Kanye West’s feud with his brand partners continues, with the rapper accusing the companies of copying his designs and failing to consult him on Yeezy.
According to Bloomberg, the 45-year-old is simply waiting for his contracts to expire before embarking on the next phase of his plan: going solo.
Bloomberg quoted the rapper as saying:
“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.”
He mentioned some of his most successful products, including the round jacket, Foam Runner, and Yeezy slides.
He declared:
“Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
West’s feud with the German sports brand has been in the spotlight for several months, as he has posted increasingly venomous tirades about Adidas and its executives.
According to reports, West accuses Adidas of “blatantly copying” his designs, citing the AdiFom Q and Adilette 22 as examples.
West spoke about the feud:
“No one should be held in that position where people can steal from them and say we’re just paying you to shut up.”
Adidas was not the only corporate partner to be called out on one of his numerous Instagram rants, as another corporate partner, Gap, was also targeted.
West claims that Gap has copied some of his designs from his Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga line.
According to RapTV, West has reached an agreement with Adidas, which he announced on Instagram:
“Adidas don’t want no more smoke […] I gave them the opportunity to settle this quietly.”
His Gap contract was signed in 2020 and will last until 2030, while his Adidas partnership will end in 2026.
For the time being, West acknowledges that, despite the conflict, he must continue to support the brands:
“They my new baby mamas. I guess we’re just going to have to co-parent those 350s. [sic]”
That doesn’t mean he’s actively looking for ways to keep his brand going without the two companies.
According to recent reports, West has been researching the San Antonio Shoemakers. He expressed his enthusiasm by posting a screenshot of a message with the San Antonio-based show company’s logo captioned with a smiley face.
This was in response to his Instagram post stating that he needed control over his brand. He stated:
“I need a shoe company like how Jamie Salter bought Reebok, or I’ll take over some shoe factories […] I need to be head of the board and the chief decision maker.”
Meanwhile, West announced plans to open more Yeezy stores and campuses for Donda Academy, a school he founded, across the country, according to Complex.
He has also expressed interest in collaborating with the clothing label Unless Collective. Eric Liedtke, a former Adidas executive who works with plant-based clothing, leads the company.