Luxury fashion label Balenciaga has officially severed ties with Kanye West following his recent series of antisemitic comments. The move makes Balenciaga the latest high-profile company to distance itself from the rapper and fashion mogul.
A spokesperson for Kering, Balenciaga’s parent company, confirmed the brand would no longer be working with West, who now goes by the name Ye. “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” the statement issued on Thursday read.
Earlier this year, West collaborated with Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia, on the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection. He also made an appearance at the brand’s Paris Fashion Week show, but images of the 45-year-old rapper walking the runway have since been removed from Balenciaga’s website.
The decision follows increasing pressure from organisations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), who addressed Adidas in an open letter on Thursday, urging the company to end its partnership with West’s Yeezy footwear line. The ADL condemned West’s comments as hateful and called on Adidas to make a public statement rejecting antisemitism.
Earlier this month, Adidas had already stated that its collaboration with West’s Yeezy brand was “under review” prior to the emergence of his controversial remarks. Since then, the retailer has remained silent on the matter.
