Kanye West shares his hopes for making YZY an affordable brand… as he continues to bash Gap for selling his T-shirts for $200
Kanye West says he is determined to make YZY an inclusive brand, despite having his hopes dashed with some of his recent clothing collaborations.
The 45-year-old rap icon recently terminated his collaboration with Gap, and he has now outlined his long-term ambition for his fashion brand while speaking to Vogue Business at Paris Fashion Week.
Kanye — who has legally changed his name to Ye — explained: ‘Our point, our idea, is that there is no one who is not welcome at YZY, at Donda.
‘And that’s why I went to Gap,’ he continued. ‘And why I brought Demna [Gvasalia, Balenciaga’s creative director] with me. To say “OK, Demna’s cut is at the top of what Paris has to offer. And Paris is at the top of what fashion has to offer. So let’s bring Paris to the people.”‘
Asked why the collaboration didn’t work out, Kanye said: ‘They made the T-shirts we had done cost $200. And then, they took our color palette and made a shape that was appropriate to what I think someone in the office thought was at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. And I felt that was civil rights.’
When asked to clarify his statement, he explained, ‘Well, when we went to shows,’ he began, referencing his 2009 trip to Paris with Virgil Abloh and other future fashion luminaries and friends, ‘there were certain shows we couldn’t get into.
‘That relates to the civil rights movement. It shouldn’t be that you can’t have this fabric or have this cut until you’ve made it to a certain place or class in life. It’s about dignity. And democracy.’
