Kanye West Breaks Ties With Gap, Adidas: 'It's Time For Me To Go It Alone'

The drama between Kanye West and his brand deals continues as the rapper accuses the brands of copying his designs and not consulting him in regards to Yeezy.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the 45-year-old is just waiting for his contracts to expire before he proceeds to the next part of his plan-going solo.

"It's time for me to go it alone," the rapper told Bloomberg. "It's fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever."

He listed a few of his highly successful products such as the round jacket, Foam Runner, and Yeezy slides.

"Now it's time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience," he declared.

The Issue

West's feud with the German sports brand has been in the news for some months now, as he posted more and more tirades about Adidas and its executives.

According to reports, West is accusing Adidas of "blatantly copying" his designs, pointing out the designs of AdiFom Q and Adilette 22.

"No one should be held in that position where people can steal from them and say we're just paying you to shut up," said West regarding the feud.

Adidas was not the only one who got called out on one of his numerous Instagram rants, because another corporate partner, Gap, was not spared from the call-outs.

According to West, Gap has also copied some of his designs which came from his Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga line.

According to RapTV, West has settled with Adidas, as he posted about the settlement via Instagram, "Adidas don't want no more smoke [...] I gave them the opportunity to settle this quietly."

'Co-Parents'

His contract with Gap was signed in 2020 and will continue until 2030; while his partnership with Adidas will end in 2026.

For now, West acknowledges that he has to stick with the brands in the future despite the conflict, "They my new baby mamas. I guess we're just going to have to co-parent those 350s. [sic]"

That does not mean that he is actively looking for ways to continue his brand without the two companies.

According to recent reports, West has been looking into the San Antonio Shoemakers. He showed his interest by posting a screenshot of a message that contains the logo of the San Antonio-based show company, captioned with a smiley face.

This was following his Instagram post saying that he needed to have control over his brand, "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," he said.

Meanwhile, West announced that he has plans of opening Yeezy stores and more campuses for Donda Academy, a school he founded, throughout the country, Complex reports.

He has also made moves to collaborate with clothing label Unless Collective. The company is under Eric Liedtke, a former Adidas executive, who works with plant-based clothing.

Tags

Ye!, Adidas