Culture

Ye Defends Decision to Sell Yeezy Gap Collection in Trash Bags

Ye spoke exclusively with Fox News about the backlash he’s received from selling his Yeezy Gap collection in large black bags on the floor.

Ye is still unapologetic about his “creative expression.” On Thursday morning (August 18), the Donda 2 rapper and designer spoke exclusively with Fox News about the outrage he’s received about his new Yeezy Gap collection being placed in replica trash bags on the sales floor. The interview was held in the Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga experience in Gap’s flagship store located in Times Square.

I’m an innovator, and I’m not here to sit up and apologize about my ideas,” West said to Fox News anchor Eric Shawn. “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.”

The explanation comes days after a Twitter user posted an image of Yeezy Gap clothing, saying Ye “got mad when he saw they had it on hangers.” The “City of Gods” rapper went on to defend his challenging of traditional fashion norms by selling the clothing in ‘construction bags,’ although those criticizing Ye was mocking houseless people.

“I’m up here literally working on homeless shelters. There’s documentation of it where the city came and tore down my creations while I was doing it,” West said. “So no one can tell me I’m insensitive when that stuff that I think about every single day and actually have put my mind and innovation to.”

The collection is reportedly folded up in the bags so shoppers can search for what they want to purchase.

“The whole point of why I came to The Gap was to make egalitarian clothing,” West said. “I remember times being in the [Dominican Republic], going to a store and seeing clothes in bins and just seeing people be happy to have a moment of discovery, to think like children.”

Ye went on to call out his naysayers on social media, saying that they shouldn’t “clown” creators and that the move isn’t just “some celebrity collaboration.”

I’m fighting for a position to be able to change clothing and bring the best design to the people at a price they can accept,” the rapper continued.

“We have to treat each other better. We’ve got to respect our mavericks. We’ve got to respect the people that are the heads of industry that are attempting to do something, that are doing something to bring our country back.”

 

Jaelani Turner-Williams

Jaelani Turner-Williams is a contributing news writer for Okayplayer with bylines at Billboard, MTV News, NYLON, Recording Academy and more. Read her mind on Twitter at @hernameisjae.

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