Jay Z's holiday partnership with department store Barney's may have been a controversial one, but it seems like it paid off big time. According to The New York Daily News, Hova's upscale "A New York Holiday" collection netted over $1 million for charity.
A source close to Barney's told the newspaper that sales figures were still being tabulated as of last week, but the profits were looking to exceed $1 million. Jay Z's collection ran in Barney's flagship Manhattan store for a mere six weeks, meaning the high-end items raked in some major cash.
100 percent of the line's profits and 10 percent of Barney's storewide profits from the collection's first day in stores went toward the Shawn Carter Foundation, which helps to provide college scholarships for underprivileged teens.
According to The Huffington Post, Jay Z was initially planning to donate 25 percent of the line's profits to charity, but the Magna Carta Holy Grail rapper changed his mind after racial profiling allegations were raised against the lush retailer, triggering loads of controversy between the African-American community, Jay Z and Barney's.
Late last year, Barney's came under fire when black shoppers sued the store for detaining them and following them as they shopped, accusing the retailer of racial profiling.
The high-profile suit led to a Change.org petition asking Jay Z to sever ties with Barney's, though he eventually refused. "I am against discrimination of any kind, but if I make snap judgments, no matter who it's towards, aren't I committing the same sin as someone who profiles? I am no stranger to being profiles and I truly empathize with anyone who has been put in that position. Hopefully this brings forth a dialogue to effect real change," he wrote in a blog post, also citing that cancelling the line would only hurt those who benefit from his charity.
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