Balenciaga is the latest fashion brand to sever ties with rapper and fashion designer Kanye West, also known as Ye, after a string of controversial comments made by the artist online and during public appearances.
On Thursday, Balenciaga's parent company said in a statement that it no longer had a relationship with Ye.
Although Ye opened the fashion house's Paris Fashion Week runway show earlier this month, Balenciaga began distancing itself from the artist after several anti-Semitic and other offensive remarks he made recently. In his latest, during an appearance on the podcast Drink Champ, Ye asserted George Floyd died of fentanyl poisoning instead of excessive use of force by Minneapolis police in 2020.
Ye operates his own clothing label, Yeezy, and told Bloomberg in a September phone interview that he was prepared to "go it alone" and end his partnerships with Gap and Adidas.
"No one should be held in that position where people can steal from them and say, 'we're just paying you to shut up'," West said to Bloomberg.
"Now it's time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience."
Balenciaga isn't the first brand to face drama while collaborating with the rapper. Here's a list of the labels that have had a professional relationship with Ye.