Kanye West is not the type to let criticism of him go unnoticed. After sparking controversy for selling YEEZY GAP out of what appeared to be trash bags, the rapper took to conservative platform Fox News to defend himself.
Fox News correspondent Eric Shawn met up with Ye at the YEEZY GAP Engineered by Balenciaga Times Square Store to get his side of the story. The two immediately dove into one of the biggest criticisms, citing the unconventional marketing approach as an extension of his fetishization of homeless people.
“I’m an innovator, and I’m not here to sit up and apologize about my ideas,” he asserted. “That’s exactly what the media tries to do, make us apologize for any idea that doesn’t fall under exactly the way they want us to think.”
Shawn also clarified that the clothing was not put in trash bags, but rather large construction bags. The purpose of putting the merchandise haphazardly into the bags is so customers can “informally reach in and help themselves with what they want to buy.” Most of the “interview” is Shawn paraphrasing Ye’s words over footage of the two rifling through piles of hoodies.
Ye, who appeared on camera in a hoodie and a GAP hat that obscured his eyes, said: “This is not a joke. This is not a game. This is not a celebrity collaboration. This is my life. I’m fighting for a position to be able to change clothing and bring the best design to the people.”
Shawn also brought up Ye’s religiousness, saying the rapper felt that it was God’s plan to bring the two together for the exclusive interview. He mentioned that Ye intended for the collection to help people, especially those less fortunate. A plain t-shirt from the collaboration starts at $120, while the hoodie featured prominently in the clip is $240.
Ye is not the sole person to blame for the certainly viral marketing strategy. YEEZY GAP announced their collaboration with revered fashion house Balenciaga back in January. Following West’s now-deleted Instagram post that called for people to look to children and houseless people for design inspiration, Balenciaga composer BFRND connected the controversial statement to a famous quote by painter Pablo Picasso, who said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
While the rumored collaboration with Los Angeles-based fashion brand Skid Row was debunked (which also garnered some flack as it was reported they would be scouting for models along the city’s notorious street known for its large population of houseless people), Ye’s trash bag controversy was doubled with reports that the LA Mission has been ghosted by the rapper. In an exclusive report to TMZ, the homeless charity has been unable to reach out to him after he pledged to help tackle the city’s crisis by offering affected people jobs, education and housing.
But hey, maybe a $240 hoodie will help.
Photo via BFA