According to news reports, the Balenciaga fashion house has cut ties with Kanye West.
The move comes after the rapper, now known as Ye, made several offensive remarks, including Anti-Semitic posts that got him suspended on Twitter and Instagram.
“Balenciaga no longer has any relationship with the artist and has no plans for any future projects,” parent company Kering told Women’s Wear Daily in response to an inquiry.
West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, has worked with Balenciaga and its artistic director Demna Gvasalia in various fields.
Balenciaga also has a positive relationship with the rapper’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who has appeared in their ad campaign.
The controversial music star has also previously suggested slavery was an option, calling the COVID vaccine “the mark of the beast.”
In response to being locked out of social media platforms, West offers to buy right-wing-friendly social network Parler.
West is active on Parler, which positions itself as a “neutral social media app dedicated to freedom of expression, civic discourse, and user privacy.”
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2019. Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The app, which returned to the Google Play Store only last month, was removed after the January 2021 Capitol riots for allowing posts that sought to “incite continued violence in the United States.”
During Paris Fashion Week, the rapper modeled at Balenciaga’s ready-to-wear runway. He then appeared in the Givenchy collection wearing black braces from the Balenciaga brand.
West made a splash that week by wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at Yeezy’s fashion show in Paris, which also appeared on the runway. White Lives Matter is a neo-Nazi group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.
In recent weeks, West ended Yeezy’s partnership with Gap and told Bloomberg that he planned to cut ties with the company’s suppliers.
Adidas is reviewing a sneaker deal with Yeh, and JPMorgan and Yeh end their business relationship – Although the disintegration of the banking industry was already brewing long before Ye’s anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Kering did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. A representative for Ye also did not respond to a request for comment.