Balenciaga has officially ended its relationship with Ye.
The brand and its parent company Kering had initially remained quiet in the wake of the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, debuting a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt that drew backlash from fashion figures such as Tremaine Emory and making anti-semitic statements that got him suspended from Instagram and Twitter. West had cultivated a close working relationship with Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna, enlisting his help in designing products for his Yeezy Gap partnership and even opening Balenciaga’s latest runway show.
But Kering has broken that silence: “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” the company said in a statement.
Gap cut ties with West in September, and Adidas, which launched a lucrative multi-year collaboration with the artist in 2016, recently said the partnership is under review.
Stay tuned to BoF for updates on this developing story.
