Balenciaga has officially ended its relationship with Kanye West, now known as Ye.
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” said the luxury fashion house in a statement.
The Kering-owned company’s decision to sever ties with the artist follows Ye’s recent actions that have created controversy on social media as well as within the fashion industry. For example, in his latest YEEZY, YZYSZN9 runway show during the Paris Fashion Week, the artist chose to display a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt, which caused mayhem in the crowd and the media.
Ye later explained his reasoning behind his T-shirt on Fox News and made anti-Semitic threats on social media, which resulted in him being temporarily suspended on Twitter and Instagram.
A week after the kerfuffle, Ye entered an agreement with Parlement Technologies to acquire Parler, a conservative social media platform.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” said Ye in a statement.
If the deal were to close, Ye would become the latest celebrity to own a social media platform. Former President Donald Trump has looked to launch Truth Social in a bid to win over conservatives, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk is in talks to acquire Twitter.
George Floyd’s estate is now also suing Ye for $250 million for false claims on death.
The news was confirmed in a WWD exclusive.
