Balenciaga has ended its association with Kanye “Ye” West. Kering, the premium brand’s parent company, confirmed the separation on Friday.
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” Kering says.
Balenciaga previously worked with West on his collection, which was sold at Gap before the arrangement terminated. Earlier this month, he also walked in the French design house’s summer 2023 presentation during Paris Fashion Week.
Demna, Balenciaga’s design director, has a lengthy history with both West and his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, wearing the reality star in her controversial face-covered 2021 Met Gala gown.
When West participated in the Paris Fashion Week show, which was situated in a mud pit, Kardashian shared numerous photographs on Instagram of herself sleeping in the dirt dressed in Balenciaga ensembles, saying, “When I couldn’t make it to the @balenciaga show @demna sent the show to me.”
West made news shortly after participating in the Balenciaga presentation with his controversial “White Lives Matter” shirt for his own Paris Fashion Week show.
He then made a series of anti-Semitic postings and comments, resulting in suspending his social media accounts.