Reuters file photo
Kering SA’s Balenciaga fashion label said it has ceased working with rapper and designer Kanye West, who now goes by Ye.
"Balenciaga has no longer any relationship or any plans for future projects related to this artist,” a spokesperson for Kering said Friday in a statement to Women’s Wear Daily.
Representatives for the company didn’t respond to requests for further comment.
Reached via text message, Ye said, "God runs the world. We perform only for God. We serve only God. God bless.”
In recent weeks, Ye has made controversial statements including antisemitic social media posts and has moved to cut ties with his corporate partners.
The French fashion house last collaborated with Ye on a project with his Yeezy label and Gap Inc. that debuted earlier this year. Products included $300 hooded jumpsuits and $200 cross-body bags. He also walked the runway for Balenciaga’s fashion show in Paris earlier this month.
Ye’s partnership with Gap is now winding down as the parties terminated their relationship last month, ending an arrangement that was set to run through 2030. Meanwhile, his lucrative sneaker deal with Adidas AG has been put under review by the German athletic-wear maker.
In an interview with Bloomberg in September, Ye renounced his corporate deals and said he intended to branch out on his own. He also complained that his Gap line with Balenciaga was being mismanaged.
"It’s time for me to go it alone,” Ye said at the time. "No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
