Kanye West Wants ‘Yeezy’ to Himself and is Gearing up For ‘War’
Continuing to amplify the fallout of his rocky business partnerships with Gap and Adidas, Kanye West posted what seemed to be a draft document of moves he is forbidden to make in the fashion world without them to Instagram late Sunday night. Earlier this month, West told Bloomberg he was looking towards independent ventures: “It’s time for Ye to make the new industry,” he said. “No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CirEFzVuQiE/?hl=en
Yet, West’s post indicated that a firm barrier was being erected, with a header reading, “Summary of restrictions on Yeezy standalone activities under licensing and endorsement agreement with Adidas and strategic agreement with Gap.” The document goes on to ban Yeezy and Ye from engaging in a wide range of potentially profitable activities in footwear, apparel, and accessories, including those that use “design that copy or resemble any designs used for Yeezy by adidas or Yeezy Gap products.”
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Twelve hours after sharing the document outlining the restrictions against him (as well as the names of members of Gap’s board of directors), Ye then posted screenshots of text messages to his Instagram Story that indicated that the senders believed that Gap had lifted the restrictions. One sender was named “Deborah Legal.”
In a new interview with Forbes, Kanye seems somewhat optimistic about solving his differences with Adidas amicably, telling the publication that “there’s a possibility [we] can co-parent products that we make, but not in a way where I’m not getting say-so over colorways, and where they’re treating me like I’m dead.”
Representatives of Gap, Adidas, nor Kanye West responded to Rolling Stone’s requests for comment.
According to the report, Ye also recently announced the appointment of former Hyperloop One Chairman Shervin Pishevar as the new Vice Chairman of his Yeezy brand. In 2017, the prominent and controversial tech investor had taken a leave of absence from Hyperloop One and his venture firm, Sherpa Capital, after being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
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