Kanye West Expresses Displeasure with Apparel Companies

Kanye West has stirred up drama yet again on social media, this time with corporate partners The Gap (NYSE:GPS) and Adidas (OTCQX:ADDYY). 

In true Kanye fashion, the posts have already been deleted, but not before multiple news outlets regurgitated his statements. According to footwearnews.com, the rapper/fashion pioneer aired his displeasure with Adidas for copying his designs, not giving him enough control and being left in the dark when it comes to Yeezy-related planning. 

West specifically stated his concerns with Adidas’ release of the Adilette 22 sandal which he claimed is “a fake YEEZY made by adidas themselves” in a now-deleted Instagram caption. Additionally, he called out the creative director of Adidas, Alasdhair Willis as well as Senior Vice President, Daniel Cherry III. This resulted in memes of the two circulating on social media, posted by his fans. 

Not only did West make bold statements on social media, but he also did an interview with Bloomberg on Monday. “It’s time for me to go it alone. It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever … Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”

On top of all of this, Kanye West also dropped the bomb that Adidas attempted to buy him out for an astounding 1 billion dollars. 

Although Adidas has not publicly addressed the feud, West has gained support from several infamous friends including T.I., Swiss Beatz, Diddy and Nia Long. 

Despite West’s comments, shares of both companies he is linked to rose during Monday’s Trading. 

I’ll be interested to see if this feud continues and how/if it will affect the stock market. Stay tuned.